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Side slipping, hockey stops

marzNC

Angel Diva
While in Utah, played around with side slipping with other Divas. Thought it would be worth posting the PSIA-RM videos that demonstrate side slipping hockey stops. What became obvious when we were working on them is that hand and pole position is pretty important.



A related drill is linked hockey slips.

 

marzNC

Angel Diva
The following is from another thread related to hockey stops. @liquidfeet was answering a question from @litterbug about still sliding a bit after executing what she was thinking was a hockey stop.

Your skis should be facing across the hill, but not your upper body, in a hockey stop. So yes, skis perpendicular to fall line is what you need.
Your upper body should be facing downhill while those skis face across the hill.
Your hips should be low, and your upper body bent forward, downhill, at the hip.
Your hands and arms should be stretched out over the skis reaching directly downhill.
Your uphill leg will be bent more than your downhill leg, and its ski tip will be ahead of the other.
Your weight and all the forces you feel should be concentrated on your downhill ski, which is the one that stops you.

If you are not skidding to a complete stop, here's my guess. You are probably facing your upper body to the side of the hill in the direction the skis are pointing, and leaning your whole upper body back uphill. With this combination, your downhill ski can't get a high enough edge angle nor enough weight on it to stop you.

Does that sound about right?
 

Serafina

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hilarious. I didn't realize there was a name for this. A few weeks ago we had a massive windstorm on my hill that just scoured the hell out of the runs and left us with big, and I mean nearly wall-to-wall, patches of white ice...on the drop that leads directly into the two major front-face lift lines. The runs above this zone were all packed powder, which meant the first time I hit that stuff I was doing about 30mph and had no idea at all I was about to completely lose edging and steering. When I found myself on it I started doing linked pivot slips like my life depended on them, which it might. At least, the remainder of my ski season sure did.

The next time I came down the run I was prepared, and wound up doing this "side slip hockey stop", which as I said, did not realize it was a "real" technique, let alone had a name. I just thought of it as a "God, please let me get over this horrible stuff" move. Fore-aft balance was INCREDIBLY important. The last thing I wanted was to permit my tips to start moving down the fall line. It's not like there was a nice pile of soft stuff at the bottom of the drop to brake and turn on...it was just more of this ghastly white ice.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
On white ice all you can do is steer...you can't edge...so steer. There is still some friction between your skis and the ice that will slow you down....
 

Skikayaker

Certified Ski Diva
Hilarious. I didn't realize there was a name for this. A few weeks ago we had a massive windstorm on my hill that just scoured the hell out of the runs and left us with big, and I mean nearly wall-to-wall, patches of white ice...on the drop that leads directly into the two major front-face lift lines. The runs above this zone were all packed powder, which meant the first time I hit that stuff I was doing about 30mph and had no idea at all I was about to completely lose edging and steering. When I found myself on it I started doing linked pivot slips like my life depended on them, which it might. At least, the remainder of my ski season sure did.

The next time I came down the run I was prepared, and wound up doing this "side slip hockey stop", which as I said, did not realize it was a "real" technique, let alone had a name. I just thought of it as a "God, please let me get over this horrible stuff" move. Fore-aft balance was INCREDIBLY important. The last thing I wanted was to permit my tips to start moving down the fall line. It's not like there was a nice pile of soft stuff at the bottom of the drop to brake and turn on...it was just more of this ghastly white ice.
I have worked on this a lot with Ursula at Big Sky. She says you can get yourself out of most any conditions with linked pivot slips. You need to make sure your torso is facing totally downhill and your hands are about even out in front of your torso. Make sure that back hand is way forward. Sideslip, aim them downhill, and immediately turn the other direction. Your weight has to be forward. Good Luck.
 

Skikayaker

Certified Ski Diva
I
I have worked on this a lot with Ursula at Big Sky. She says you can get yourself out of most any conditions with linked pivot slips. You need to make sure your torso is facing totally downhill and your hands are about even out in front of your torso. Make sure that back hand is way forward. Sideslip, aim them downhill, and immediately turn the other direction. Your weight has to be forward. Good Luck.
I forgot to tell you, you can turn back in the original direction you were facing too.
 

Fluffy Kitty

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Since I learned to carve, I've lost the ability (courage?) to hockey stop on the hill. Any tips?
 
What Pequenita said... :smile:. When I am carving I am carving, going from one side to the other and don't use any "force", just nice turns. However, when I am committed to stopping I do the same turning motion to either side but I do it with more oomph and just don't continue the turn. Turn, lots of oomph and stop.
 

NZfarmgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Take note in the second video the turn to a hockey stop comes from turning the legs with an even rate of rotation. It's common to make the mistake of rushing the end of the turn and pushing out with your heals which washes out the tails and uses the hip. Try to avoid turning from the hip or upper body, it should happen in your legs.
 

karrie lou

Certified Ski Diva
Take note in the second video the turn to a hockey stop comes from turning the legs with an even rate of rotation. It's common to make the mistake of rushing the end of the turn and pushing out with your heals which washes out the tails and uses the hip. Try to avoid turning from the hip or upper body, it should happen in your legs.
Aha! You have just answered a question I had when I was learning hockey stops! I 'thought' I was doing them, but now I see that I was pushing out the heels and using my hip! Thank you!
 

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