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Swearing, swearing...breakthrough.....slightly less swearing.

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The cursing was all on the inside, of course, because I am f-ing ladylike. But I've been doing laps at Okemo this week and I finally got so sick of being in the backseat and having quad pain no matter what I did and not advancing at all in three years and griping on TSD about it and GAH!

I stopped dead at the side of the trail and thought "How is it bleeping possible to do this and not activate your bleeping quads!?!? Bleep!"

Then I just figured a new approach might be in order, so I tried to stand up straight and keep my pelvis tucked in and my arms wider and more forward than felt natural.

Well, #$%^& if that didn't freakin' work.

I'm still not consistent, but Holy Jeebus, it's the only breakthrough I've had in like three years. Combined with starting my foot-shift a little earlier on turns, I actually started to ski pretty well; faster, in control, and making forceful, efficient turns that led to actual flow. The difference was very, very palpable.

Why is it so hard to explain and so easy to do?

I've been asking for stance evaluation for years and nothing ever helped (Except for Ursula's excellent video, which helped me understand pressure vs. weight, which is what allowed me to make the change, I think, because I had her words in mind).

Anyway, I seem to have wrestled my skiing into passable shape just in time for mountain bike season. :-)
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I did a women's ski clinic once and pelvic tilt (they called it 'bunny humping the ball' lol) was the first major breakthrough I ever had. It helped me activate my core, rid myself of excessive anterior pelvic tilt, and generally just helped me get more aggressive and rad.
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
Then I just figured a new approach might be in order, so I tried to stand up straight and keep my pelvis tucked in and my arms wider and more forward than felt natural.

Why is it so hard to explain and so easy to do?

I’d say you described it pretty damn well.

“Stack your joints”
“Push the bush”
“Pinch your shoulder blades”
“Tuck your pelvis”
“Tilt your pelvis”
“Stand up”

There’s a million ways to describe it, but honestly it doesn’t really mean anything until you FEEL the difference. I have small “pep talks” with myself all the time...swearing is mandatory, that way I know I’m being serious.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
How did I miss this thread? This is great! I have been experiencing virtually no quad pain since the WOW at Suicide Six. That amazing instructor taught us 4 or 5 things, but they all amounted to “getting forward” and whoa, what a difference!

Now working on pole touching.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
1. An no-pole exercise imagining holding a beach ball in front of you and moving it from side to side, on an easy trail.

2. Standing on the hill facing uphill, and leaning forward to get the feel for the stance.

3. Getting the skis up on edge for the turn, and pressuring the tips. Really pressuring the tips.

4. Keeping both hands in front.

I think there was another one but I can’t remember it right now.

What a difference!

Also, Frank said to me last week, “You really powered through the crud.” So every time I get myself in crud now I think about powering, pushing, through it. I think about being more aggressive, and not tentative, in the crud. Big difference!
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@SqueakySnow : :rotf::rotf::rotf:

I had the chance to join an instructor clinic a couple of months ago, and we practiced a sort of version of javaline turns where you lift your inside ski a bit during a turn and really try to drive the tip into the snow. There's no way to do that in the back seat, and I've found it a very helpful exercise to get myself forward when I drift back.
 

SqueakySnow

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OK everyone, I want to know more about getting pressure into the tips and driving them into the snow. Since we're talking about getting out of the backseat, can I assume this is related to keeping your shoulders over your toes and pressuring the front cuff of your boot? In other words, the weight shifts forward rather than pressing your toes down? I find pressing my toes down throws me into the backseat. Can anyone describe the physiology behind successfully driving the tips into the snow?
 

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