Hi all. I just got back from a fabulous weekend skiing at Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. It was the third day on my new Volkl Aura’s. I’m 5’3” and weigh 115, they are 156s. They feel great most of the time, but now and then I notice the ski tips knock together when I’m traversing a hill or going down a getback. My hubby says it’s because I’m not weighting the front of my skis enough. Anyone else have this trouble or tips for correcting? Thanks in advance!
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Question: Tips knocking together
- Thread starter ellen k
- Start date
Hello,
As much as I hate to admit it.....Your hubby may be on to something. You are experiencing chatter.
So quit traversing and ski down the hill as your new Auras are trying to tell you something. They will reward attempts and some mistakes will be overlooked if you are trying.
When doing the catwalk runs, consciously try to put your toes down at first. You can also try putting one ski then the next a tiny bit in front of each other. It may be all you need, otherwise, check your stance making sure you are NOT in the backseat.
Have fun
As much as I hate to admit it.....Your hubby may be on to something. You are experiencing chatter.
So quit traversing and ski down the hill as your new Auras are trying to tell you something. They will reward attempts and some mistakes will be overlooked if you are trying.
When doing the catwalk runs, consciously try to put your toes down at first. You can also try putting one ski then the next a tiny bit in front of each other. It may be all you need, otherwise, check your stance making sure you are NOT in the backseat.
Have fun
geargrrl
Angel Diva
I am a new Aura owner, and I would definitely agree with that they "talk to you" about the right and wrong parts of your techniques. My first days I had my tails crossing a lot- a sure recipe for a face plant!
I took a private lesson which really helped, so did the new boots. First run in my new boots I felt more connected and dialed into my new skis!
I had a great instructor who gave me one strong basic to focus on... and I have been having tons of fun since then. The work we did in the lesson really helped me understand the nuances of how this ski is speaking to me if I am not right on the money with my weighting etc.
good luck and have fun!!
I took a private lesson which really helped, so did the new boots. First run in my new boots I felt more connected and dialed into my new skis!
I had a great instructor who gave me one strong basic to focus on... and I have been having tons of fun since then. The work we did in the lesson really helped me understand the nuances of how this ski is speaking to me if I am not right on the money with my weighting etc.
good luck and have fun!!
I agree with what has been written already, and just wanted to add that if they are wider than the skis you are used to using - it also just might be a matter of you tending to keep your feet a little too close together. The tips are the widest part, so that's where they are going to "clink" together.
Around here - traversing is what you have to do if you want to get to any terrain off the groomers. It's just as much of an essential skill as skiing is and when I demo skis - how they feel on traverses is really important to me. When your skis wander around on a traverse it's not fun. But I think a combination of staying centered (thinking about weighting the tips will probably help if you're off center to the rear), staying relaxed and and keeping your feet slightly farther apart will help a lot. It's one of those things that is part skill, part equipment (like just about everything!)
Around here - traversing is what you have to do if you want to get to any terrain off the groomers. It's just as much of an essential skill as skiing is and when I demo skis - how they feel on traverses is really important to me. When your skis wander around on a traverse it's not fun. But I think a combination of staying centered (thinking about weighting the tips will probably help if you're off center to the rear), staying relaxed and and keeping your feet slightly farther apart will help a lot. It's one of those things that is part skill, part equipment (like just about everything!)
mountainxtc
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I disagree with lucine above. It doesn't sound at all like you are experiencing chatter. altagirl is thinking along the right lines.
1. your stance is probably too narrow for the skis. widen a little.
2. get centered fore/aft.
3. make sure you are balanced laterally on the traverses, i.e. over the dh ski.
traversing is very necessary and important and requires skills that you can transfer to being balanced at the end of a turn when skiing down a run.
1. your stance is probably too narrow for the skis. widen a little.
2. get centered fore/aft.
3. make sure you are balanced laterally on the traverses, i.e. over the dh ski.
traversing is very necessary and important and requires skills that you can transfer to being balanced at the end of a turn when skiing down a run.
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This. Plus, the Aura has a pretty dramatic sidecut for a ski that fat, so it can get a bit twitchy running flat if you're not flat and balanced on the ski. You may want to check you boot alignment as well.
Agreed. As long as we're all on the same page as what it means to "traverse."
geargrrl
Angel Diva
agreed, the op talks about a traverse and a "getback" which I think would mean cat track? Different kinds of skiing, usually.
Sorry for the confusion that has resulted from my poor use of terminology. In my original post, I wrote, "I notice the ski tips knock together when I’m traversing a hill or going down a getback."
I was referring to two different things:
"getback" should have been "catwalk" - the things used to get from one location on the mountain to another.
"traverse" - sometimes as I'm going down a steeper pitch, I'll feel like I'm going too fast or getting out of control so I'll do an admitedly bad thing and make a turn and go across the slope laterally. I stop and regroup and try to get back into carving (or skidded turns when I'm not really carving). The knock happens at the end, probably because I'm flat on the ski and wobbly from being a little scared.
I think you divas have given me the correct advice: check my weight balance and give them some edge. I'm hoping to get out Saturday for one last hurrah before the mountain closes. I'll let you all know how I do. Thanks again!
I was referring to two different things:
"getback" should have been "catwalk" - the things used to get from one location on the mountain to another.
"traverse" - sometimes as I'm going down a steeper pitch, I'll feel like I'm going too fast or getting out of control so I'll do an admitedly bad thing and make a turn and go across the slope laterally. I stop and regroup and try to get back into carving (or skidded turns when I'm not really carving). The knock happens at the end, probably because I'm flat on the ski and wobbly from being a little scared.
I think you divas have given me the correct advice: check my weight balance and give them some edge. I'm hoping to get out Saturday for one last hurrah before the mountain closes. I'll let you all know how I do. Thanks again!
Not your fault really - not only is it both a noun and a verb, but "traverse" is something that describes exactly what you're talking about in terms of not committing to the next turn and therefore traversing across the slope. But it can also be something you distinctly do on purpose - i.e. at mountains where you have to "traverse" - meaning you follow an established track (the "traverse" - this time the noun) across the mountain (losing as little elevation as possible) to get out to the slope you want to ski. (Hence the infamous "High T", which is just short for the highest traverse route across West Rustler at Alta.) The first definition of traversing, you can work on eliminating by committing to the next turn, etc. The other, you work on mastering because you need to do it to get to the fun stuff... ;)
Skisailor
Angel Diva
Altagirl - so glad you mentioned "mastering" the traverses (noun). Because over the past couple of years as I've finally gotten more and more off the groomers (yea!) I have to admit that the traverses are often a bigger challenge for me than the runs themselves.
The idea that skiing them is an actual skill to master is one I'm just coming to grips with. And I've seen divas here refer to proper etiquette on traverses, but not sure I know what that is.
What are your key "traverse" tips?!
The idea that skiing them is an actual skill to master is one I'm just coming to grips with. And I've seen divas here refer to proper etiquette on traverses, but not sure I know what that is.
What are your key "traverse" tips?!
Tips:
Stay loose, centered and relaxed - easier said than done, but if you are stiff, you will get bounced around worse. Keep your skis on edge - most of your weight will be on the downhill ski, but have the uphill ski in a position to be prepared to save you if your downhill ski washes out. As mentioned above, if you are riding a flat ski, they will wander around and that's no good. To get in a good effortless edging position, the trick is to drop your downhill shoulder. Try it just standing in the living room - drop your left shoulder way down (like just let it sink as low as you can) and it causes a chain reaction with your hips and knees and your feet will be "on edge" - and your body should be nice and relaxed. That's the ideal traversing position (according to everyone who I've ever talked to / gotten advice from / seen who just flies across them.)
Look ahead. When you have one of those big dips in front of you - look past it and either stiffen your legs to pop off the lip and double it (that's an advanced move - you need to be comfortable jumping), or pump down into it. Meaning - beand your knees as you come up the lip, straighten your legs in the trough and absorb again as you come out of it. The idea is to keep your upper body nice and smooth with your legs working underneath you. (And keep in mind that the way to get air off those bumps is to stiffen your legs as you go up the face... so if you're scared and STIFF - you will get MORE AIR when you hit them. Stay loose and you absorb them and stay on the ground.) And if you keep your arms up and in front of you and your focus up ahead where you want to go... it will become easier. No staring in the holes!
Try to keep your momentum up. This is scary, but you will realize once you can do it that it is 100x easier to traverse with some speed where you can skip across the bumps than to try and keep slowing down (which requires skidding and fighting your speed and wears your legs out). Not to mention - all those bumps you see on the traverses are caused by people trying to check their speed across the traverse. If everyone just skis it without skidding... there wouldn't be any bumps on the traverse!
Now on a big powder day, the problem is usually keeping your speed up, not controlling it. In that case - when you get out there, pole as hard as you can, push off with your downhill ski (kind of a one legged skating motion) and go as fast as you can!
Oh - and ROCKS! There WILL be rocks on the T. It's inevitable. Obviously - go around the big ones (the boulders sticking out of the ground, etc.) But the little ones - the pieces of scree rock scattered over the snow. KEEP MOVING. First of all - it's completely impossible to avoid them all 99% of the time. And second - if you try to stop on a rock - you will shred your bases/edges. If you keep moving in a straight line over the top of it - 99% of the time you won't do anything at all to your skis or you'll just put a little stripe down the middle. Which is way better than a core shot or damaged edge. If you can - try to unweight your skis as you're going over the rocks. Try your best to look ahead enough that you can see where they are and pick a line to go around them. But don't look down, see rocks and slam on the brakes. That's bad news for a number of reasons!
Etiquette:
#1 - Never, never, never stop in the middle of a traverse where people can't pass you easily. It's about the equivalent of slamming on your brakes and stopping to look around in the middle of the interstate to read a map or check out the scenery.
#2 - when you need to stop - if you are going to regroup and keep going - try to pull off above the traverse (note: this is probably not going to be possible on a powder day). If you think you know you are in the area where you want to drop in to ski - pull off just below the traverse to scout out your line/catch your breath/wait for your group. If you have to stop and can't pull off on the high side of the traverse (or lose control and wind up below the traverse)? Guess what - that's where you are dropping in! It's rarely worth attempting to hike back up in powder to get on the traverse, and on a busy powder day - you'll have a heck of a time getting back into the line of traffic even if you can make it back up there. It happens to everyone sometimes, so just enjoy what you can get!
#3 - like it or not, expect impatient people on an epic powder day. It's also when the traverse is narrowest and it's usually impossible to pass until the traverse widens out some. I'm pretty decent at traversing, but if I'm out fighting for fresh tracks when the High T opens... I know there will be a few people breathing down my neck, if not literally pushing and shoving, freaking out behind me to get out there. So in those situations, I just go give it all I've got to get to where I'm going and get out of the way. (Mind you - I'm talking - it snowed a foot and you waited in the lineup at Alta for at least an hour or two before the lift opened to get in the first few rows, so there are literally at a thousand people in line behind you.) On those days, I'll usually have sort of a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C type of thing in mind. If I get on the T and am able to hang on to the person in front of me, then I'll keep going and push to get out to High Rustler or some such thing. If I'm not, I'll have several other points along the way where I can drop in that won't require me to be on the T as long. On the bright side - the fresh powder fills in the bumps so it's usually smooth and slower than it is on a normal day, so it's usually easier to traverse... but more intimidating with people breathing down your neck! 2nd and 3rd run after something opened? I just keep going at a reasonable pace and go wherever I want to go.
If it hasn't snowed? Don't sweat it. Just head out and pay attention to the places where you stop. There will be LOTS of widened out sections with plenty of stopping space... and a few sections that bottleneck. Obviously - don't stop in the bottlenecks (or blind spots) where you can block traffic (or if you're in big group, figure out a way to stop without blocking the whole traverse). Other than that - don't worry about it. Just relax and work on your technique!
I haven't been traversing for that long, but I've been improving on these, which means I've been thinking about what works/doesn't work. Here are my thoughts:
If possible, find out what the traverse will entail -- like, if there's a spot where you'll have to maintain speed, go high, go low, etc. If no one knows, make sure the lead person yells back (and then everyone passes the info back). I find it helpful for the person in front to call back random things when relevant...rock, log, ice, so I pass it along. I don't know if that's the etiquette, though.
Spacing...stay far enough back that if the person in front of you bites it, you can react without causing a pileup.
Maintain speed, or be really obvious if you're slowing down to give the person behind you visual cues (snow plow, checking skis uphill, etc.).
As far as maneuvering goes, what's worked for me is a wide stance and keeping my knees bent more than I think they need to be to stay balanced on and to absorb those dipty doos/mini rollers.
Would love to hear others' thoughts.
ETA: oh...I was typing as altagirl was posting. Thanks for the tips!
Good point on the spacing - the biggest part to me is knowing who is in front of me. Most of the people I ski with, I can follow right on their tails (if I can keep up) with 100% confidence because I trust them. If you don't know or trust the person in front of you... adjust your distance accordingly.
And we also do a lot of "intel" on the traverses. The clean line will change day to day, and sometimes over the course of the same day. So if anyone knows which lines were smooth/rocky/clean/icy.... share before you head out and play follow the leader if someone has a good line. Yelling out obstacles can help, but it's hard to hear sometimes, so stay loose, look ahead, and be prepared to react!
Oh - and when you get to sections that require a tricky spot - like High Notch or like going across Tombstone when there is low snow coverage - something where it drops away and then goes back uphill (so everyone is stopped because they have to sidestep uphill after a little descent), or you have to navigate around something where everyone is stopping - make sure you wait your turn before dropping in (i.e. make sure that the runout is clear enough that you're not going to crash into people sidestepping up or who didn't make it out of the runout cleanly, etc.) That should be pretty obvious, but every once in a while you see someone totally miscalculate that...
Skisailor
Angel Diva
Wow!
Thanks for the great traversing tips.
Am flying out (like a crazy person - can't believe I am doing this but just can't let go of the the ski season this year!) for just a 4 day weekend to Alta/Snowbird a week from Friday. Not expecting there to be any fresh powder, but I still hope to be doing alot of traversing and will try to put your tips to good use!
Thanks!
Amazed at your description of a powder day . . . . I always knew that powder at the major resorts got skied out fast, but never thought about what, exactly, that looked like . . . :D Now I have a new mental picture.
Hell . .. .I'm still trying to figure out a way to move closer to the mountains. Haven't yet thought about how I'll be needing to elbow my way out the traverses to get fresh tracks once I get there!
Thanks for the great traversing tips.
Am flying out (like a crazy person - can't believe I am doing this but just can't let go of the the ski season this year!) for just a 4 day weekend to Alta/Snowbird a week from Friday. Not expecting there to be any fresh powder, but I still hope to be doing alot of traversing and will try to put your tips to good use!
Thanks!
Amazed at your description of a powder day . . . . I always knew that powder at the major resorts got skied out fast, but never thought about what, exactly, that looked like . . . :D Now I have a new mental picture.
Hell . .. .I'm still trying to figure out a way to move closer to the mountains. Haven't yet thought about how I'll be needing to elbow my way out the traverses to get fresh tracks once I get there!
mountainxtc
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
my biggest traverse trick: the diagonal sideslip. it's a release of the tails down the hill whilst traversing (the noun version!) so you can control your speed (slow down or speed back up) on a dime. also useable for tricky entrances like sliding down cornices.
note: you must be balanced in ALL planes for this to be effective (fore/aft, laterally, vertically, rotationally). my advice? practice it somewhere with lots of space first to become comfortable.....
note: you must be balanced in ALL planes for this to be effective (fore/aft, laterally, vertically, rotationally). my advice? practice it somewhere with lots of space first to become comfortable.....
