geoffda wrote:The crazy thing is, if you go looking to create pressure on hard snow, you'll lose your ski. If you've ever successfully carved a turn on ice, you know this. You'd think these people had never been on a race course, let alone a pair of skis, with the stuff they are coming up with.
Even I, a PMTS novice know this. Skiing in New England you learn, the hard way, that to hold a turning ski on ice your stance leg must be relaxed and quiet.
On ice you ski with feeling and finesse. We talk of "feathering" our edges, which amounts to subtle tipping adjustments using the small muscles of the feet. Gross movements using larger muscles, which is what you'd do to "add early pressure", will break your skis loose and send you skidding toward the trees. Why any race coach would endorse that is beyond me.
Of course some coaches are advocating "skivoting". If that's your goal, actively pressuring the stance ski in the high C on ice will get you there in a hurry... albeit sideways.