From: djm@kbs.citri.edu.au (David Mills)
Subject: Re: Steep Slopes
Organization: Collaborative Information Technology Research Institute
Date: 22 Dec 92 23:48:02 GMT

zod@ncube.com (Operator) writes:

> I skied my heart, my legs, my arms off this last Saturday.
>I noticed that my technics are improving by implementing what
>I am learning from this news group. Thanks to you all :)

>I have another question now. I noticed on the steep slopes I
>tend to exaggerate my turns, just about to 80 degrees. I do 
>this not to pickup too much speed. By doing this though, I
>noticed that I lose my rhythm, because of over-turning. How
>can I correct this?

Having not seen you ski (on steeps or anything else for that matter) I'll just
say what is normally done to keep your speed down on steeps.

One fault many people make with steeps is to feel a need to start and complete
the turn much quicker than normal.  To achieve this they often throw in
shoulder rotation, and a much stronger turning force.  What this tends to do
is make all the momentum (turning momentum) much harder to control than the
steeps themselves.  So make sure you aren't doing this.

What to do then depends on how steep it is.  Up to a certain steepness all you
need to do is to finish the turns more (as you seem to be saying above).  This
assumes that you are currently doing a reasonable smooth short turn.  Then
carying each turn to a greater completion will not upset your rhythm.

Once it becomes too steep for that jump turns are required.  By this time the
slope is very steep indeed, and during each turn (jump) you will "fall" 5-15
feet.  This probably does not apply to the slopes you are skiing.

From what you say above about "over-turning", you are probably putting too
much into each turn.  Try to smooth the turns out, keep (or get) the steering
coming from the feet and legs, and not use the upper body to provide turning
momentum.  Good upper and lower body separation is required for steep skiing.
Practice jump turns with a good solid pole plant on a shallow slope (green
run).  They are excellent practice for upper and lower body separation (and
jump turns at the same time).  They are also excellent for pole and turn
timing.

Start on a very gradual slope.  Get moving but very slowly sinking as you
start to move (bend ankles and knees).  Then plant the pole while jumping and
turning the skis to the left.  Sink as you land planting the right pole and
jumping again, turning to the right this time.  Make the amount you turn the
skis slight (30 degrees either way).  Also make sure that you are never static
with any of the movements.  You should always be sinking or jumping, plantin
one pole or the other, turning one way or the other, moving one pole forward
for the next plant or the other.  At first the co-ordination is very
difficult.  You may have to try this exercise often, but when you get the
timing right, then the movements must be getting much better.  I would
recommend a short run of 10-20 jump turns every couple of days skiing (they
are very tiring).  If while trying them, you miss the rhythm and build up a
little speed -- stop.  Don't try the next turn as you will trip over your own
skis.  Start again, trying to keep the rhythm so as not to gain any speed.

This is just one of hundreds of exercises that will improve your skiing
skills.  Try them.

	david
Newsgroups: rec.skiing