Lauren: didn’t make it today – not feeling well – so I hope it’s not too serious. If you make it back on skis tomorrow Lauren remember that when on easy terrain you were probably the most technically correct of the group – so just go back to where you feel comfortable and then work on things at your own pace.
Sandy: anxiety was getting the better of you despite your determination to fight it off. Go back on the Boulevard run and get your focus back – you know what to do. There’s no need to think you have to “get it” in such a short time frame – so don’t judge yourself negatively. There was growing pressure due to the group splitting into different levels with different needs – but the situation is very artificial. Just be patient.
Chloe: Excellent that you got decent boots that we could align correctly. It was starting to look really good on the easy runs – but then just before filming you were slightly traumatised by a steeper section on the blue run. This made you a bit defensive again – so the thing to do is return to the easier slopes for a while – they will seem even easier than before – get back on top of the technical skiing – then try the steeper runs again when ready. Try to stop the body rotation which is interfering with your dynamics in the second half of your turns (we briefly looked at this issue at the end of the lesson).
Helen: Just practice the side slipping to bring your feet together – your stance on the skis was best immediately after working on side slipping and pivot. Good improvement in dynamic range.
Technical Elements
Today’s slow and shaky start prevented us from going on a long reconnaissance trip over on the Bellecote sector – which in retrospect might not have been enjoyed by everyone anyway. Our time was used instead to start to bring some of the more technical elements of skiing into the lessons for the benefit of those who were ready for it.
Side Slipping
We worked on side slipping using the centre of mass – with “joy stick” control. This included forward and backward diagonal side slipping.
Pivot
The entire subject of “Pivoting” is covered at the following link “PIVOT“
Everyone was physically assisted through one pivot to allow the sensation to be clearly experienced.
Combining Pivot and Dynamics
The current objective of teaching the pivot is simply to show that the uphill ski will turn far more easily into a turn on its outside (uphill) edge than on its inside (downhill) edge as for example when it is stemmed. The idea then is to start the dynamics – the push from the uphill leg – when still on the uphill edge of the ski – effectively eliminating any stemming of the ski and trusting the ski to side slip (swing) into the new turn automatically.
Hip Angulation
We briefly touched on “hip angulation” – specifically the need to pull the hip joint backward on the outside leg of the turn. (See Alex’s photo below which shows the angle at the hip joint clearly). The way to stop body rotation is to counter it directly at the level of the pelvis/core. For detailed information go to this link: “ChiSkiing“.
