bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This weekend, for the first time since I posted this thread, the forecast looks good for groomers. If the forecast sticks, I'll finally take out the Viva 8.0s.
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Technique question for firm groomers
- Thread starter bounceswoosh
- Start date
elemmac
Angel Diva
Frictional forces have no correlation to surface area. This is not saying that the surface area of a ski (or it's effective length, or it's stiffness) doesn't play a role in how a ski skis; it just doesn't have to do with friction. In your examples (long vs. short skis or stiff vs. soft) you're introducing other types of forces on that ski (e.g. the force of the short ski hitting the next snow mound or bending to change with the conditions).
For your example with a table...pushing a table upside down or right side up, the total frictional forces are the same regardless (provided the material used for the table top is the same as the table legs), however the distribution of force is different.
Fluffy Kitty
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I suppose you can call them something other than friction, like drag or resistance or something...
Still, friction (at least the "dry" or "mechanical" type of dynamic friction) operates at the micro level in the same way as these "other" forces operate in the macro level, so I don't think of then as having a huge qualitative difference.
And "wet friction" operates very differently, with different variables, such as speed, but we still call it "friction".
No biggie either way. My only point is that surface area does affect resistance and hold.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
With no new snow for a few days, I finally took out the Viva 80s. They come with a stock 1/3 tune, but my buddy changed it to 1/2 so that they'd be less grabby.
It's a good sign when I like a ski from the very first turn! They were fun. I did catch an edge a couple of times, once in a scary way, but no harm done. I've caught edges on other skis, too. They were very easy to ski.
After several lessons without success, Pete finally really got me flexing with just the right cue. So I'm not stiff-legging my turns so badly anymore. Thinking "bend the knee" actually made my knee hurt. Instead he had us stand still and try to lift our tails off the snow by leaning forward - and then leaning forward, but just with the lower body. Then he said to do exactly that at the end of each turn. Bam. Suddenly I was bending my knee - more correctly, ankle - and wondering why it had seemed so impossible before.
I still need to think about it with every turn, or the stiff leg comes back. And by the end of the day, well, my knee was just stiff. Still - it was MAJOR. And surprise, surprise, once I started actually bending my knee - I no longer feel like my right foot is sometimes going AWOL on me. I had thought it might be weakness from the surgery or might be a need for canting - my foot would just go all vague and not tip the way I had planned. But no - just needed to actually flex.
And ... I think the edge catching was likely pre-knee-revelation, so.
It's a good sign when I like a ski from the very first turn! They were fun. I did catch an edge a couple of times, once in a scary way, but no harm done. I've caught edges on other skis, too. They were very easy to ski.
After several lessons without success, Pete finally really got me flexing with just the right cue. So I'm not stiff-legging my turns so badly anymore. Thinking "bend the knee" actually made my knee hurt. Instead he had us stand still and try to lift our tails off the snow by leaning forward - and then leaning forward, but just with the lower body. Then he said to do exactly that at the end of each turn. Bam. Suddenly I was bending my knee - more correctly, ankle - and wondering why it had seemed so impossible before.
I still need to think about it with every turn, or the stiff leg comes back. And by the end of the day, well, my knee was just stiff. Still - it was MAJOR. And surprise, surprise, once I started actually bending my knee - I no longer feel like my right foot is sometimes going AWOL on me. I had thought it might be weakness from the surgery or might be a need for canting - my foot would just go all vague and not tip the way I had planned. But no - just needed to actually flex.
And ... I think the edge catching was likely pre-knee-revelation, so.
I have the same problem as well skiing icy and slushy steeper blues this weekend. No issues when I go with my normal speed. But the feeling of ice beneath freaks me out and I started to ski slower and making shorter turns. I had a hard time with short turns at a slower speed and I ended up in the backseat position. Felt a little defeated as my legs were tired and I felt my toes grabbing onto the snow.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Do it!!
I probably will. I've only taken one lesson as an adult, and I'm 53! I did do extensive lessons growing up and even went to a two week ski camp as a kid. I wanted to take the Women of Winter classes at Squaw Valley this winter but have not made it to one yet, and I think the series is over now.
marzNC
Angel Diva
I started taking lessons fairly regularly after age 55. I'm 60 this season and skiing a much greater variety of terrain than I even expected. Went from 80% groomers to 70% off-piste when there is good snow, including bumps, trees, and powder. All with less effort due to improved technique although it helped that I started doing year round ski conditioning. What's been just as interesting has been getting my ski buddies about the same age who didn't think there was much point in lessons as advanced skiers join me in semi-private lessons from very experienced instructors. Took a couple seasons, but they are now quite interested in continuing to take a lesson every so often or consider multi-day clinics.
That sounds great! I would like to learn new skills so that I can be more confident on varied terrain (and ski more of the mountain). I'll see if I can get some friends to take lessons with me. How did you find instructors?
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Lessons make the fun skiing more fun, and the hard skiing less scary. Maybe like @marzNC , I was in a skiing rut before I started taking adult lessons. I was getting down harder stuff, but it always felt out of control - really just doing it because my husband wanted to ski those runs.
With a combination of lessons and motivation, the runs that once scared me are now fun, and I ski terrain - for fun - that I once would have thought impossible.
With a combination of lessons and motivation, the runs that once scared me are now fun, and I ski terrain - for fun - that I once would have thought impossible.
Same. I have my fingers crossed that my hill will change the women's clinic time to start a bit later next year so I can have a chance of making it to the hill on time. Talking to one of the instructors during the K2 demo day, it sounds like I am not the first to wish for this, and she said she would make the suggestion for a later start time.
lisamamot
Angel Diva
How was the K2 demo day - I sent an email to sign up and never heard back so did not attend
It was fun. I did half expect to see you there. Several people didn't show up in the end, so there were only about 10 of us. We only swapped skis once. I guess I could have spoken up and asked to try more, but I also didn't want to miss out on skiing with the group. I decided I didn't like the Oolaluv as much, but that could be in part that the snow was getting chopped up after lunch, and I was getting tired. But the skis I had for the morning I did like. They are new for next year- the Thrilluvit.
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
Tell us about the Thrilluvit!
lisamamot
Angel Diva
Did you get a confirmation email when you signed up, or did you go with the "no news is good news"? I need to call them - I don't want to get on their no-show list, but frankly they are on my no-reply list!
I forgot to ask about the turn radius, but I did at least snap a photo of the tail, so I can relay those stats. They asked me what I ski now (Absolut Joy) and they said I should try this since it would be different. It is 85 underfoot, with tip and tail coming in at 128 and 112 respectively. No metal in it. We had complete hero snow in the morning, nice and firm, but I had the feeling that they would also do well in spring slush, kind of surfy. I wish I could describe them in better terms, but that's really the best I can do. I thought they were fun and easy to ski. I tried finding more on them when I got home, but nothing to be found. Oh, and I was told the price will only be $399 (flat).
I did, but that might be since I had already bugged them once, asking if there was a wait list. I wrote again after seeing it on the website, to make sure they knew I definitely wanted to do it, and could make that date, and they said I was already on the list. I say next time bug them until you get a reply
Yes, the one at Squaw Valley started at 9 a.m. These days I'm not on the mountain that early unless there's fresh powder!
