Ski the moguls slowly? “Better said than done!” is probably a fair guess at the next thought through your mind. It’s a big jump in expectations to ski from groomed trails into a mogul run where space is limited and expect to make terrific turns with speed and style. The image of professional mogul skiers like those that will compete at Torino 2006 could give you an unrealistic expectation of how to ski moguls. You’ve got to crawl before you can run, Young Jedi, and developing skills that let you ski moguls flowly is part of the first steps.
Archive for the ‘Terrain’ Category
Steep terrain in itself is not necessarily difficult; it’s the combination of pitch, terrain, and snow conditions which combine to a degree of difficulty at any one moment. As brief examples, the White Nitro trail at Sugarloaf/USA in Maine has a 52 degree pitch, but is usually groomed smooth corderoy from edge to edge. The Broccoli Garden Glade at Sugarloaf/USA has about a 10 degree pitch, but contains endless trees at a 10 foot spacing, undulations in topography, and inconsistent snow conditions. Which trail is more difficult? As we say ‘herah’ in Maine, “Well, it depends.”
Consider why a NASCAR stock car has a wider body than the family mini-van. The forces on a stock car in a high speed turn are better managed when the wheelbase is wider. You’ll find similar sensations making turns on steep terrain where the forces of gravity and turning are higher. Like the stock car, you’ll be more athletic and consequently have more control on the steeps if you use a wide stance.
An earlier post discussed the importance of using hip angulation to create more effective edging on ice or hard snow. The use of hip angulation in the last half of the turn will improve your edge grip, especially in a longer turn. You can apply that hip angulation more efficiently if you think about your body representing the center of a clock face.
Tree skiing could be one of the most challenging terrain choices. Even experienced skiers can be reluctant to ski in close proximity of large, immobile objects from which a collision can only make you worse for wear. Some glades seem to have an aura of a Forbidden Zone, similar in manner that the maps of early explorers marked the edge of the world with; “Here be Monsters”.
Well, not all glades are built the same and running into obstacles is more optional in a glade than conventional wisdom allows. Skiing in the trees is all about finding the open space. Football great Jim Brown said he used to “Run to daylight”. His focus was on going where there was room to go, not fixating on where he couldn’t.
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Develop mental toughness by skiing new terrain in small doses. To develop glade terrain skills, start with a glade where the pitch is relatively gentle and the trees are generally spread out. Ideally, the glade would be parallel to a cleared trail where you could enter or exit the glade as desired. Pick out your route two turns at a time; then stop, scout two turns, and start again. Add move turns as you become more comfortable skiing in limited area. To improve short turns, ski a narrow trail that goes straight down gravity; an abandoned t-bar line would be ideal. Like a roadway, imagine a centerline that creates two lanes reaching to the treelines. Make your turns so that each turn uses one lane by beginning and ending at the centerline. You’ll use all the trail from treeline to treeline; start by doing sets of five turns slowly. With practice, you’ll be able to increase speed and ski the entire length of the trail without stopping. This is called “corridor” skiing and you can set up a similar situation on wider slopes using the same imagery.
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Do you find yourself skiing the same locations on the same trails? Do you automatically make the same size and shape of turns? Do you avoid some trails because you’re intimidated by the terrain? There’s a fine line between having favorite runs and skiing or riding in a rut. Ski some new snow and develop new tactics by changing your outlook; get mentally tough!
Skiing and snowboarding in thick fog can be very difficult. When the snow is white, the air is white, and visibility is at a minimum, skiing and snowboarding can become quite difficult. Feeling stiff and “disconnected” from your equipment becomes difficult. So how do you cope?
First, attempt to relax. Many people take up “defensive” postures and tighten muscles they would not ordinarily tense while skiing or snowboarding. Try to systematically relax each muscle group from toe to head.
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