Today we skied only red runs – after working specifically on control of speed in steep terrain so that Derin would enjoy the skiing instead of just surviving and feeling anxious.
There is a shortcut to getting the “pivot” working on steeper terrain…
The pivot is a braking form of skiing in the fall-line with the skis always being on their uphill edges. We began with sideslipping with the two skis close together. Moving the weight forwards to put pressure on the ski fronts causes the side slip to change into a “forward diagonal” sideslip. Both feet are on their inside edges and both skis on their uphill edges. Taking the weight off the downhill ski puts all of the weight on the front of the uphill ski which causes it to pivot downhill into a sharp, braking turn. Derin managed this easily today. The first part of the video is on a steep slope where she is comfortably in control.
Later, when integrating the pivot into her skiing the focus had to be on keeping the feet close together as this makes it easier to stand on the uphill ski and get it to slip into the new turn. Derin seemed very comfortable with this and made no complaints about skiing of steeper terrain today – which means she was ready for it. We even started to venture a little off piste – which she enjoyed. More work on dynamics is needed before she is safe with more challenging off piste and guaranteed to enjoy it.
It was a shame to end the week today because her skiing was really starting to take shape. Work is needed on dynamics, hip angulation and use of the fronts of the skis – but everything is moving in the right general direction.
