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Tips for more graceful looking parallel skiing?

marzNC

Angel Diva
You're welcome. :smile:

I find it interesting to re-read comments about ski technique from a few years ago. They makes sense, or not, in a completely different way after working with very experienced instructors for a few years. I find it hard to learn something new just by reading, or even watching a video. But after working on related skills, there are comments that make it more understandable why what I've learned works to make skiing easier and more fun, especially on more difficult terrain. That can mean a steep groomer or off-piste terrain in less than ideal snow conditions.

Sometimes the hardest part is knowing what questions to ask of an instructor.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
What struck me in this discussion was the references to “wide stance.” I think that can be confusing. I like to think of it more as long leg- short leg. When on a reasonably steep slope the separation is more of an uphill/downhill than close or wide. For me, though, the number one thing that has smoothed out my skiing is pulling back my feet at the initiation phase of the turn.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
What struck me in this discussion was the references to “wide stance.” I think that can be confusing. I like to think of it more as long leg- short leg. When on a reasonably steep slope the separation is more of an uphill/downhill than close or wide. For me, though, the number one thing that has smoothed out my skiing is pulling back my feet at the initiation phase of the turn.
I think the comments about "wide stance" were a reaction to Post #1 where the idea of "legs super close" was associated with graceful skiing. As noted in a later post, the OP was probably seeing skiers using technique that worked well on straight skis. The ideal for parallel turns back before the 1990s was to almost have boots touching. That's definitely too close with current ski design.

The first thing the Alta instructor did when my ski buddy Bill was ready to adjust to his modern skis was to ask him to widen the distance between his feet to hip width. The next day I tried to get Bill to do the "cowboy drill" with an exaggerated wide stance as if the skier is on the back of a horse. He couldn't figure out how to tip his skis at all. Almost ran into the trees on the edge of the empty wide groomer we were on. That lesson was mid-season. It took a few more lessons and practice, but by the end of our late season trip to Alta, Bill was much more comfortable with his feet apart in a way that allowed him to tip his skis a lot more. He'd learned how much less effort was required by giving room for the skis to move. Since he has a bad knee, making skiing easier meant he could ski longer in the afternoon. He also started skiing steeper terrain that he'd been avoiding even though he was good enough to make turns in those situations. Took another season or so to get the wider stance ingrained. Now Bill usually skis with his feet hip width apart, although he will sometime have fun on a groomer and revert to the tight knee short turns that are called wedeln.


One reason the adjustment to "shaped skis" was very easy for me back in 2000 was that I was never a parallel skier on straight skis. So my natural stance was an athletic stance as far as how far apart my boots were. The first time I demo'd shaped skis, I was very pleased to find that I could make parallel turns with no effort. There was plenty wrong with my technique as an intermediate only skiing groomers back then, but I didn't have to unlearn skiing with my legs close together.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
:bump:
Wow . . . has it really been five years since this thread was active.

BEG- makes perfect sense. When I'm the "big fish in a little pond", i.e. skiing my home hill, I tend not to think so much, and just ski, looking further ahead for obstacles to watch out for. And somehow it all just happens. When I'm the little fish in a big pond, on terrain I'm not as familiar with, I tend to look just in front of me. I'll remind myself to look further down the hill and trust my legs and skis to do what they need to. But it is a hard one to fight. My goal for next year is to get to more new hills, so I can work on this one.
@diymom : I know you've skied in various places in the last few years, including at Taos. Do you look farther down the hill more naturally now?
 

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