First day woes

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First day woes

Postby noobSkier » Sun Nov 10, 2019 7:27 pm

To more experienced PMTS'ers, what's your first ski day like after a long layoff? Personally feel like I lost 80% of my technique...even basic things like tipping are a huge challenge. Does this get any better as years go on?
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Re: First day woes

Postby geezer skier » Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:45 am

Every year, the night before my first outing, I dream that I forgot everything that I learned. :D :D :D
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Re: First day woes

Postby Max_501 » Mon Nov 11, 2019 10:05 am

On my first day back on snow I start with one run per Essential where I work to exaggerate the movement. I start with tipping and build from there. If anything feels weak then I hammer that movement with drills. I try to get video asap to see what really needs work.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5200

Even HH doesn't feel dialed on the first day.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1260#p11755
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Re: First day woes

Postby Vailsteve » Mon Nov 11, 2019 4:56 pm

Trust me you are not alone. First day for me IS starting all over. Somewhere in this forum Harald himself alluded to “learning to ski all over”.

I start on a GREEN run with a focused drill just like Max501 says. I like HH’s two footed release drill as It combines so many elements: release, tipping, foot pullback, counter acting and counterbalance.

This leads to connected two footed releases, brushed carved and finally a completely carved turn.

I don’t rush it..I take at least several dozen green runs. My focus is on re-imprinting the movements in my brain.

Last point. Even a few 10-15 minute sessions on the slant board REALLY helps. Or as Geoffda once said, tip your feet shower. Little toe first!
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Re: First day woes

Postby Max_501 » Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:30 pm

The TFR is one of the most advanced drills in PMTS therefore I like to wait until I've got each of the Essentials working individually before I tackle the TFR. But if you can handle it on your first day on the snow, Go For it!
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Re: First day woes

Postby ToddW » Mon Nov 11, 2019 9:32 pm

Many years ago, I ran into the then-HSS shop guys, Chris and Mike, at Loveland in the late season. Chris had just been lecturing Mike that you learn how to ski all over again in the first half run of each day. (Mike had performed unusual gymnastics in his first bump run of the day.)

If you ski with Harald at a camp, one of the things he'll talk about is how to recalibrate your essentials at the beginning of each day. When I ski with him, he times how long it takes me each morning to recover to the previous day's skiing. (more than half a run :oops: )
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Re: First day woes

Postby noobSkier » Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:39 am

Thanks for the advice guys, nice to know Im not alone! No doubt the skills will come back, just a little shocking that most of them are as dormant as they are. Fresh snow in the east!!!
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Re: First day woes

Postby HeluvaSkier » Tue Nov 12, 2019 11:11 am

Don’t overlook the value of many seasons of skiing, especially many seasons of skiing using PMTS movements at a high level. Until your body has experienced a significant volume of training, the muscle memory won’t be there, so you’ll unfortunately default back to your ‘natural’ movement patterns after some time off. Assuming that once ‘learned’, PMTS movements are ‘automatic’ is naïve at-best. Even once ‘more’ automatic, executing at a high level still requires fitness, focus and discipline. It is harder to maintain a consistent high-level of performance season over season, than it is to achieve the high level in the first place (e.g. the better you become, the harder it is to stay there).
Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.

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Re: First day woes

Postby noobSkier » Tue Nov 12, 2019 11:43 am

Fair points heluva, will keep in mind. Im set for another 100+ day season, and for once starting the season with good alignment...hope to take my skiing to the next level. That said, not off to a good start...I poor-man's-heluvareleased myself into the trees last weekend...nursing a bone bruise on the knee; was pretty lucky all things considered.
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Re: First day woes

Postby h.harb » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:45 pm

Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed reading these old post, amazing how relevant they still are.
Even HH doesn't feel dialed on the first day.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1260#p11755
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Re: First day woes

Postby Ken » Thu Nov 14, 2019 5:10 pm

To more experienced PMTS'ers, what's your first ski day like after a long layoff?.... Does this get any better as years go on?

Yes, much better as the years go by. Or, my memory isn't what it used to be?

The more thousands of repetitions one had done over the years the deeper the learning is ingrained. That makes the opening day's drills go better. It is fun to get on an easy run and do the basic drills. Just tip. When that's working very well, tip & lighten & pull in. When that's working very well, tip, lighten, pull in, and pull back. When those are working very well, go through your repertoire of releases. When those are working very well, drill counter acting and counter balancing. Still on the easy run, put it all together. It's there; it'll be back. There is a basic scientific principle at work here. During the summer your skis forgot everything you taught them last winter. You need to put them through a refresher course, one thing at a time. Skis are slow learners. Mine are really slow learners.
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Re: First day woes

Postby noobSkier » Fri Nov 15, 2019 5:52 am

Thanks for the advice ken. Spent the last few days getting back to basics; I am now fully convinced that the super-phantom is the single most effective exercise for shaking off rust.
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Re: First day woes

Postby Erik » Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:47 am

For me, Day 1 every year gets better and better. I look at Day 1 vs previous Day 1s, not against the last day of the previous season. A big part of that year-to-year progress on Day 1 is the improved balance I have learned with PMTS (on snow and dryland training). Rather than wondering what these strange things strapped on my feet are, now I can get to work on focusing on the essentials much faster. It's not just Day 1 of the season that is a benchmark for progress. First day at each ski area and each familiar run make it seem like the slope is less steep than it used to be.

I take notes every day that I ski, and before Day 1, I review my notes from the previous year about what I was working on, insights, coaching feedback, and which drills were on my daily list. This review helps remind me about some old bad habits I may need to watch out for. It also helps me remember which drills I want to consider for each essential, and to review how I should evaluate whether I am being successful. Many of those drills will not be on the menu for Day 1, but will be on my list to incorporate as my skiing progresses. For Day 1, I like to spend time focusing on tipping on green terrain, and I find Robo Tipping to be particularly useful.

Day 2 or Day 3 is the beginning of an early season PMTS camp. This puts me an a great environment to reintroduce and focus on all of the Essentials to help get the season off to a good start before I have a chance to invent any new bad habits.
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Re: First day woes

Postby HighAngles » Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:47 pm

HH put up a post on his FB account on Oct. 29th that speaks to this subject. I chatted with him a few days later at LL and was telling him about how I had to rediscover relaxing and flexing my first couple days out. I was definitely "fighting" the mountain by pushing too hard on my skis. Remember to tip means to flex. It's easy to lose those movements over the break.

So Harald's post included this info and the video on bending your legs.

"Our season in Colorado is in full swing. (revised) The top of A-Basin will be open next week, and the bottom has two runs open. Everyone is eager to get out and start the season. What can you and should you try to accomplish the first day on snow? It's normal that we are a little stiff and tight our first day out. Getting loose and relaxed trying to get the feeling back can take a few days or even a week. Here's how to short cut your "Get back on your skis" experience. A great first day warm up exercise that will make you aware of the movements you may be missing and it will also get you feeling your balance. Do this for a few runs and you will short cut your early season blues, by days."
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Re: First day woes

Postby ErikCO » Fri Nov 15, 2019 4:33 pm

Only 2 days on snow for me so far this year (likely a 3rd and possibly 4th this coming week), but the biggest thing I find is exactly what HighAngles just said. I guess I've done enough work on tipping over the years that it doesn't get lost too much over the summer, and over the last two years I've been focusing enough on CA/CB that they started coming back after a run or two. What I find the hardest is remembering to flex, flex, flex. My worst movement loss thus far, at least without having had the chance to get video yet, is remembering to continue flexing from the bottom of the turn through release and then being patient and not having active extension in the upper portion of the next turn.
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