Robert0325 wrote:I don’t know if anyone can help. When I’m on steeps I have a problem with weight transfer when turning left. I always feel that I’m going to fall down the hill so I end up stemming the uphill ski.
I’ve tried one footed releases (focusing on a super phantom move approach) and that just seems really scary. I’m ok lifting the old stance foot, but can’t bring myself to tip to the little toe edge. Feels like I’m going to fall straight down the hill.
Two footed release (focusing on the weighted release approach in ACBAES2) I get on better with this as feels more gradual and am having some success, but still struggle on left turns when it’s really steep.
As I’ve said earlier, it’s really only a problem with left turns, which made me wonder if alignment was an issue, so I had Jasper at Portes Du Ski check my Alignment, which only required very minor tweaks and he fitted me with proper foot beds. Obviously I won’t get chance to try again on steeps until the new ski season, but wondered if there are any drills that I could focus on at our local indoor ski slope to help with my fear of left turns on steeps?
From a technical perspective, skiing steeps (black and beyond) is more difficult because the angles involved are greater. Adding steepness is the equivalent of tipping your ski further up on edge on a correspondingly less steep slope. This means that skiing the steeps requires more range of motion on all of your movements. Just to get the skis to flatten requires more tipping and flexion, while more counter-balance will be required to stay upright, more counter-acting will be required to support turn quickness, etc. So if you are looking for drills to practice indoors, you don't need different drills, just try to exaggerate the range of motion whenever possible.
On snow, Harald suggested the OFR because if you can force yourself to do that, you will not be able to stem. Whether you take his advice or stay with the TFR which may be more comfortable for you, focus on slowing down the transition. Regardless of how much you can flex, at some point it will get steep enough that you won't be able to flex enough to flatten the ski while it is perpendicular to the slope (at least not without insane amounts of speed). So the trick is to be able to control the release by slowing it down which allows the tips to drop towards the fall line. Eventually, they will move far enough towards the fall line that the angle of the slope relative to the skis will have lessened enough to enable you to flatten the skis and continue tipping into engagement. The trick is to develop the ability to delay engagement such that you can make it happen at any point in the top of the arc, up to and and including the fall line. Practicing slow OFRs and/or TFRs (and WRs!) starting stationary will help you develop this skill and give you the basis for control in the steeps.
That said, skiing steep terrain with PMTS technique is especially challenging because of the psychological component that gets added to the mix. Releasing requires you to let go of the mountain, while stemming allows you to hang on. Releasing feels dangerous, while stemming feels safe (though you can hang on very effectively with the LTE of the old free foot while releasing the old stance foot). Pretty much everyone has a steepness threshold at which point they start to get unnerved. If you are going to ski with PMTS movements past that point, you have to have belief. 1) You have to believe the movements will work. 2) You have to believe that you can execute the movements properly. 3) You have to be willing to force yourself to do 2. It is mind over matter, and it isn't easy. You have to want it and you have to be willing to commit.
The best way to approach steeps (assuming you are a rock solid PMTS skier on blue terrain) is gradually. Ideally, you want to seek out short, open pitches, with good run outs. What you want to do is put yourself in a position where your movements will be challenged, but that the consequences are low enough that you can both deal with the fear and afford to make mistakes. If you don't have a short pitch, look for places where you might be able to traverse into a steep pitch lower down. If that isn't an option, then pick the shortest pitch you can find and do what you have to do in order to get down low enough to a point where you feel comfortable practicing. Alternatively, hike up part way from the bottom.
Whichever type of pitch you choose, once you have finished the pitch, ski two or three blue runs continuing your focus on release movements, then repeat. As you gain confidence, keep moving the start of your practice zone higher and higher until you ski the entire pitch with good movements. Do not skip the blue practice runs in between sessions. Regardless of what kind of pitch you choose for practice, your skiing will degenerate and you will want to ensure that any bad movements that came out on the steeps don't creep back in to your skiing generally. You must be able to demonstrate your expected level of skiing on the blue runs between sessions. If you find your skiing is degenerating, that is probably a sign that you aren't yet ready to be on the steeps. In any event, limit your practice on the steeps to just a few sessions per day in the beginning. Force yourself to adhere to this limit until you are able to ski your full test pitch with PMTS movements. While your goal is to work up to skiing steep terrain, nobody's skiing gets better in difficult terrain. If you want to become an expert skier, spend most of your time in terrain where you can demonstrate expert movements. Even once you have begun to develop mastery of steeper terrain, be sure to spend plenty of time continuing to refine your movements on easier terrain.
As far as your left turns go, more than likely it is just your weak side. We all have one and when it comes to steeps, the weak side will define your threshold. You can make your weak side stronger by focusing on it during free skiing and giving that side extra work during drills (garlands would be a great choice). Also, we have a tendency to start our first turn towards the strong side. If you want to improve turns to the left, commit to making most of your first turns in that direction when starting on easier terrain. Once you get on steeper terrain, however, make your first turn to the strong side if you have the choice.