Ted confesses that he sometimes overthinks things – but that James compensates for this by underthinking things. James, I must admit, surprised me with his “tout droit” in the video – where did that come from? We’ve done nothing but TURNING on the steeps all afternoon!!!!
Meanwhile Ted THOUGHT it would be a good idea to let go the rope tow BEFORE he got to the top and subsequently successfully wiped out at least a dozen people behind him who couldn’t get passed him. It was a pile up.
It’s clear that Ted hates side slipping – which is all the more reason for learning to do it! Going sideways on skis is a critical skill and the sooner you learn it the faster you improve in general. When I was a child my ice hockey skates had the blades especially flat ground (ice skate blades are usually hollowed along the length so that you have two sharp edges on each blade). This enabled me to slide the entire length of the ice rink sideways. That skill is shared with skiing.
Today was about familiarising with longer, steeper runs and staying in control – like Ted does really well in the video clip – turning consistently in control. We managed sections of a red run and a good chunk of off piste. Ted is coming to terms with the fact that skiing is not easy to learn but that’s what makes it interesting. James is doing well and is incredibly attentive to instruction. We worked on lifting and “padding” the inside ski up and down during a turn so as to commit more to standing on one leg (the outside leg in the turn). Ted was trying to bring his feet closer together but it’s probably too soon in his skiing career for that to happen spontaneously. His progress in control on steeper terrain is already valuable.
