Give me one thing to work on...

[WTFH (yes, it is me)]

So, I'm off to Wengen in a week, and I'm looking for some help.
It will be my first trip of the season.
In total this season I will probably get 12 days skiing in. I'm an intermediate skier who has no loyalty to one teaching method over another, whether they be European methods, or American.

So, what I'm asking for is one exercise/drill/tip that I should take with me to work on.

Your answer MUST be in the positive. i.e. if it's primary focus is "DO NOT", it will be ignored, cause I want to know what to DO!

The final twist in this is that I am going to post the same question in 3 forums, here, EpicSki and snowHeads. It's not a competition, it is to garner the widest amount of suggestions. I'm hoping at the end of this to have a few ideas from each site which I can then work on, and I'll report back my findings to everyone.

[milesb]

It will help if you post that picture here.

[Guest]

OK, but remember I don't want to hear "DO NOT", but "DO"

[Jim Ratliff]

I remember asking myself the same questions you are asking a while back. You will probably get some really good advice from some of the many really good skiers on this site. I'm not a hot-shot skier or anything like that, but the things that most helped me.

1. transfer weight at the beginning of the turn (the transition) by unweighting the downhill ski instead of stepping onto the uphill ski; then start the turn by tipping that downhill foot.

2. Improve balance by keeping feet closer together, both in width and fore/aft. Harald has an interesting drill where you try to keep a nerf football between your ankles in a turn.

3-10. Read Harald's book(s).

[WTFH]

Sorry if this sounds stupid, but is "tipping the downhill foot" similar to kicking the knee in?
This was something an instructor mentioned to me once, to "lead with the inside knee", basically to move it down the hill, which will then put that ski onto edge, and as rolls over, the other leg & ski will follow.

[tommy]

On a gentle slope, start a traverse. Find your balance on the uphill ski, keeping it gently engaged on its little toe edge so you wont skid. Then, tip the downhill ski to its LTE, brushing the ski tip on the snow, while flattening the uphill ski. You will turn.

Good luck,
T

[Harald Harb]

One simple quick improvement, get the inside ski or foot off the ground and pull it in toward your stance boot through the whole turn.

Balance comes first, that move will get you into balance.

[Harald Harb]

Oh! I forgot, then follow the other advice given here about the lifting and tipping or tilting. Called the Phantom Move!

[John Mason]

http://www.harbskisystems.com/olb2.htm

This will help you feel the phantom move right off in a super easy drill. You'll be in balance as well (rather than balancing between your skis).

Pointing the knee in is not the same as the phantom move. Pointing the knee in on both legs creates edges by knee angulation. (bad thing)

The carve you'll experience at the bottom of your turn from the drill I linked you to, you will be "stacked up" skeletally over your outside ski. In knee pointing, you're are the opposite of "stacked up" skeletally and in quite a weak position. So, knee pointing works, just it's not a good way to get edging. Not everything that "works" is desirable for your long term ski progress.

That's the drill to start with. It'll help you narrow your stance where you can use balance and inside foot tipping to create your turn. It will help you to focus in on that sensation of simply maintaining balance while the skis turn you. Once you have that drill down, then you can progress to where you carve higher up the turn. (Super Phantom Drill)

Have fun! (get the first HH book and study pages 110 and 111 for a perfect picture sequence of the Super Phantom Turn with play by play descriptions of all the subtle things going on for your next drill) (Tommy's post was the "super phantom" which would be the 2nd drill I'd recommend - but my personal advice is play with this one first (two footed release) - then move on to the Super Phantom)

[*SCSA]

Fox,

1) You gotta want, to rip.
2) case TRUE: follow PMTS, nothing else
3) Practice a lot

Here's to better turnz, in 05.

[*SCSA]

Hold on.

I just read this again.

Fox.

What? All the sudden you ran out of beer and decided to post this (I promised Tommi I was Finnished using the c word)...post over here?

12 days? That's not going to cut it. You need to start making more turns, that's all there is to it.

I move that this post be gonged, unless Fox promises to make more turns.

[milesb]

SCSA, there is alot he could accomplish in 12 days, if he works on it. Certainly he could get proficient in (fresh) deep snow on moderate terrain, and he could ski smoothly in easier bumps. A wide open windpacked steep slope could be very enjoyable. Basically, anything where skiing a round line is not difficult. Harald's one suggestion will enable him to do all of the above. Fox, this may be cheating on the ONE TIP rule, but AFTER you do what Harald says, try controlling all your skiing by tipping the inside ski.

[*SCSA]

Fox,

Who loves ya?

C'mon out here and we'll make some turns! Bring some of your blokes with you.

[Dan]

It doesn?t matter if you didn?t know. Now you do, so don?t spoil it. We were made to ski, not scrape. Eat peanut butter sandwich, it will come to you.

My bros Rob and Eric don?t scrape. They saw the future and the future is now. If you are asking the PSIA boys, you are already mixed up, down the wrong road, the one most traveled.

See them all, they all look like you don?t want to look. Peanut butter is the only saving grace, find peace.

See what you see, decide, don?t fool yourself. You are on the right path if you are here; let it happen, this road is less traveled. The adventure of a life time!

[Hobbit]

Hi Fox,

My advise, if you want to do just one thing -- get yourself a pair of Harb Carvers and practice at home before you hit the slopes.
Practicing on Carvers is 10 times more efficient than doing it on skis.
With only 12 days of skiing planned you'll be glad you did.

Best regards,
Hobbit