Sol Vista etc.

[jim-ratliff]

Terryl
tell about the pants??
good deal??
I think this is going to be a great year to look for bargains. Tramdock/SAC should be just shuddering with the weight of goods this coming spring.
I'm trying to save now. Well, not really, what with all the skiing, but I can dream.
Lynn

Ohhh, is that the reason you bought that little skirt at the boutique in Denver???

[midwif]

Yes, as you very well know. 30% off and then I bargained for no tax.
Give me my due, Ratliff.

[speed163]

Thanks for sharing your tidbits re: Harb camp.  Did you get your smoothie Jim??  I'm sure the skirt would facilitate the ante!  Re: technique; were you corrected by instructor(s) and group members?  All aspects of technique or minor "tweaking" respective to  each Jean Claude Killy??

Due to major powder 'dumps' (quell the comments gentlemen), our carving skis were not the right tools for the Utah experience.  The demos I was set up with were not a ski I would personally purchase (Rossi Voodoo's, 80's). However, we were on a major learning curve, given the lack of our powder 'experience'.  My chicken thighs would now impress a turkey!!!  Quad burn for four days but no complaints from either of us ( o.k., a reprimand to Svend given his choice vocabulary midst a group of Mormons....too funny!)

Obviously, according Svend, it seems Ron, Lynn and I would be in very good company. Saved over $100 on a necessary pr. of Obermeyer ski pants.  No worries, an annual perk can always be justified, as we all have our vices.

Back to ice and cornmeal today.  Thanks goodness for SHARP edges.  I'm missing Utah already!! Sol Vista/Loveland has evidently created the same effect. Terrific!

[midwif]

Terryl
The camp was great for training the "eye". (which I lose as the season advances, unfortunately)
Each day we were video taped. At lunch, we would review the video as a group. Not only do you see your own skiing in slo-mo, but your fellow group members as well.
A wonderful learning experience. The afternoons were free for practice &/or a nap. It was amazing that we mostly passed up the naps for more skiing!!!
(the altitude knocks me out) .
But I probably have at least 10 years on you. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

[gregmerz]

Each of Lynn's turns are now fully scrutinized in advance...

[jim-ratliff]

Lynn's turns are the easiest to scrutinize because she skis in slow motion.? ?? Both Rich and Diana made futile attempts to get her to ski in the fall line a bit more.? And, though she adopted the "verbal" mantra of "I love the fall line" she still seems somewhat enamored of the traverse line (and there's nothing wrong with that? ).?

However, I have to also admit that both Rich and Diana liked her style, may even have called her skiing elegant.? (And she and Diana jointly developed a new drill for Angulation and Counter Balance awareness).

Terryl:? The instructors encourage the attendees to analyze the skiing of the rest of the team with "what do you see happening at this point in the turn" type of questions, especially in the video sessions.? For example, when does the little O between the knees appear as tipping is initiated; was it high in the turn or farther down in the fall line?? Was the turn initiated by tipping or by stemming?  Are there angles between the upper and lower body?? Did the counter (that transfers weight to the outside ski) happen along with the tipping, or was there a time delay between the two (or was it forgotten and it was a unibody turn)? On the hill it is mostly encouraging types of analysis when someone gets something really right (or in my case, makes a big improvement even though still not right).

I asked Rich what the greatest strength in my skiing was.? ?? He responded that it was the fact that I had Lynn to watch and coach me.? ?? Perhaps a bit humbling, but also pretty true.

[Gary]

Well Jim....how often "the little O appears between your knees is something that's a blog all to it's own.

But the technical aspects of what you brought up I believe are key factors in creating good carving skills. Improvement in these areas add awesome ski skills to the tool bag and skiing moves to a whole new level.

Now...get to work on that little O.....and I'm gussing there's many reading that may prefer the bigger "O"! 

 
  G

[speed163]

Understood but not so easily executed.  Given the terrain, the fall line can change numerous times.  Therefore, a traverse line may be more comfortable given one's personal ski technique and "style". A perfect "O" is a static moment when the body is positioned properly in accordance to the pitch of the slope and relatively smooth terrain.  An optimum "turn", given that all parameters are perfect (zen skiing  , is attainable but not always sustained throughout a run. The challenge is to adapt to all of the possible variables of the slope, given your skill set (or Gary's tool bag ). The drills would be of interest to me, as I'm aware of a few but not necessarily Harb specific.  It takes a great deal of focus........hats off to all who participated last week! 

[jim-ratliff]

Well Jim....how often "the little O appears between your knees is something that's a blog all to it's own.

But the technical aspects of what you brought up I believe are key factors in creating good carving skills. Improvement in these areas add awesome ski skills to the tool bag and skiing moves to a whole new level.

Now...get to work on that little O.....and I'm guessing there's many reading that may prefer the bigger "O"!?

 
? G

"O" I don't know that this is true.? I was always led to believe that size doesn't matter? ?
Good to have you back, BTW.? How was Whistler?

I thought of you when Rich (and later Diana) told Lynn how elegant some of her turns were. (Actually, Diana's comment was that "your turns today aren't as elegant as the ones yesterday on the blue terrain".) You have contributed a lot to those turns.? Its interesting that if challenged she can ski pretty fast, but that certainly isn't her preferred mode.

You missed some of the greatest video.? As I'm being filmed, I ski by with lower legs vertical and torso a bit behind that.? As I go through the turn I am literally in a sitting position but still skiing.? Three frames later I am on my butt and the skis are no longer connected to my feet.? In real time, I had no idea why I fell; on the video I was so far back that I couldn't believe it.? Very enlightening (and humbling).? I never envisioned that I was that far back in normal skiing, no wonder you and Lynn and Phil and Ron and Greg kept trying to get me forward.? I think I will tie string rope from my knees to the toes of my bindings.? That will at least keep the lower part of the leg forward (but might make it tough to get the boots out of the binding at the end of the day).

[Svend]

Jim, I feel your pain and embarrassment. Had a similar experience when Gary was putting me through a drill at Holiday Valley.  Concentrated too much on my arms and body position, crossed my tips and went a** over teakettle, spinning down the hill on my backside, laughing all the way.  Too funny!

[Gary]

Jim....Whistler was fine....we had 4-6" one day...some hardpack...2-3" another day....1-2" another...so overall it was OK....but just that cause they hadn't had snow in quite awhile so some of the areas had rocks just below the light powder...ouch!

Well Ok then....the videos certainly don't lie either....just keep working on making sure you can always see your hands and find that agressive attack position. For me it's my knees stacked over the tip of my boot. I must get there are I feel like I'm not in control of the ski shovels. I say this of course referring to skiing carving snow conditions. In powder and broken snow, I'm skiing more off the center of the ski with my upper and lower body centered on the arches of my feet, hands always in sight.

It always seems weird charging our bodies down the fall line...where staying behind in the back seat seems safe.....untill those bad boys take off like a jet fighter. The pilot always needs to "feel" what their skis are doing and the feet and whose driving make this possible. I was so impressed watching you ski this past Dec Jim....and by the end of the week, you were even pushing yourself harder into new terrain...Kudos! 

As far as falling...hey, we all do it and many times on film.

Svend....never seen you in the back seat...getting the feet working together, timing, committment and pole plants were your gremlins on that one fall you had at HV...AND in the few short years you've been skiing....you just a purtty hard chargn' Viking!....nice! I know catching your little girl now days seems to be your greatest focus....but styln' is going to have to work.....those little ski demons love to fly!

G

[jim-ratliff]

Gary:

Yes, crunch the core a bit, lean on the boot tongues a bit, get the elbows (or at least the hands) up in the field of vision.

The fall was OK, not really embarassing, just revealing -- and I made progress with the fore aft balance during the rest of the week.? Diana had me doing "flappers" which I am not a fan of at all.? What helped most was just a reminder by anyone watching when I moved away from the boot tongues.? I can pull my feet back just fine once i notice (or someone reminds me) that I am no longer forward.

Change of topic, but it is very interesting to me that I can get upside down on blue terrain pretty easily, but can't yet carry that onto black so wind up more "brushed carving" than clear tracks in the snow. But yes, you and Lynn have me getting better (at skiing).

Question.  I had always heard keep the hands level.  At camp, for the first time, I realized that they wanted the hands level with the snow surface so you actually have to drive the inside hand (downhill hand) lower than the outside hand?  This also helps with the counter some, but was one drill that Lynn had the most trouble with?

And I REALLY liked Loveland, feel badly that I have always just driven past and ignored it.

Jim

[Gary]

Hey Jim.. elbows, free foot pull back, and crunch at waist and boot tongue ...ah yes..nice carves..

The skills that come natural on BLue Terrain and more difficult on Black....we all experience this to some extent....the black terrain brings on more speed and the need for rapid fire reactions to balance out the pitch. Keep polishing the edging and upper/lower body coordination with completing your turns and those skills will transform rather nicely to those on blue runs, of this I"m sure.

The appearance that the hands are level: as it relates to the plane of the body to the snow surface otherwise ones body would be unable to carve a turn.? Drving the inside hand forward after the pole plant is great for keeping that hand moving with the momentum of the body rather than having it fall back behind the body creating a back seat rider. It's hard for me to think about driving my hand forward when I pole plant but easier to let that happen as my body moves forward in the turn and keeping that hand active, visible and ready for it's next pole plant. Keeping the hands active and at the ready for pole plants is critical as the trigger mechanisim for edge transfer. It's something I find I need to continue to work on and extremetly critical in the bumps.

Loveland is an awesome mountain...me and Patrol Bowl had a great experience one sunny spring day a few years back.

Glad your camp was so informative and meaningful for you Jim and I'm sure Lynn and Perry as well.

Best,
G

[jim-ratliff]

ahhh, those damn hands.? wonder if that is when I slide back!!


Just sharing a moment from last week.

Perry (who is a real MD) was in Diana's group the first three days.? After he told me about these flapper things for helping fore-aft balance and how hard they were on his relatively young legs, I told him I didn't want to do them and that I was going to use his name with Diana as an excuse.? Sure enough, the second two days we had Diana, and sure enough she decides that I need to do flappers.? I gently protested, told her that they were too hard for my aged knees, that I still had on a knee brace from a fall at Steamboat in December, and that I had a Doctors slip that expressly forbid doing flappers.? Her final comment (which busted me up) was, "Jim, you're not going to win this conversation."

Unfortunately (and to their everlasting chagrin) the rest of my group also decided that they would like to work on THEIR fore aft balance as well.? So away we went, flapping down the hill.? I could actually do them pretty well, but my right knee (the one from Steamboat) hurt for the next two days and they really didn't help with the fundamental problem, which is the mental part of remembering to keep my body active and forward.

PS. I don't think I really have anything fundamentally wrong with the knee, but I remember you and Ron from last year and I had tweaked it again playing racquetball with my sons the week before camp, so decided that a brace for a bit of support might be a good idea.? I thought about asking Dr. Perry to look at it, but was afraid to ask what it would cost for a house call in Colorado when he lives in North Carolina.

[ToddW]

Lynn's turns are the easiest to scrutinize because she skis in slow motion.? ??

 

Jim,

Lynn's generosity in coddling our fragile male egos at camp was noble ... why the smilie??

Once when she thought we weren't watching, I saw her bound down the fall line like a sprinting cheetah after Diana.? Speaking of which, she and Diana were constantly exchanging cryptic codewords between chairlift and slopes:? cougars, panthers, pumas, cheetahs, etc.? Clearly the womenfolk at camp were in cahoots and communing in a higher plane of existence.?

BTW, the things you hear on chairlifts skiing with RealSkiers ...? about "backseats" and other choice topics singed my poor virigin ears!? Very distinctive mating rituals these RealSkiers have?

I had a great time skiing with you, Lynn, and Perry.