Question: Ski advice - New gear or lessons

[luckeeesmom]

I am a beginner-intermediate skier. I suppose more toward the beginner although I can get down greens, blues, and the occasional black. The problem is that my technique sucks. I feel like I am making nice turns with my skis parallel but when I look at photos or my boyfriend looks at me I am really using a modified snow plow/wedge turn technique with the skis parallel in front and more flared out in the back.

I would like to improve so that I can become a more proficient skier and I'm beginning to wonder if it is my skis that are holding me back. I currently am skiing dynastar exclusive 8's in size 158. My height is 5'-5". Would you recommend getting shorter skis or do you think that investing in some lessons would be the best way for me to improve? I really appreciate any insight that you can provide.

I just ran across a great deal on atomic sweet mama skis in a size 151 or 159 if that would be a better ski for my level.

 

[Robyn]

How are your boots? I'd look there first and then to lessons.

 

[luckeeesmom]

I have salomon irony (8's I believe) They fit great and I bought them the same year I bought the skis. I was paid to be fit instore and then found them online.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I vote for the lessons, and go from there.
You haven't mentioned any particular fit/pain issues with your boots - and I'm familiar with the ski you are using. While it is relatively soft and meant for intermediate, I don't think the length is a problem, unless you are a super-fly weight for your height.

Sounds like you just need some technique lessons and mileage in order to get that stem christie to a parallel christie and then on to the fun business of a carving turn. Bet it can begin to happen in a couple of lessons! Instructor might have more pertinent feedback in re: your equipment, but I think you can progress comfortably on that model and length.

 

[Robyn]

Given that your boots sound like they're good I'm with MSL, go for the lessons. And don't let your BF push you down slopes you're not ready with. It reinforces bad habits that you resort to when you're nervous before you can solidify the good ones. They mean well but it's not always a good idea.

Oh, and welcome to The Ski Diva!

 

[Jilly]

I'm with MSL. Try some lessons. Stemming can be caused by a lot of things and without seeing you ski I can't begin to correct. Find an instructor you like and you'll learn in no time.

Where are you skiing the most?

 

[ski diva]

Welcome to the forum!

I vote for lessons, too. As important as gear is, you have to know how to use it to get better. Optimally, do both -- get good gear and good lessons. But if I had to choose one, I'd do lessons.

 

[Kimmyt]

I've seen more improvement from lessons than gear upgrades, personally.

 

[luckeeesmom]

Thanks everyone! I think the main problem is that, living in NC, I don't get to ski nearly as often as I like. Maybe 2-3 times each season max. The closest decent resort is Snowshoe, WV and that is about 6 hours drive for us. We have a couple small resorts in NC but they are on the other side of the state and for just 2 more hours we can get to Snowshoe. I have never taken a lesson so I will most likely try to invest in a couple of those this year. Maybe if I do one the first day I can work on the techniques for the rest of the trip and see some improvement.

I don't expect to become an expert with the amount of skiing that I do but now that I have some confidence with getting down the runs I'd like to start improving my technique.

 

[luckeeesmom]

Just to follow up about the skis...
The main reason I wanted advice on those is that I when I've rented in the past I have been put on shorter skis, approx 150's, and when I bought these a couple seasons ago I wanted to get a ski that I could grow with so I went a bit longer. I just wanted to see if that maybe why my learning curve has been steeper or if I just need lessons. I've picked up what I know now by watching people on the slopes and trying to emulate but I definitely think I could benefit from some individualized attention!

 

[Christy]

You will be so glad you took lessons. I only learned a couple years ago and have no idea how I would have had it not been for lessons. I continue to take them--there is so much to learn and your technique can always get better, which makes skiing more fun. Even if you ski only 2-3 times a year, if you take a morning lesson, then work on what you learned in the afternoon, you'll see so much improvement.

I was a lot more successful once I got on shorter skis, fyi. I'm your height and 158s were hard for me to manage. If you only ski a few times a year it would be quite a while before shorter skis held you back, wouldn't it? I figure by the time I "outgrow" my shorter skis I'm going to want new ones anyway.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

^^^But----this is a soft and maneuverable ski, with the length giving her some edge stability. Length isn't a factor in and of itself: overall stiffness has a lot to do with it. i.e., a Volkl Fuego in a 154 is one major ski. This particular model of Dynastar really suits her, for now - with lessons and mileage, she will be fine. They would be "squirrely" in a shorter length.

 

[alyeskaluv]

Lessons, lessons, lessons!

I learned when I was young, and I pretty much did the wedge-christies for the first few years, and gradually moved into making more controlled skid-style turns. Then, one magical day, my mother had the good sense to sign me up for a private lesson, where I just skied all over the mountain with an instructor, working on my technique. The change in my skiing was AMAZING - I immediately progressed to a strong intermediate/low advanced skiier and found that I could get down anything if I just relied on my (now quite good) technique!

In sum, I found lessons to be extremely helpful - they make a big impact on your skiing technique, which is your foundation.

 

[bklyn]

Do yourself a favor and go get some lessons. Equipment matters, but a new purchase will not equal better skiing. OTOH, lessons can bring immediate improvement.

 

[Jilly]

From expericence with in the last few weeks. We have a friend who skis with us, but have never ever taken a lesson. He came as my "friend" to a ski instructor's convention the first week of December. I skied with him on Tuesday. The "friend's convention" started on Wednesday. Well on Tuesday I noticed a number of things that I as an instructor would work on. But since he was going to this thing starting Wednesday I left well enough alone. Well 3 days later I skis with him again. What a difference!! 3 days of lessons with some of the top guns of the CSIA! Not in the back seat, using the edges and under control.

My take again is lessons!!

 

[CMCM]

I went from rather narrow waisted carvers that were short (68 waist, 150 long) and last spring I got some longer, wider Salomons (74 waist, 162 long). I'm 5'7". I've found my new skis to be wonderful and they have helped me improve because I feel greater stability due, I think, to the longer length and wider dimensions.

I took two private lessons last season and they helped enormously. For me, I've found it useful to take a lesson, then practice for a few weeks, then take another.

As for the stem problem, I really recommend two dvd's by Lito Tejada-Flores. They are beautifully filmed and are really directed at low to mid intermediate skiers who are trying to improve. The big thing I learned was that the stem occurs when you wait too long to shift weight on a turn. He goes into that a lot on the DVD's. He has 3 DVDs, and I have two of them (not ready for the one on bumps yet). I watch these over and over and over and learn something new each time I watch. Then when I'm skiing things pop into my head from the video. I can say with certainty that his videos have really really helped me ski better.

 

[SnowHot]

I have salomon irony (8's I believe) They fit great and I bought them the same year I bought the skis. I was paid to be fit instore and then found them online.

I've seen more improvement from lessons than gear upgrades, personally.

this is a soft and maneuverable ski, with the length giving her some edge stability. Length isn't a factor in and of itself: overall stiffness has a lot to do with it. i.e., a Volkl Fuego in a 154 is one major ski. This particular model of Dynastar really suits her, for now - with lessons and mileage, she will be fine. They would be "squirrely" in a shorter length.

I agree with all of this but want to revisit the boots thing.
You said you paid to be fitted but ordered on line?
That is fine, but did you go back to the fitter to make sure that you're aligned?
You may be fine but if you're out of alignment then it can have an effect on your turn initiation.

That said, a stem turn is not abnormal for a beginner/intermediate skier. Lessons and drills will surely help you clean up your carve and eliminate the stem.

Side note: I have some weird funk days when the stem reappears. ARGH!!

Welcome! You're in good company here!

 

[luckeeesmom]

No I haven't had the boots checked. I wasn't aware they could be out of alignment and that was never mentioned when I was fit for the boots. I have a hard foot to fit and the salomons fit my toe shape the best.

I am definitely going to save up for a lesson on my first trip up this season. Do you think I can get enough from a small group lesson or should I plan for a private lesson? Also what duration should I sign up for? The resort where I'm going offers the following:

Group lessons approximately 1.75 hours long
Private lessons - one, two, and three hour and then all day.

Budget wise I'd probably be leaning toward the group unless the private would be much more beneficial.

 

[SnowHot]

IMO a 1 or 2 hr private would be the most beneficial. However, sometimes you sign up for a group lesson and the group may be small, sometimes actually works out to be a private or semi private.
Do what you can afford and embrace the experience!

 

[luckeeesmom]

I haven't been on for a while but I just wanted to update my situation. Unfortunately I only got the chance to go on two ski trips this year but I made some great strides. The first trip I took a group lesson which ended up only being two people so I got a lot of personal attention and some tips on stance and removing the wedge from my turns. I worked on that for the remaining days and made some limited progress.

The second trip we brought some friends up who were new to skiing. They had to rent equipment and so while we were waiting on them to get set up I decided to demo some different skis from the performance shop. I tried Head Cool Ones in 149 length and after getting used to them on the first couple runs they were magic! I was able to handle them much easier and almost remove the stem from my turns. I had so much fun on them that I rented them for the remainder of the trip. They gave me the confidence to go on some tougher terrain and to make quicker turns on the greens and blues. This fall I will definitely be looking to find a pair of those or something similar on sale after the 2010 skis come out!