Pre-Season Focus

[jbotti]

Heluva put up a nice stoke video. I was lucky enough to be present for some of those turns. One of the things we (max and I) got to see first hand (live)in Greg's skiing was his incredibly powerful pull back which he uses in almost every transition. His pull back is so strong and so powerful that he can get away with less than perfect CA in his off piste skiing (at times) and still rip. Most of us mortals will not have a pullback move anywhere as strong so we need to nail our CA in all turns off piste especially in steep challenging terrain. But what I learned first hand watching Greg was that my pullback move can be a lot more powerful and a lot more consistent than it is and this was a focus in my last 7-10 ski days last season. The combination of strong CA and powerful foot pullback present in every arc is a recipe for excellent and controlled off piste skiing in even the toughest terrain and conditions.

I think there are a lot of PMTS drills that strive to produce this result but for me it has come down to 2 drills that seem to really nail the result for me. For CA, Angry Mother is the drill that finally got my CA in place in tough conditions off piste. For pull back and excellent for aft position at the top of every arc I was doing flappers (pulling the feet back in each transition to the degree that the tails come off the ground) a lot at the end of last season. Flappers are great because they require a very forceful pull back similar to the one that Greg uses all the time in his skiing. The combo of alternating runs flappers and angry mother like CA drill work each day was producing some super results.

In general in PMTS we prioritize tipping and from there we try eliminate any up move by emphasizing flexing. In general if your tipping and flexing need to be stronger it is usually best to work on this first. But once that is in place, there really isn't much you can do better for your off piste skiing than nailing your CA and your pull back.

For me my early season focus is already pretty clear. I want to build on the progress I made last year and these two drills will be my focus for much of the season (certainly for at least the first two months).

While we are all jonesing to ski it really is a great time to re-focus, pull out notes from last season (I know you all took notes right? ) and dial up the mental game plan.

I'm guessing that Loveland will start making snow within the next 5-10 days so we are getting awfully close. Good time to get stoked!!

[h.harb]

Some people need more pullback than others, it's not universally applied or necessary as a strong move all the time. Yes, the movement should be part of everyone's skiing.

It also depends on the aggression of your turns. Quick, snappy, short turns need more pull back and more relaxed turns less. Some of it depends on how much you flex and release to "let go" in transition.

In the video of Diana and I skiing together, I use only free foot pull back, to match the other ski. In other words don't let the old stance ski move forward, haul it back immediately. This means timing, if you leave it late, you have to pull back more with more effort. Many factors determine how much and why someone needs strong pull back.

[h.harb]

As John B. put up the "pull back" post, I was already working on the article for Transitions. This is appropriate to John's post, it tells the whole story of how you get forward on your skis without extension. On my Blog, if this link doesn't work, there is one at the top of the page. If you want to get notices about my Blog posts, just enter your e-mail on my Blog, I may not be posting every notice about a new article here.
http://harbskisysems.blogspot.com/

[h.harb]

http://harbskisysems.blogspot.com
As you read my last two Blog posts, and study the images, there is a key point in the engagement phase of the transition to note. I prefer to call the "High C" point, the engagement phase of the transition, rather than the new turn. This is a critical time and I have pointed this out to numerous skiers and in numerous publications and videos, "If you square up at the release, you are doomed to pivot your skis in your "engagement phase". Why?

If you look closely at the images and study the stability of my upper body, you notice that my legs change angles, as do my skis and boots, my upper body doesn't move.

In fact, if it does anything, it makes counter acting become stronger. The legs can release and transition more easily when the upper body stays facing the outside ski.

If the upper body rotates toward the tips, faces the tips and the outside arm swings toward the tips, you can't release the legs. This is evident and demonstrated in the post I put up describing the skiing of the 4 Demo Team skiers from different nations. They all square up. And they all step or wedge out of the bottom of the arc. This is unavoidable if you square up your shoulders at the end or during you arc, and use leg steering in the arc.
It forces the skier to step or wedge out of the arc, because when you rotate, a flexing release can't happen. Once you square up your hips and shoulders the "force vector" changes from linear to a rotational angular one, at the end or the arc. The rotational movement of squaring, creates angular momentum and reduces the outside ski's rebound and hold. When this happens a push is needed to get out of the turn. Any push at this point messes up the next turn.

[Max_501]

I've been reading through old threads looking for material to move to a sticky. Along the way I came across this gem from jbotti. If you want to make huge improvements this season put together a plan today that hits on as many of these points as you can!

Start at ACBES1 and do all the exercises, then do the same with book two. Along the way get to camps and get personalized instruction and feedback on doing the movements correctly and get your alignment dialed in. Have friends shoot video of you and do your own MA and/or have others with better trained eye on the forum help you with the MA. Lastly do the drills religiously and correctly and you will become a better skier than you ever dreamed was possible for yourself.

[Ihamilton]

HH, I have been watching various WB SS promotional video and see that in transition where you keep the ski from pivoting they pivot and push. The result of their movements is compromise and corrections. I have seen that a large number of instructors here have banana skis, often at under foot widths of 110mm plus. I haven't seen video of them skiing in those skis but watching them I see that in transition the skis always pivot and they then make corrections. I can't tell if the pivoting is a result of the ski design or their movements but I assume it is both. Jackson Hogan wrote an article on those type of skis last year and commented on the resulting decline in proper technique. Are those skis like a rotary boot,ie, detrimental in transition?

[h.harb]

The movements, technique, TTS teaching methods, create the pivot, push, extension, pivoting etc, the skis just magnify those inefficiencies and poor movements. If you use these skis and put them on a skier you can't figure out, to get a better idea of their MA, it becomes immediately very obvious where the movement mistakes are in their technique.
The little mistakes that might be hidden, turn into gross errors in front of your eyes. That is why my eyes hurt, often, when I watch skiers skiing down.

[blackthorn]

Does PMTS ever use snowblades for this?