MonsterTrouble

[MonsterMan]

Rather than hijack Max501's tactics thread further, I post some video of three levels of my perceived comfort.

Please feel welcome to practicing your MA skills on me if you've never tried before. The worst that can happen is someone will disagree with your analysis.

First, hero shallow powder. I could go all day on this stuff. But is there a cheat happening?



Second, short turns on soft groomed from above and below.





Third gnarly steep chop, my technique gets so bad in this I often pre release my back bindings my balance is so far out. Last fall was both together. I can see that CA/CB leave me in this stuff.



2 questions.

1). What's a way to stop and reset?

2). How can I get over the irrational fear and concentrate on movements?

Again, please have a crack at MA, I personally get a lot out of attempting my MA skills here on others.

Thanks for any help that you may offer,

Geoff

[MonsterMan]

2). How can I get over the irrational fear and concentrate on movements?

It would seem that when at the limit of comfort, it's best for some of us to let go and trust the movements.

see Harald's answer on Max501's Technique and Tactics Thread,

You have to believe in yourself and have confidence in your technique, that it will take over when the "thinking it through", approach doesn't work.

Everyone has to deal with their fear at some level. Even when you have tested yourself numerous times and been successful, you will still question. But when you have succeeded and you are at the bottom of the run, you look up and you know you just had a lifetime experience.

plus Todds reference;

http://www.pmts.org/index.php?option=co%20...%20&Itemid=16

[Max_501]

You've got some good stuff happening but you lose it in the chop. What's running away from you? CA/CB and an aggressive flex to release.

When working on your BPST on groomers focus on increased CB (especially when the left foot is the stance foot), increased CA, and a more aggressive flex to release that you can bring into the crud.

[jbotti]

Also remember that in crud and chop, speed is your friend. My skiing in crud and chop improved a lot this past week working with Max on skiing it faster, insuring that I got good pop and energy coming out of each turn. You need this to get through the more difficult snow.

The concept of terminal velocity is one to play with . IMO in the chop video your turns are too round for you to mainatin the appropriate speed and level of energy needed to ski that snow well. I realize I am talking tactics and not technique. Keep working the technique (because lack of flexing and lack of CB will kill you in that stuff) but also think tactics some.

Just now noticed that you guys were talking tactics in the thread on off piste skiing on the main forum, so my commnetary is a bit redundant.

[milesb]

Jbotti is right on, the turns you are trying to make in the last video are too advanced for you....and most other skiers. However, compare it with the first video, the faults are the same (mostly upper body related), but the relative ease of the terrain and snow make it manageable. I really liked the short turns, great leg movements and balance. That made me happy. As I'm sure you know, the NSPP will make them even better.

[A.L.E]

Liked that second video Monster. very But what's with the flick backwards with the poles, you heading for the post in Race 7 at Doomben? As per Milesb NSPP.

Practice some more speed, I've said it a few times. The BPST is coming along very nicely but you might have to do some GS turns with big angles and flexing to experience something more than walking pace. You been spoilt in Japan for way too long.

[HighAngles]

Watch your shoulders in the first and last videos. I see mostly inclination happening - enough that you're "falling" into the hill and that really gets you in trouble in tougher conditions.

I think you could benefit from the same realization I recently had - exhaust your tipping with your lower body first. Do not allow your upper body to "dive" into the inside of the turn so early. I think you'll find that you'll be able to attain much stronger CB if you concentrate on getting your edge angles using your feet and legs first.

BTW - I just re-watched the 2nd and 3rd videos. Is your edge change at transition happening when your skis are under your hips?

[Max_501]

The feet and legs don't play much of a role in creating CB. CB comes from separating the upper and lower body at the head of the femur. Its a combination of crunching the obliques on one side and relaxing the other while lifting the inside hip (or dropping the outside hip).

[HighAngles]

The feet and legs don't play much of a role in creating CB. CB comes from separating the upper and lower body at the head of the femur. Its a combination of crunching the obliques on one side and relaxing the other while lifting the inside hip (or dropping the outside hip).

Correct, not directly, but there is an influence on your CB if you're getting your edge angles through inclination versus angulation. Concentration on putting the skis on edge through tipping only (until that's completely exhausted using the lower body) certainly aids in being able to achieve stronger CB in my view.

[milesb]

[quote="HighAngles"]Correct, not directly, but there is an influence on your CB if you're getting your edge angles through inclination versus angulation....quote]

I think you meant versus tipping...

In any event, a skier getting edge angles without tipping isn't counterbalancing, he/she is posing!

[MonsterMan]

Thanks very much for the replies, recommendations and sometimes not so subtle jibes! I hope I've provided some entertainment for my friends here.

Max501's comments regarding absence of aggressive flexing ring most true for me as the skier concerned looking at the lost confidence run. The legs were rigid, and without flexing to release there is little chance of getting much else right.

Having thought the dilemma through, one of the reasons I was stuck was lack of trust in the skis for the turn speeds I was comfortable with last year. The slow pace preference may have had something to do with a damaged left knee from which two large chunks of loose cartilage were removed two weeks after camp last year and Harald described in the off piste tactics thread how lack of trust in your body can require pretty determined mental skills to overcome. The skis were SS Magnum 170's with a skier mass of 100kg. My lack of finesse when I load the tips on these in variable deep chop often leads to pre-releases of the back bindings when the tips dive. So I think I was in a bit of an eternal negative mental loop that day.

I have been working on the incline board to ingrain a better turn to the right fast counter balance move with delayed counter action. I do think this will help get a better turn symmetry when I get on snow again. We'll see in a couple of weeks.

Let's examine my ski options for camp.

The big jams or the little Magnums.

Maybe we get to go into the difficult terrain twice a day.

I have confidence in the Jams off piste and ski a lot faster on them. I've always hated the Magnums off piste. Indeed, I know that on the Jams the energy used both physical and mental in chop like that would be so much reduced that I would relax and get into a rythm and ski with some resemblance to PMTS movements.

So the question is, do I take the camp skis? (Magnums) or do I take my preferred weapon and work harder for the on piste exercises?

I know I should be able to ski all terrain on little skis, but if that's making me go backwards where I like to ski, what's the point? As ALE eluded, I don't really like on piste skiing very much and I suspect I have a mate in MilesB with that mindset.

In summary, two questions,

a) what technique can I use to safely stop on steep chop on little skis?
b) what skis should I take this year?

[milesb]

Skiing chop well on little skis just requires more of all the Essentials. You are not going to be able to just relax through it, deliberate and forceful movements are needed. However, the more you do the right movements, the less tiring it is. Not that you won't get tired! Some little skis, such as the Xshape STX are much better than others for this stuff.

[ToddW]

Geoff,

Your knee may dictate your choice of ski. 72 or 84 mm underfoot is a big difference in tipping effort in drill mode on firm groomed snow and thus in sustained stress on the knee over a week. If you're unsure of how complete your recovery is, lean towards the narrower pair. And if the forecast is for a colossal dump, rent something from Sport Nenner.

In my book, you'll be on fat skis either way (I'm bringing 66 underfoot. If you want to bring me into the 21st century, you could bring your jams for me to further my education )

[MonsterMan]

Hey Todd, if I bring the jams, you're welcome to have a go.

Thanks for your thoughts. It's good to talk through the decision. I'm thinking the greater danger for me will be off piste. The quads are coming along ok now, so as long as things aren't really icy, the knee stress when tipping the Jams on piste may be less than when we do the real skiing. Having some ski in front of me that will bend at low energy gives me confidence, so I'm thinking that way at the moment.

If it's icy and foggy, well maybe Jasper will lend me some Supershapes.

Milesb, I'm not sure why you are referring to a ski outside my choices, but I'll keep your recommendation in mind in case I can try a pair sometime.

[HighAngles]

My observation is that knee stress from tipping wider skis can be a good biofeedback indicator of incorrect tipping movements. If I tip my skis through knee angulation (driving the knees toward the inside of the turn) then I have pain on wider skis. Instead we should be keeping the stance leg passive and tipping the inside free foot when it's light. This keeps the stance leg "stacked" and greatly reduces the stress on that knee.