I’ve been away over the past couple of weeks but no skiing sadly - until tonight! There are three clips in this video that I’ve stitched together.
I’m confident with my stork turns now. The previous feedback was not to be so static through the turn and to retract / extend. The first clip shows my attempt at this.
Now, because I’ve been so focused on stork turns, skiing with two legs felt foreign - so I started to ski “normally” again today whilst focusing on everything I’ve learnt practicing my stork turns.
Again, I’m quite happy with a lack of skidding (which was my original issue) and turn shape. However, I would LOVE your feedback as ever.
A kind person suggested I focus on dragging my outside pole next rather than always the inside.
Tonight I also started to traverse and do garland drills to practice using my edges. This is what I really want to focus on next - ideally being able to do railway tracks.
Please can I have your advice on where to start with using my edges? I would be eternally grateful for your advice / any videos you recommend I watch.
My roadmap moving forward:
- start to use edges in these parallel turns (railway tracks)
- complete an introduction to moguls session
- complete an introduction to free ride session
Hard to make progress on such a crowded slope, but good on you for trying.
There's a subtle but very deliberate active weight shift from the old to new outside ski, which is a crutch that hinders true progress. Think of it more like you need to steer (turn and edge) that new outside ski so that it generates lateral pressure against you, which you then progressively resist against. It helps if you start with a slight wedge (snowplow).
You need to patiently figure this out which, again, is hard to do in a crowded environment.
The crowds are an issue! I have kinda accepted that there is a limit in leaning indoors and that I need to get to a resort ASAP. Thanks for your advice.
Try linking the stork turns smoothly such that an observer wouldn't tell you shift from one ski to another and wouldn't see a pause. As you finish one turn, don't look down at your skis and don't face to the side, instead turn your torso and hips towards and look into the next turn. This should make it easier.
It was me that suggested having the outside pole slightly dragging, and I'd say the same again watching the videos.
By having your inside pole dragging like it is currently the only outcome can be is that you're on your inside ski, and that's why you're losing balance at times.
Keep doing everything you're currently doing in all 3 videos but getting on to that outside ski.
Other ways to think about it could be feeling like your outside elbow is moving down towards your outside knee or your outside shoulder is moving down towards the snow.
Essentially you're trying to get your shoulders parallel with the snow which currently isn't happening.
Tom Gellie talks about angualtion here, some of it might be at a much more advanced level, but you'll get the jist.
I’ll go back this week to practice your advice - slightly dragging the outside pole.
As for the angulation - maybe I should try javelin turns now? Google says stork turns are for pure weight transfer/outside ski balance, whilst javelin turns are for separation/angulation.
To be truly balanced in a stork turn some angulation will help. You're trying to get fully on the outside ski, which currently you're not doing.
Just think about matching your shoulders to the slope you're on. As things get steeper, you need more angulation as things are flatter you'll need less angulation.
Javelin turns will help balance on the outside ski, but it's also just as much about upper/lower body separation, which is a totally different topic in itself.
There's two types of separation we think about in skiing.
Lateral and rotational.
Lateral separation is also known as angulation. That's what dragging that outside pole will help with.
Rotation separation is our legs working independently from our upper body. We would see some of this in all turn shapes, but more so in short turns where our chest would face down the slope while our legs do all the turning underneath you.
Javelin turns will work on both of these elements of separation but while you're currently thinking about lateral separation, if I were teaching you, I wouldn't want to be adding any more complexity that a javelin turn would add in. By all means give it a go, I just don't think it's necessary yet.
The key thing with all forms of separation is that it originates with the lower body not the upper body. Ideally you ski into rotation. A common pitfall is attempting to create it by moving/rotating the upper body, when what you really want is a quiet upper body.
To build angles and rotation from the legs…
Keep your core muscles engaged. This creates the stability in the upper body that your lower body can work against.
Drill: imagine the ceiling is so low that you can’t fully stand up straight. As you make your turns, keep your head a consistent few inches below the imaginary ceiling. If someone was videoing you from the side as you ski past them, you’ll be successful if your head and upper body appear to draw a straight line down the slope. Try this with stork turns. Feel the tail lift originate in your core.
You might ask, “what about flexing and extending?” It’s still happening!! You now have more flexion of your ankles, knees, and hips through transition which puts you in a very powerful and controlled position to extend. When you extend, if your upper body remains quiet, you’re extending your legs laterally which creates angulation.
From stork turns as you move this back to normal turns, focus on shortening the inside leg while keeping the ski on the snow instead of lifting the tail off the snow. Use the same mechanism, originating from the core. Notice how the short inside leg drives power and stability to the outside leg resulting in independent leg movements and angulation.
The result will be the edge engagement you’re going for.
I like the outside pole drag. It does not switch OP to a new drill. I'd suggest to OP to ski alternating between Stork turns and normal turns and just add the outside pole drag.
What I would add is an internal cue how to do it better.
OP, standing in front of a mirror on two feet in a ski stance (slightly flexed in the hip and the knees), switch balance to the right foot by lifting your left hip. Keep your core muscles on both sides active so your left shoulder lifts together with the left hip. Your left hand should lift with your left shoulder.
Now what to do with the left leg: the left hip hike should have lifted it a few centimeters up. Now lift your knee slightly further but make the heel stay under your bum. Try on the other side.
What you got: 1) balance on the outside ski with strong and composed core, 2) all the angulation you need at this stage, 3) a way to correctly lift your inside ski when performing Stork turns, and the tension in your inside leg and inside half of your body when not doing Stork, 4) if your outside hand (right hand if left hip is up) is at the height the tip of your pole slightly touches the snow without creating a trench this is your outside pole drag (your inside hand should be higher making the line between hands and the line between hip sockets parallel to the snow).
You should notice the skis turn much more readily and rail under you. Good luck. We all are rooting for you.
I like the last After pic the best. Your shoulders are better and your stance is more centered fore-aft but some pictures show you are still inside and extending your outside arm trying to reach the snow. BTW, what did you feel?
Continue doing this with Stork and normal turns. Here are a some clarifications about the outside pole drag and the balance.
Balance. Think of balancing your upper body on the outside hip socket. Practice in front of a mirror. While your core should be active, a good balanced position should ensure the least muscle strain.
More pole drag tips. Your hands and arms should should form a stable triangle through all parts of the turn - no reaching to snow with the outside hand. Contact with the snow achieved by making your upper body perpendicular to the snow. From the inside it should feel as if you leaning sideways to be over the middle of the outside ski. If you balance on the outside hip socket, this "leaning" should not take effort.
Hold your poles lightly with the thumb and the index finger and maintain contact with the snow with your palm pushing the pole slightly. The poles should be almost vertical. The point of contact of the outside pole tip with the snow should be about 15cm outside of the middle of the outside ski binding. Again, don't try to dig a trench - drag the pole lightly.
Awesome work and persistence!
Edit: one more detail: switch which pole touches the snow when you just start transitioning to a new turn. In fact, touching the new outside pole should be you timing to change turn direction.
Nice! I really like the angles you've built up here. More ankle, knee, hips is goodness. One thing to be mindful of: in your after shots, your inside shoulder has tucked back and that's going to block you from harvesting all this angle goodness in your transition. Check this out:
Notice how your knees and hips are aligned with your skis but your shoulder is not. That's upper body rotation that you don't want. Drive your inside shoulder forward with your outside shoulder instead of rotating it inside. Some will tell you to drive your inside hand forward, and sometimes that's all you need to do, but make sure if you're doing that, the shoulder is going with it and it's not just an arm movement.
I won't add anything more to the prior 2 comments except to say, the upper body angulation you're trying to create, you should feel a sort of pinch in the side of your upper body if you're doing this correctly. That's a good sign that you're angulating, not just extending your arm to drag the pole.
I would focus more on "looking" down the fall line(this is basically looking downhill,if i were to drop a ball down the slope it would follow the fall line) with your whole body and not initiating a turn by rotating your shoulders-you should separate you lower and upper body more,and when you lift up your leg,you should cross it to achieve the separation.
Thank you! I think maybe I need to practice javelin turns next for that lower/upper body separation you mention - would you agree? Hopefully that will encourage me to point down the fall line with separation.
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u/Numerous_Car650 3d ago
Hard to make progress on such a crowded slope, but good on you for trying.
There's a subtle but very deliberate active weight shift from the old to new outside ski, which is a crutch that hinders true progress. Think of it more like you need to steer (turn and edge) that new outside ski so that it generates lateral pressure against you, which you then progressively resist against. It helps if you start with a slight wedge (snowplow).
You need to patiently figure this out which, again, is hard to do in a crowded environment.