Tips for narrow runs?

[litterbug]

How do you stop?

I know, sounds scary, right? These days I sideslip, increasing edge angle until I'm facing across the slope and stopped; if I have to stop very quickly I turn to the side (to face across the slope) with a skiddy braking turn and then slow down with a higher edge angle. Sort of a slow-motion hockey stop, I guess, and maybe not so crisply perpendicular to the fall line.

For years I couldn't stop quickly at all, even to talk to someone who was waiting for me, so I'd just kind of slow down and hope I didn't run into them. At the worst, I'd turn away from the obstacle and just sit down. Which wasn't good at all.

But since last winter's Diva West clinic I can go and stop where and when I want to, have good enough balance to turn on one ski and do a few other balance tricks, and I think I'm getting some control of the rate at which I move my COM through a turn. I just haven't actually done a hockey stop because nobody's asked me to, even during lessons, and it's not what comes to mind when I'm thinking about skills. I'm confident that I could do one if I tried, though, and now that I'm describing all this I think I'll remember. We'll see!

 

[Serafina]

I use hockey stops all the time - whether it's because I'm skiing with Mr. S. and need to wait on the side of the trail for him to catch up, or whether it's because I want to inspect the back side of a drop before I commit to it, or whether it's because someone downslope is skiing erratically and making it difficult to pick a good turn that is certain to sweep wide of their track - I must have used at least five of them today alone.

When I was just learning to ski, my class was taught how to do this (and practiced it until we were reasonably good) before we were taken up the hill. My first trip down a narrow run more or less boiled down to a serious of hockey stops with changes of direction in between each.

We also learned to side-slip in the very first lesson ever. We spent 15 minutes skating around on a flat on one ski to get the feel of it, and then we had to hike up the bunny hill (in skis), and then side-slip down. And then do it again and again before the instructor would take us up on the lift to the top of the bunny hill. Gave me a very early start on "feeling my edges", it did.

OP, having skis that are too short will keep you from progressing, at some point in the future. You'll know when, because you will be feeling comfortable and confident, and you'll start to push your boundaries a bit, and then your skis will start feeling squirmely. I believe it is common for advancing skiers to mistake the slide in confidence that comes from squirmely skis to a slide in confidence from doing more advanced things, so it may take some time to realize that it's your skis that are the problem. It took a few months for me to catch on to the fact that my skis might be the problem, to try out a longer ski, and watch the issues evaporate in the space of about four turns. So, yes, for a beginner or low intermediate who is using skis that are appropriate to their current level, you will "outgrow" them and need to get something longer once you advance your skills sufficiently.

 

[ydna.lehcnem]

Why don't you just control your speed using the basic "snowplough" until you're confident with the turns?

 

[ydna.lehcnem]

If you control the basic position you can do everything.

 

[Nic Nic]

I actually never use snow plough anymore unless I'm in the lift line and have to...when I've tried it on the runs lately I actually feel more unbalanced than before. After reading all of this, what I've determined is that, while I do blue runs and make it down without falling, I've got a lot of work to do on my basic form. I can tell now that I haven't been completing my turns, do more skidding than I probably should be, am definitely in the back seat too much, and need to work on getting forward without just LEANING forward (i.e. Flexing the ankles and letting my knees bend as a result). So much great info on this site! Even though I have a long ways to go, it feels good to finally be able to KNOW some of what I'm doing wrong and articulate that to someone. I got my shorter skis back for now (still felt too out of control on the 163's) and will be taking a lesson as soon as we get some more snow. In the mean time, im going to practice side slipping, falling leaf, some fore/aft exercises, and just being more aware of where my center of balance is at any given moment.

 

[marzNC]

There are nuggets in this 2014 thread of good info for beginners wondering about longer skis. The discussion covered other topics as well. Includes comments from instructors (Ursula, skisailor, SkiBam, etc.)