What is "too much ski"? Blizzard Pearl 88

[TiffAlt]

Hi everybody! Have been a lurker for about a month or so and I love that this forum exists for us! I need some advice on what is "too much ski." ... So I'm a beginner who has fell in love with skiing after the first couple lessons - I'm on my eighth lesson now, doing it once a week, but the lessons will end soon as they transition to spring season. I'm afraid I made a mistake though. I took the dive for well fitted boots and I was so pleased with how much better they made my skiing that then I decided what the hell - and a week later bought new skis too. Now I'm having trouble controlling my speed.

A bit of back story - I'm a 5'2 115 pound 40 year old attending group lessons on Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington State. I started learning a few weeks ago on rental skis that were 1 year old Rossignol Experience men's skis, 136cm length, 78cm waist. They felt shaky when I picked up speed - which I did very easily on any slope - more on that later. Before I went to buy skis, I researched a bit on this forum and had set my mind on a smaller waist - nothing wider than what I was learning on.

However, when I went to the ski shop, the same place where I had been so happy with my boot fitting, they steered me away from that, arguing that I wanted an all-mountain ski. They suggested Line Pandora 84, but didn't have any in my height (around 144-150 they said) and went to go look in the back to see if they had a pair. While they were looking, I found a pair of 147 Blizzard Pearl 88's someone had hidden behind some taller skis. Now honestly, I always liked the whole story of Blizzard - being women-owned and women-designed, but the waist was so much wider than I had gone in looking for. They actually found the Line Pandora in my size in the back, but when they came out and and saw I had found a pair of hidden Blizzard Pearl 88s they were like YES THOSE ARE AWESOME. So I bought them.

Now while I am pleased that they are not shaky at speed, I feel like I gather speed MUCH TOO QUICKLY in them. I have learned that I am actually too far forward in my boots. I am an avid rollerblader at home and love going fast fast fast, but because the roller blading I do is in a rink on a flat surface, leaning forward is kind of a must to help propel forward. On a slope though, it's a very bad habit so I have been trying to keep my heels down, feet planted which does help to slow me down some, but I still feel I pick up speed faster than I should. I haven't fully gotten the hang of turning on steeper inclines - I can mostly parallel turn on flatter surfaces, but steeper inclines I just gain too much speed, too fast and revert to the wedge stance if I can or become unbalanced as I try to turn and fall forward cause I'm too fast and off balance.

Now I know some of this is me, but wondering if I also tried to upgrade my skis too fast for my level. Did I buy too much ski? Should I go back to renting? Will I get used to them? Will they hold me back? I still absolutely love skiing, but want to make sure I am not going to delay my progress. Thanks so much!

 

[shadoj]

Hi! Welcome!


I think you'll be OK with those skis for now, especially if you take a lesson or two on them. Might even want longer in the future as you progress.

For reference, I'm on 152cm BP 82's (4'10", 105lbs). Did a lot of inline skating in my past, too! Great for power on flats, but tends to leave us "too crouched" at the waist and sitting back with the butt despite forward shoulders/chest. Think of opening the hips up and pushing them forward while lifting the sternum, "standing up" more, looking far down the hill/fall line. Let the hips/femurs turn under you by pressuring the feet, keeping the pelvis open and facing mostly downhill. Pressuring your feet at the "top" of the turn (when you have the most contact between snow & ski due to slope), then turning all the way across the fall line (completing your turns) will help with bleeding speed. It's OK to "skid" a bit smoothly through the arc of the turn to slow things down without braking hard.

Again, I think a lesson is in order, and hope I didn't overwhelm you. Speed is fun once you know you can reduce it rapidly!

 

[shadoj]

Whoops, just noticed you're in a group lesson program. Great!
Mention your specific stance concerns / speed control to your instructors as a focus you want to work on; they may have some good tips and/or drills you can work on solo.

So glad to have you here! We're a motivated, life-learning bunch

 

[TiffAlt]

Hi! Welcome!


I think you'll be OK with those skis for now, especially if you take a lesson or two on them. Might even want longer in the future as you progress.

For reference, I'm on 152cm BP 82's (4'10", 105lbs). Did a lot of inline skating in my past, too! Great for power on flats, but tends to leave us "too crouched" at the waist and sitting back with the butt despite forward shoulders/chest. Think of opening the hips up and pushing them forward while lifting the sternum, "standing up" more, looking far down the hill/fall line. Let the hips/femurs turn under you by pressuring the feet, keeping the pelvis open and facing mostly downhill. Pressuring your feet at the "top" of the turn (when you have the most contact between snow & ski due to slope), then turning all the way across the fall line (completing your turns) will help with bleeding speed. It's OK to "skid" a bit smoothly through the arc of the turn to slow things down without braking hard.

Again, I think a lesson is in order, and hope I didn't overwhelm you. Speed is fun once you know you can reduce it rapidly!

Thank you so much for the welcome! yea, I can really get going good on flatter terrain and it's FUN but I want to ski downhill too

Like you say, my instructor has said that I'm too crouched a lot, especially in the beginning, haha! I have been turning all the way across successfully, but find it takes me too long and between wanting to look like I know what I'm doing and avoiding the very congested or narrow areas, try to come out of the turn probably a little too soon and since my tip are pointed down... well we know where that's going to take me. I guess I need to work on my turning radius.

Thanks for the tips!!

 

[scandium]

I think you will "grow into" the skis quickly, especially if you talk to your instructor(s) about your own specific issues. Improving your turn shape is particularly important for speed control - it's hard not to be impatient to get into the next turn!

 

[marzNC]

So I'm a beginner who has fell in love with skiing after the first couple lessons - I'm on my eighth lesson now, doing it once a week, but the lessons will end soon as they transition to spring season. I'm afraid I made a mistake though. I took the dive for well fitted boots and I was so pleased with how much better they made my skiing that then I decided what the hell - and a week later bought new skis too. Now I'm having trouble controlling my speed.

A bit of back story - I'm a 5'2 115 pound 40 year old attending group lessons on Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington State. I started learning a few weeks ago on rental skis that were 1 year old Rossignol Experience men's skis, 136cm length, 78cm waist.

I found a pair of 147 Blizzard Pearl 88's someone had hidden behind some taller skis.

Keep the skis. Talk to your instructor about how different the skis feel. Your skis are noticeably shorter and narrower than what you had before. There will be an adjustment period.

For context, I'm an older petite skier (5'0", 110 pounds) who started with skis that were 75 underfoot and 154cm as all-mountain skis for trips out west when I was an adventurous intermediate. I hadn't skied much as a working adult, but had learned during two seasons in middle school. Technique was a mix of whatever I remembered from straight skis and what seems to make sense, so not the best approach at all but I had good survival skills (side slipping, hockey stops, etc.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the BP88 @145cm a few years renting some demo skis out west.

 

[marzNC]

I guess I need to work on my turning radius.

Making short turns is always harder to learn. Especially nice round C-turns with no skidding. I'm still working on that as an advanced skier since I'm more interested in skiing powder than carving fast down groomers.

Has your instructor talked about "finishing a turn" or "turning uphill to control speed"? The way to learn what that feels like is to work on one turn at a time. Perhaps ask about a drill called a garland.

 

[TiffAlt]

Keep the skis. Talk to your instructor about how different the skis feel. Your skis are noticeably shorter and narrower than what you had before. There will be an adjustment period.

For context, I'm an older petite skier (5'0", 110 pounds) who started with skis that were 75 underfoot and 154cm as all-mountain skis for trips out west when I was an adventurous intermediate. I hadn't skied much as a working adult, but had learned during two seasons in middle school. Technique was a mix of whatever I remembered from straight skis and what seems to make sense, so not the best approach at all but I had good survival skills (side slipping, hockey stops, etc.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the BP88 @145cm a few years renting some demo skis out west.

Just to correct, the pair I bought are longer and wider than what I had before. I now have the BP88 @47cm!

My instructor did say it's normal to feel a lesson or two behind on all new everything. Honestly, I think I'm more worried about it than he is, lol

 

[TiffAlt]

Making short turns is always harder to learn. Especially nice round C-turns with no skidding. I'm still working on that as an advanced skier since I'm more interested in skiing powder than carving fast down groomers.

Has your instructor talked about "finishing a turn" or "turning uphill to control speed"? The way to learn what that feels like is to work on one turn at a time. Perhaps ask about a drill called a garland.

This is EXACTLY what he's been telling me. He even said on my new skis to do one turn at a time if I don't feel comfortable connecting them. Honestly, he's great, I'm just a worry wart. My husband and 13 year old son are also taking lessons and even with new equipment, they reverted any like I have, so they are ahead of me now. We all really want to be able to ski together since we're taking our first ski holiday end of this month, so I think that's where my anxiety comes from. I don't want to hold them back.

 

[marzNC]

We all really want to be able to ski together since we're taking our first ski holiday end of this month, so I think that's where my anxiety comes from. I don't want to hold them back.

There are threads around about how to have fun skiing as a mixed-ability group. It can be better to split up part of the day or even for a given run when a chairlift serves trails and end up at the same place.

One tip for a group that splits up for any reason is not to rely on cell phones as the other way for finding each other. Good to have a backup plan for when and where to meet. Could be for a mid-morning hot chocolate, an early lunch, or afternoon tea.

If the resort you are going to have a free mountain tour, those are usually on green or blue groomers. Can be a good way to learn the mountain. Can always leave before the tour is over if prefer to do something else.

 

[TiffAlt]

There are threads around about how to have fun skiing as a mixed-ability group. It can be better to split up part of the day or even for a given run when a chairlift serves trails and end up at the same place.

One tip for a group that splits up for any reason is not to rely on cell phones as the other way for finding each other. Good to have a backup plan for when and where to meet. Could be for a mid-morning hot chocolate, an early lunch, or afternoon tea.

If the resort you are going to have a free mountain tour, those are usually on green or blue groomers. Can be a good way to learn the mountain. Can always leave before the tour is over if prefer to do something else.

Yea, they keep telling me not to worry, it's just my nature. That tour might be pretty cool if they offer one. I'll look into that, thanks!

 

[Pequenita]

On a slope though, it's a very bad habit so I have been trying to keep my heels down

Your boots are not the right fit if your heels are coming up. A possibility of why you are picking up speed could be that in your effort to keep your heels down, you are shifting your mass back and falling into the back seat. Can you go back to where you got your boots and tell them your heels are coming up?

 

[TiffAlt]

Your boots are not the right fit if your heels are coming up. A possibility of why you are picking up speed could be that in your effort to keep your heels down, you are shifting your mass back and falling into the back seat. Can you go back to where you got your boots and tell them your heels are coming up?

I think I misspoke - My heels are not coming up per se - I am just putting all my weight into my toes and shifting very forward - which is the same as I do on roller blades/ice skates because I like to skate fast. It's kind of a habit at this point that I obviously need to break. Let me assure you that my boot is actually very snug and my ankle very supported and held in place. Sorry for the misrepresentation!

Let me ask - I have actually never had pain or soreness in my quads - that's the hallmark of being in the backseat right? I don't think I'm in the back seat at all. In fact, when I stand up straight out of a turn, I slow down since I shift my weight from my toes to more centered using my heels too. I think this shows that my normal stance is shifting my weight very forward and that's something I need to work on. But I could be wrong. Are there other things that might indicate I'm in the backseat?

 

[daniwrites]

We all really want to be able to ski together since we're taking our first ski holiday end of this month, so I think that's where my anxiety comes from. I don't want to hold them back.

I understand this. I ski mostly alone, and when I ski with friends, they're mostly beginner-level. We still have a good time. We use walkies (very convenient esp with how cell service can be spotty/non-existant on the mountain!), and many times, even if I take a harder run, we are able to meet at a midpoint, or at the chair. I also don't mind cruising with them on runs they're more comfortable with.

As for the skis, I agree with what many have said here - I think you will grow into them, and will feel more confident after a few more days with them.

 

[Pequenita]

Let me ask - I have actually never had pain or soreness in my quads - that's the hallmark of being in the backseat right?

It's more of a thigh burn that's correlated with being in the backseat, while you're actually skiing. I think of soreness as the result of using muscles that you haven't used in a while, so not being sore could just mean that your muscles are used to the stress, even if it's the wrong position. Tough to tell with just words on the internet. I'm not saying you're in the backseat - just that sometimes these universal statements aren't really universal.

 

[TiffAlt]

It's more of a thigh burn that's correlated with being in the backseat, while you're actually skiing. I think of soreness as the result of using muscles that you haven't used in a while, so not being sore could just mean that your muscles are used to the stress, even if it's the wrong position. Tough to tell with just words on the internet. I'm not saying you're in the backseat - just that sometimes these universal statements aren't really universal.

Ah, I know how things can get "lost in translation". I've watched so many YouTube videos around stance and the one that finally rang a bell for me was this one:

This really clarified to me how I want my foot to feel as I am skiing. He says it feels he is pressing his heels down and toes light, while I had been doing the opposite - heels light, toes very much pressed down.

 

[Pequenita]

This really clarified to me how I want my foot to feel as I am skiing. He says it feels he is pressing his heels down and toes light, while I had been doing the opposite - heels light, toes very much pressed down.

You can probably think about it as being light on the toes and still not be in the back seat, but many people might see that cue and put too much weight in the heels and be in the back seat. Ultimately, you want to be balanced with a stable platform in the feet, hips over ankles (and shoulders over hips) - it's not always intuitive where that is.

Off the cuff, your acceleration issue could be that by driving your tips down, you are doing a more aggressive turn than you're ready for right now and in a few seasons you'll be a beautiful carver.

 

[TiffAlt]

You can probably think about it as being light on the toes and still not be in the back seat, but many people might see that cue and put too much weight in the heels and be in the back seat. Ultimately, you want to be balanced with a stable platform in the feet, hips over ankles (and shoulders over hips) - it's not always intuitive where that is.

Off the cuff, your acceleration issue could be that by driving your tips down, you are doing a more aggressive turn than you're ready for right now and in a few seasons you'll be a beautiful carver.

As it's my dream to carve, I hope you're right!

My instructor was pretty happy to see me making shorter/quicker turns, but noted I wasn't always successfully either completing them and getting my tips uphill enough and that was really causing me to go faster than I said I wanted to. As I'm admittedly a bit of a speed demon, I think my husband has convinced himself and my instructor a bit with his teasing that I'm doing it on purpose, but I'm not!! Yet.

 

[Jilly]

Josh is great (skied with him before) and so is this guy -

Videos Warren Jobbitt Snowsports Academy Snowsports Academy

Join the Members Area for more content Email JOIN THE LIST All Balance technique Carving Turning Training Exercise Warm-up demo All All Balance technique Carving Turning Training Exercise Warm-up demo

warrenjobbitt.com

Great explanation WRT the feet.

 

[TiffAlt]

Josh is great (skied with him before) and so is this guy -

Videos Warren Jobbitt Snowsports Academy Snowsports Academy

Join the Members Area for more content Email JOIN THE LIST All Balance technique Carving Turning Training Exercise Warm-up demo All All Balance technique Carving Turning Training Exercise Warm-up demo

warrenjobbitt.com

Great explanation WRT the feet.

Wow, you have? Lucky! I will definitely be queuing this up for viewing later, thanks so much!!!