Hmm . . like, I'm thinking . . at the top of Wildcat in pea soup fog, high winds and bulletproof ice?
No, then I was thinking, "Lord, you are one crazy idiot and how did you let SkiSailor talk you into this? And what the heck am I doing to my skis?"
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Question: What are your go to technical self-talk messages?
- Thread starter snoWYmonkey
- Start date
No, then I was thinking, "Lord, you are one crazy idiot and how did you let SkiSailor talk you into this? And what the heck am I doing to my skis?"
Skisailor
Angel Diva
Karlyboogy
Certified Ski Diva
Yes I also do this, now you mention it. Funny to read others do too. I say to myself: "pole, turn. Pole, turn" just for poleplant and it also helps with rhythm. And "put outer leg forward" right after every turn. But most of the time I don't think and just enjoy! Or indeed singing..
BackCountryGirl
Angel Diva
I am in the camp that has to turn off the head talk, but when I feel as if I am skiing poorly, saying "Move" helps. With the kids I coach, we've developed a group "shorthand" together. So, when I'm watching them come down doing a drill or skiing in gates, I can yell: "Touch (pole touch), "hands" (don't drop the inside hand), "BOB (bum over boots), "shoulders" (stop tipping inside your turns.)
It's pretty effective.
It's pretty effective.
I go with a couple of things, but I probably wouldn't call them technical:
1. Suck it up princess! :-)
2. Ski the fall line
3. It's all perfectly groomed corduroy girly! (said in one of my instructor's voices). It's something that he told me that I found super useful. Pretend that everything is perfectly groomed and ski as if it is.
4. If you don't want to "insert hazard here - hit a tree, ski over that bluff, hit that rock", don't go there! (said in same instructor's voice) :-)
steff
1. Suck it up princess! :-)
2. Ski the fall line
3. It's all perfectly groomed corduroy girly! (said in one of my instructor's voices). It's something that he told me that I found super useful. Pretend that everything is perfectly groomed and ski as if it is.
4. If you don't want to "insert hazard here - hit a tree, ski over that bluff, hit that rock", don't go there! (said in same instructor's voice) :-)
steff
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
These are all great! #3 sounds very, very much like what one of my race coaches told me...."the ruts are they only if you think they are - visualize and ski the line as if it's perfectly groomed." It always worked for me.
snoWYmonkey
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So funny...makes me realize how speed is so subjective (I am a slowpoke) and also how I would probably get really hurt with those two mantras in some of the terrain I most enjoy (again...I ski slow and steady). I could use some Weeeee in my fast skiing! All I hear in my head is Yiiiiiiikes!
I don't think going fast in all terrain is advicable for most.
Further more, some of us who don't care for speed (sorry, we do exist) may purposely choose terrains with a lot of "texture" to get that speed sensation without the high actual speed. So in a sense, you maybe skiing as fast as it's safe already.
I personally don't enjoy pure speed. It feels like sticking my head out the window in a moving car. Cool but nothing special.
snoWYmonkey
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Abc, totally agree. I am more into super steep tight trees than the race course. Precision of a different variety. Every time I race I cringe, and I cringe even more at the many borderline skiers passing me on normal non race course runs. That being said, my comments were ambiguous on purpose. We all get our smiles different ways when we ski, and as long as we don't jeopardize others safety, it seems that opposite mantras/ self talk may bring about identical results in different people. Ultimately enjoyment from the sport!
I am curious why you feel a need to apologize for not liking to go fast? I have never felt bad about being slow compared to many of my colleagues on the hill. I do warn my students in case they are racers, and don't give it another thought.
I am curious why you feel a need to apologize for not liking to go fast? I have never felt bad about being slow compared to many of my colleagues on the hill. I do warn my students in case they are racers, and don't give it another thought.
Lilywhite
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It has changed over the years from "less crapping more shagging" to "stand tall" and from "can you see your hands?" to "reach out", probably not so inspiring but it works for me. Obviously I used to be in the backseat more often than not and I struggled with what to do with my poles for a long time.
If I'm on a steep narrow slope I find myself singing "kung fu fighting" to remind myself to keep punching those turns out without worrying about the gradient. On ice it becomes "find the soft stuff" in a kind of mantra. On BBRs all bets are off, then it's all about the WWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
If I'm on a steep narrow slope I find myself singing "kung fu fighting" to remind myself to keep punching those turns out without worrying about the gradient. On ice it becomes "find the soft stuff" in a kind of mantra. On BBRs all bets are off, then it's all about the WWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
snow addict
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I don't do anything very technical, but sometimes I do have few quiet words with myself. Usually something like "too late to be afraid now, just turn". Not long before my injury I was taken down a couloir by a friend who just finished some off-piste course and skied it about 7 times in one day so he was obviously beyond a fear point. Well, it was like a steep twisted pipe 2 m wide at the top, with 3 mandatory turns before it opened up. I cried before each turn for 10 minutes and it helped
Mom of Redheads
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
When I'm standing at the top of anything I'm not sure about, it's usually "Commit!" that gets my skis pointed down the hill...
When I'm trying to work on form on something steeper or less groomed than I'd like, it's "unweight, pinch, unweight, pinch" which basically reminds me to make sure my body stays facing down the hill and helps me get weight off the uphill ski. If it's a slope I'm more confident on, I'm now thinking "turn (feet), turn (feet)" which reminds me to think about isolating the turning movement to just my feet (again, working on keeping my body facing forward). All of this might make no sense to you, but it works for me. Obviously I've got a bad habit of turning my body too much and not getting my weight on the downhill ski, so I figure that if I work on it in different ways depending on what type run I'm on, then it will eventually start coming together for me.
When I'm trying to work on form on something steeper or less groomed than I'd like, it's "unweight, pinch, unweight, pinch" which basically reminds me to make sure my body stays facing down the hill and helps me get weight off the uphill ski. If it's a slope I'm more confident on, I'm now thinking "turn (feet), turn (feet)" which reminds me to think about isolating the turning movement to just my feet (again, working on keeping my body facing forward). All of this might make no sense to you, but it works for me. Obviously I've got a bad habit of turning my body too much and not getting my weight on the downhill ski, so I figure that if I work on it in different ways depending on what type run I'm on, then it will eventually start coming together for me.
Because for 90% of skiers, skiing is about going fast and feeling the wind in their hair.
So those of us who don't care for speed AT ALL are the outlier.
(The same is true in the cycling community. So I'm familiar with the situation. Hence the need to explain myself for not liking speed. It's not because I'm ashame of myself, just I know it's hard for others to understand)
I constantly hear people say I "can" go faster if I have a better ski, or have better carving technique. I'm sure that's true, that if I work on carving with a better ski I'll feel more comfortable going faster. But I just don't see the point of going faster. It doesn't do anything for me!
About the only time I feel the need for speed is to stay in contact with the group I'm skiing with. And I do feel bad when the group had to wait for me.
To me, groomers (where my speed is in question) is nothing but connectors between powder stashes/trees/bumps! So I get through them casually and leasurely (or work on techniques sometimes).
(Much like in cycling, where descends what most cyclists enjoy. But to me, descends are just connectors to climbs, which is what *I* live for!)
Guilty as charged...There's the statement you need to apologize for!JK, of course.
vanhoskier
Angel Diva
My 2 mantras are "Move with your skis" and "Look where you want to go, not where you don't want to be!"
If I can't make slow controlled turns on any particular day, then I shouldn't ski fast, because that means something is awry with my technique. I'm one of those who enjoys skiing at slower speeds. If I can ski a bump run smoothly in slow motion, then I know my technique is improving and I'm moving with my skis.
I'd love to be able to ski tight trees. I'm starting out by skiing easier glades. If my turns are timed correctly, then I'm looking where I want to go.
MaineSkiLady
Angel Diva
^^^ Broccoli Garden! 
Great videos!
And I even did the edge of it!
Great videos! And I even did the edge of it!
Indianaskier
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Skiing fast and in control and on a run that isn't too crowded can be fun, but I just don't do it much anymore. Getting over my concern for who might be out of control and going too fast behind me keeps me from being totally comfortable on some runs. I think about how I feel when I hear that person coming up on my side from behind and as I'm skiing and see someone ahead, who seems to be a bit tentative, I hope my zipping past won't frighten them as I've been in that situation. I tend to slow myself down more than I might need to in that case. When I am skiing alone, which most of the time I am now, I am much more likely to take it slow, enjoy every turn, mixing up short turns and wide turns where that is possible. I take few risks that I used to , but I always have fun.
Yesterday, on one run, a ski patroller skied down just in front of me, making medium and short turns, not too fast, but a bit faster than I had been going. It suddenly reminded me of when I was skiing with instructor friends and we would follow each other, trying to mirror what each had done. It made us look where we wanted to go and not not down, as well as helped us stop thinking about what we were doing. I loved that, so for the fun of it I followed the patroller, not too closely, but staying in his path. That was the most enjoyable run of my day. No thinking, just skiing.
Yesterday, on one run, a ski patroller skied down just in front of me, making medium and short turns, not too fast, but a bit faster than I had been going. It suddenly reminded me of when I was skiing with instructor friends and we would follow each other, trying to mirror what each had done. It made us look where we wanted to go and not not down, as well as helped us stop thinking about what we were doing. I loved that, so for the fun of it I followed the patroller, not too closely, but staying in his path. That was the most enjoyable run of my day. No thinking, just skiing.
