Sport Today

I haven't skiied for almost 20 years when I went back on the slopes
with my son after his ski lessons over Christmas.  The first few times
out on rented sidecut skis, I didn't feel comfortable at all.  In
hindsight, I probably should have taken a lesson because I was skiing
the sidecuts like the old straights.

When turning on steep, groomed blue runs, I was putting virtually all
my weight on the inside edge of the outside ski to drive through the
turn.  It was highly unstable but I attributed this to my not having
been on skiis for so long.

After a couple more outings, I didn't seem to be getting any better
and I was getting a bit frustrated, more so because my son, with his
low centre of gravity, seemed to be doing so much better, after only
skiing for a month.

To make a long story short, a friend mentioned to me on our last trip
that I really should be using the outside edge of the inside edge more
to initiate the turn.  Well, the difference was like night and day.

So now, instead of unweighing and driving the inside edge of my
outside ski into  the turn, I'm leaning more and using the outside
edge of my inside ski to initiate the turn.  There's practically no
none of the up and down motion that I used to remember in my turns.

Is this the way to ski the new sidecuts or am I making things up as I
go along and I should really take some lessons?

Sounds quite right, but you should still take a lesson.  I made the
same adjustments as you, based on word-of-mouth, magazine articles,
RSA tips, etc., and they paid off, but one lesson still made things
MUCH better.

BW

for almost 20 years when I went back on the slopes

Do you mean the *pinky edge* of your inside, as opposed to
the *big toe* edge of the outside?

If you want to carve, and you are doing round, across the hill
to across the hill turns, this is one way that is recommended.
Harbski advocates this move.

You can also stand on the old inside ski, still on the pinky
edge, then crossover/change edges, whatever. Early
weight transfer.

Me, I just lead change. Put the new inside ski ahead, pull
the new outside ski back, or use a scissors motion to pull
the outside back and push the inside forward at the same
time. That seems to take care of it. Then I transfer the weight
before, after, or sort of at the same time, depending on the
situation.

At any rate, your turn consists of a weight transfer, lead change,
and crossover (move your body to the other side of your skis,
left side for left turn, right side for right turn) maybe at the same
time, or in the order of your preference.

When you make shorter turns, you cross the skis under the
body and leave the body where it is. Get back into doing
the regular crossover first. Then work on the old, "quiet
upper body crossing the skis back and forth under the body".

You don't really need up and down motion, but it's a hot trick
to have should you want to use it to pop quick little turns. And
it can be used to vary the amount of pressure you add or take
away from your edges. Get back in the rhythm of simply riding
the skis by crossing over, changing lead and transferring weight,
then add your up and down motion as you see fit.

As far as a lesson or two, the thing is, understanding how the
mechanics of skiing work and how things should proceed is
a big part of the equation, but, if an instructor actually sees you
ski, he can spot things that you don't know are happening with
your skiing, and as such you can't verbalize them or ask
questions about them.

So, yes. A lesson or two or more could only help, and it might
take weeks off of your learning progression time.

[...]

Well, children tend to be much more adaptable and learn quicker than ***s,
so it's not too surprising your son is doing better than you.

It's not really what you should be aiming at, top level skiers still
generally have nearly all the pressure on the outside ski on groomers.
Perhaps it feels better to you doing it that way because it adjusts your
stance or balance or some other factor in your technique without you
realising it.  A lesson would help sort out what is going on and assist with
some exercises which could help you.

As for the dynamics, leg extension and compression (in conjunction with
ankle movement) is certainly an integral part of good ski technique, as it
is essential for pressure control, where the aim is to obtain near constant
pressure throughout the turn.  The weight transfer at the beginning of the
turn should occur quite quickly, in conjunction with a firm leg extension
(pushing toes down) and lead change as the skis pass under the body and are
flat on the slope, and inclination of the body into the new turn.  The
extension helps set the new edge (inside edge of the outside ski) and put
some bend into the ski so you can incline without falling. The legs should
be at maximum extension when the skis are facing directly down the slope,
with the body inclined across the slope.  As the turn continues past this
point, the legs may begin to compress and the body commence bending at the
waist to control the pressure and edging.  If you are carving the turn
properly you should feel your legs virtually automatically crossing under
your body and out the other side at the end of the old/start of the new turn

Dave.