MA for Semnoz

MA for Semnoz

Postby semnoz » Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:02 am

Hello,

I had hoped to wait to post better quality video, but since that won't apparently happen anytime soon, and having wanted to post video for MA for a while now, below are two clips (one file) from 2008. After each clip I provided a slow-motion version to better highlight the movements I'm using and to better highlight what (obviously) needs improvement.

A bit of background info for each segment:
*The first clip is off-piste resort skiing in 10-15cm of fresh snow.
*The second clip takes place in a 45-50° couloir in Chamonix - 1000 m climb and a quick rappel into the couloir, I'm on backcountry gear with a rope, crampons, ice-axe and other gear in my pack and on my harness.

Thanks in advance for your feedback! If I don't post a response / thanks right away it's due to the time difference.


semnoz
 
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:25 am

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby leopold_bloom » Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:54 am

Hello Semnoz,

I won't comment on the full-on mountaineering clip in the middle of a sluff so this comments are based on the few turns in the first clip.

I think you've got some good things happening. You're moving to a new edge without the dreaded up move. You're utilizing some energy from the last turn to move into the next. Unfortunately, this energy comes from a bad source.

If you stop action the first turn to your left, you'll find a point at the end of the turn where your outside ski is tipped to a much higher angle than the inside ski courtesy of your outside knee that is driving forward and inside. This creates some turning energy and you release out of it into the next turn. At the same time, this move makes your skis fight each other. When you do this on really hard snow you probably feel like you're struggling to turn but nothing is happening. You get stuck in the middle of an argument between your two skis.

You transition and start the turn out pretty well, but you give up on your counter way too early. You loose the turning energy in the bottom half of the turn by doing so. To compensate, you try to re-establish it with the knee drive move.

To address this, I would start at the bottom and work my way up. Begin with some tipping exercises employing only the feet and ankles. Think about leading the tipping with your inside foot.

As general rule, the stance leg isn't doing much in the turn, other than supporting your weight--not driving inside or striving for edge, just being there is enough.

The next step would be to build some countering on top of that once you can ride a nice passive stance leg. An exercise like the Strong Inside Hand move would be helpful because it will take your pole plant out of the equation. Your pole action is working against you right now.

Good luck!

Leo
leopold_bloom
 
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:53 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby cheesehead » Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:32 pm

semnoz wrote:Hello,

*The second clip takes place in a 45-50° couloir in Chamonix - 1000 m climb and a quick rappel into the couloir, I'm on backcountry gear with a rope, crampons, ice-axe and other gear in my pack and on my harness.



My son would like to know, was the climb up the mountain worth skiing down?
--- aka John Carey
Madison, Wisconsin
cheesehead
 
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:42 pm

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby Ken » Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:44 pm

Look at six and eight seconds where there is a good side shot. Note how your feet are well in front of your hips. Pull those feet back and keep your center of mass balanced over your outside toes. If your heels were behind your hips you'd be well balanced.
Rooster today
Feather duster tomorrow

VIDEO OF NOT ME
Ken
 
Posts: 784
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:23 pm
Location: Washington, the state

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby semnoz » Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:55 am

Ken and Leo,

Thanks for the feedback.

cheesehead wrote:My son would like to know, was the climb up the mountain worth skiing down?


Always.
semnoz
 
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:25 am

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby leopold_bloom » Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:51 am

Hello Semnoz,

I don't know if Ken and I are looking at the same thing but, I don't see you being excessively back.

I see you flex your legs deeply in transition and I also see you re-centre as you approach the fall line. I notice that when you are in this flexed state the snow stops spraying. I conclude that you are very light here and your skis have come out of the snow. It appears to me that you are floating when you have your legs flexed. I view this is a positive element in your skiing, since to my eye you are using the forces in transition to bring you back over your skis.

Leo
leopold_bloom
 
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:53 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby semnoz » Tue Mar 16, 2010 4:53 am

Hello Leo,

Thank you for your second post and the clarification.

Indeed, being too far back is not usual feedback I receive regarding my skiing. I do appreciate the fact that Ken took the time to comment, even if I concur with your observation.

When you refer to counter in your initial post are you referring to counter-acting or counter-balance or both? (Though I certainly could use more of each)
semnoz
 
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:25 am

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby carver_hk » Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:05 am

I like chamonix and i like your turns but it seems you r a bit too square? :)
I love line graphics :)
User avatar
carver_hk
 
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:44 pm
Location: Hong Kong

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby leopold_bloom » Tue Mar 16, 2010 10:16 am

Hello Semnoz,

Both CA and CB. You start out well but by the end of your turn you have squared up (your hips are 90 degrees to your skis) and you are banking in.

Compare your skiing to Mr. Harb's post in the main forum "Good skiing example".

Two things to note.

He is countered when he releases into a new turn. You can see the energy he gets out of this release. Someone mistook this for an up move, but it's not. When you release with this kind of counter you're going to get some "pop". He lets himself loop up and over a bit in his transition which is working just fine for the rhythm of these turns. You generate energy too, but you do it by creating edge pressure on the outside ski with your knee drive move. That said, you're ahead of the game in some respects because you've got a float happening and 99.9% of the skiers on the hill never experience this.

Secondly, look at the timing of those turns compared to yours. The difference is that the "good example" is releasing the moment he reaches maximum angles. In contrast, you extend your path across the hill and ski into a "dead zone" when you let go of your counter. You dig yourself out of this with the knee drive. You might be able to correct this problem just by changing your timing and continuing to counter. Maybe not. I would invest some time in your tipping in any case, it never hurts.

One caveat in all of this: it is off-piste skiing and sometimes route selection trumps turn rhythm. Some more video on groomed snow without a pack would be better for technical analysis.

Leo
leopold_bloom
 
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:53 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby semnoz » Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:20 am

leopold_bloom wrote:Hello Semnoz,

Both CA and CB. You start out well but by the end of your turn you have squared up (your hips are 90 degrees to your skis) and you are banking in.


Thanks Leo. The squaring up / following my skis is pretty obvious in the video (even though that is not my intention).

leopold_bloom wrote:Secondly, look at the timing of those turns compared to yours. The difference is that the "good example" is releasing the moment he reaches maximum angles. In contrast, you extend your path across the hill and ski into a "dead zone" when you let go of your counter. You dig yourself out of this with the knee drive. You might be able to correct this problem just by changing your timing and continuing to counter. Maybe not. I would invest some time in your tipping in any case, it never hurts.

One caveat in all of this: it is off-piste skiing and sometimes route selection trumps turn rhythm. Some more video on groomed snow without a pack would be better for technical analysis.


Holding on too long to a turn is indeed something I unfortunately do often (but not always) in long radius turn situations. That said, as you astutely point out off-piste conditions may dictate where and when one turns: the one long traverse in the first clip (at 6 or 7 seconds) was on purpose as I was seeking out a section of untracked powder.

Cheers and thanks again.
semnoz
 
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:25 am

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby milesb » Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:45 am

OK, I'm going to comment on the second clip :D
Everything that you were doing right in the first clip, just do alot more of it in the second clip. And when you get the other Essentials down, MAKE yourself do them as well as you can on the very steep stuff. At the same time, don't expect for it to go perfectly right away. Try to practice on short steep sections where the pressure (you fall you die shit) is reduced. If/When you can do a decent 2FR, do it most places where you would do a hop turn, especially as the first turn down a pitch. Every good 2FR reinforces PMTS, every hop turn reinforces TTS. If you bail out of PMTS when it gets tricky, you will never really get it- because you obviously spend alot of time in the difficult stuff.

And don't die, I'd like to see more!
YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH78E6wIKnq3Fg0eUf2MFng
User avatar
milesb
 
Posts: 981
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:17 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby semnoz » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:29 am

Hi miles,

Thanks for your post and taking the time to review the clip!

Cheers.
semnoz
 
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:25 am

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby h.harb » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:46 pm

Hey Semnoz,

I take my hat of to you. I don't know how many skiers here have skied 40 to 50 degree slopes with a full back and backcountry gear. I have and I know what it takes and you are doing a great job. Sure there is some rotation and some leaning in, in your skiing, but all in all, good basics.

If you want to improve these things do it on regular carving skis on groomers. Take the DVDs out and watch the CB and CA sections. Work on these and you will see a difference.
User avatar
h.harb
 
Posts: 7047
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:08 pm
Location: Dumont, Colorado

Re: MA for Semnoz

Postby semnoz » Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:09 am

Thanks, Harald!

CA and CB will definitely be a key focus through the end of the season.

I'll see what I can do about running down a pair of carving skis.
semnoz
 
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:25 am


Return to Movement Analysis and Video

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests