How can I improve my skiing?

skiNEwhere said:

I'd get someone to record you too if possible. POV won't work, needs to be 3rd person. An instructor would be ideal. They can point out bad habits you may have.

Or you could even post it on here. I think there's a reallllly old thread called "critique the skier ahead of you" or something like that where people post videos of them skiing and the forum members provided feedback, all of it constructive

Click to expand...

Video analysis definitely helps.

skiberg said:

The biggest mistake people make when trying to improve their skiing is to continually ski tougher terrain than they are accustomed to. Often this is ineffective as it forces them back on the ski and often into a defensive position. THe result is they end up out of balance. Spend a lot of time on beginer and intermediate slopes. Focus on making sure you are well balanced on the ski. I bet this will mean more forward. Focus on initiating your turns and weighting the inside edge of the ski to make it arc. Learn to pressure your ski more efficiently and generate energy into the next turn. Do this over and over and over and over. Get a lesson on proper technique and the ngo for it. Good skiing is like hitting a golf ball. Repetition and muscle memory.

Click to expand...

The key to extending yourself is to not take any bad "defensive habits" back to your comfort zone.

Find your comfort zone where you are skiing well, your balanced, not in the back seat, can carve edge to edge, can skid turn ( or over steer turn without stemming), can handle terrain and slope variation. This may be blue runs for you or single blacks? You may need a lesson to get an instructor to give you validation.

Now, extend yourself into tougher terrain ( whatever that means for you - your weakness ), but only for a run or two, then take it back to your comfort zone. Keep switching off and you should not develop bad habits that stay with you.

Bostonian said:

I wouldn't say I want to improve "quickly" but I want to see an improvement to my skiing and be able to venture off the beaten path more so... I want to be able to feel comfortable going into the trees or on the bumps. As for being physically fit, I am in better shape than I was last year at this time, but I have a long way to go to be in the "best shape" possible.

Click to expand...

One thing to work on before going off piste is skiing bad snow. I don't know you, so I don't know where you are along the continuum of skiing skills, but most intermediates, even advanced intermediates, only ski the groomed snow ( bumps not withstanding ). Before you hit the woods it's best to practice in the shitty snow. If you haven't been doing this, then make it a effort to dip into the side of the trail where the mank is. Unless your skiing after big dump and there is just fresh everywhere, you can always find manky snow just off to the side, where the groomers have not been. Maybe the snow there is heavy pow, or breakable crust, or refrozen granular with death cookies, or shear ice, etc.. Venture in slowly if you haven't been, because it can take you down fast if you don't have the skills for it.

I got this advice many years ago when I first started skiing and I was surprised out spot on the advice was. I didn't think much of the advice at first, thinking, oh gee, I ski that crap, I'm dong fine out here on the groomed part. Well, as an intermediate then, when I did venture off into some icy refrozen un-groomed manky junk, it took me down fast and hard. Breakable crust is another tough area. Of course fat skis as helped more people conquer this stuff easier, but still, it helps you to develop balance and recovery skills. To this day, when the woods are not filled in and I'm skiing groomers, I always play on the edge in the crappy snow.

Take a private lesson. Nothing will help improve your skiing faster than skiing one on one with a professional instructor. If you enjoy your instructor consider requesting him/her for additional private lessons throughout the season. It will cost more but in the long run without having to waste part of each lesson reassessing your skills you will actually spend more time learning and furthering your skills.

Nashoba Valley has cheap tickets after 5:00pm or so, weekends and weeknights. On a good year, they usually have a bump field once it has enough snow. And after it snows, hit the field during that time since it would be the easiest conditions. They will let it get "icy", usually they won't soften it up with man made snow or slip it.

I think they have some patrollers or maybe the SSD that will set the course with old school turns which gives it a nice rhythm.

btw, I remember this season, bumps were great.

deadheadskier said:

Get in the best shape you possibly can before the season. Spend a few days getting your ski legs under you. Take a bump lesson. Spend the rest of the season skiing bumps exclusively. IMO - becoming a proficient bump skier is the fastest way to improve your skiing in all areas.

Click to expand...

This is really sound advice.

I'm a snowboarder almost exclusively so I can't offer much specific help. I will say this: last year was my first time in my adult life in really great shape. The improved strength, dexterity, and stamina made a huge difference in how fast I improved last year.

A mix of cardio, weights, and body weight conditioning did the trick for me. Weight walking lunges, heavy squats, and jump rope seemed to offer the best benefits when I focused on them.

jack97 said:

Click to expand...

Only Wayne Wong can make those geeky moves look cool. But you should try them anyway.

Abubob said:

Only Wayne Wong can make those geeky moves look cool. But you should try them anyway.

Click to expand...

Not sure those bumps are worth the trip for me, but I'm definitely on-board for a Wayne Wong ski ballet clinic!

it's not about Wayne Wong but about Nashoba Valley and the bump field they allow to develop. OP lives in Acton and NV borders it with easy access. I remember whats its like to share the load in raising a toddler and coming back from a full's day work. Free time is a premium and using it to drive north may not be a option allowed by the boss. So you make due with what you have. IMO, the bumps are short but sweet

Plus you will never see a mogul field even remotely as good as that at Gunstock.....the OPs home hill. Maybe i need to visit Nashoba this winter for some night skiing.

deadheadskier said:

Plus you will never see a mogul field even remotely as good as that at Gunstock......

Click to expand...

A damn shame and a missed opportunity.

Nashoba is literally 8 minutes from my house ... so the mogul field there would certainly be an option even if it is an hour after work or something. In terms of Gunstock, I am really going to try to lobby them to get a good bump field going this year - I am very much committed to trying to get bumps under my skis.

I was also stuck in that upper Intermediate situation. I could get down just about everything in front of me, but it was not easy or pretty. Three seasons ago I adopted a spinning class in the off season and P90x regime to get in shape (particularly core shape. And then I took a season long adult clinic at Sugarbush where I skied with the same instructor (thanks Mac) and group every Saturday. Yes, we did a lot of icy bumps, along with a lot of other terrain, but the instructor broke down our skiing habits early in the season and we all kept working at it all season. Working with a really good ski instructor is the way to go. If I had tried one lesson and worked out my skiing on my own, I would not have made the breakthrough that I did. Yes, it was a big commitment, but best thing that I have ever done to improve my skiing. I know that not everybody can commit to something like this, And I know that after having to take last season off, that those new relatively new basics are still ingrained in my skiing. Lots of luck. Bring on the snow!

Lots of good advice so far.

A few myths and tips to help you on your way:

Myths:

Just because you can "get down almost anything" doesn't mean you are either learning from it, or know how to ski it. Change your goal to skiing confidently, fluidly, balanced, and of course, fun.

Watching other people ski works if you know what to look for, and can learn visually. Not everyone learns that way. And some of the best skiers are the poorest explainers. "I dunno, I just do it"

Don't hit the volkswagens to learn to ski volkswagens. When you want to work on something, do it incrementally. If you want to learn bumps, seek out small bumps. Start at a slower speed.



Tips:

Ski late afternoon if your nearby hill is a groomer hill, that's when the bumps have formed.

Practice rapid (1 per second) turns on the groomers until you can roll them off like buttah. And no cheating, that's to the left and to the right, 10 or more in a row with no pause. Can't start the next turn without gathering yourself first? Can't do it both left and right equally? Can't get faster than 1 per 3 seconds? Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bumps. More practice is needed.

Get as much input as you can; lessons, friends, watching, books. Everyone learns differently, and you need to find what works for you.

Forget about the hot new tree ski or half rocker, vibro-edge, swallow tail, mid fat, full fat, low fat ski. You want technique, balance, strength.

Make sure your boot fit is as near to flawless as you can get it.

Don't expect miracles in 5 minutes. Or even 5 days. There's a reason bumps evade many skiers.

And here's the money shot:
Watch good bump skiers. Watch their center of mass. While there are many styles, one thing that is constant, that you must learn, is to keep your center of mass steady. Your legs work underneath you. When you cross a bump, absorb it with your legs, do not let it throw you up. (Obviously this only works for bumps no bigger than you have the leg length to absorb). It does not feel like you just let your feet come up, you have to, have to, have to ask them.

Suck 'em up!

mister moose said:

A few myths and tips to help you on your way:

Myths:

Just because you can "get down almost anything" doesn't mean you are either learning from it, or know how to ski it. Change you goal to skiing confidently, fluidly, balanced, and of course, fun.

Watching other people ski works if you know what to look for, and can learn visually. Not everyone learns that way. And some of the best skiers are the poorest explainers. "I dunno, I just do it"

Don't hit the volkswagens to learn to ski volkswagens. When you want to work on something, do it incrementally. If you want to learn bumps, seek out small bumps. Start at a slower speed.



Tips:

Ski late afternoon if your nearby hill is a groomer hill, that when the bumps have formed.

Practice rapid (1 per second) turns on the groomers until you can roll them off like buttah. And no cheating, that's to the left and to the right, 10 or more in a row with no pause. Can't start the next turn without gathering yourself first? Can't do it both left and right equally? Can't get faster than 1 per 3 seconds? Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bumps. More practice is needed.

Get as much input as you can; lessons, friends, watching, books. Everyone learns differently, and you need to find what works for you.

Forget about the hot new tree ski or half rocker, vibro-edge, swallow tail, mid fat, full fat, low fat ski. You want technique, balance, strength.

Make sure your boot fit is as near to flawless as you can get it.

And here's the money shot:
Watch good bump skiers. Watch their center of mass. While there are many styles, one thing that is constant, that you must learn, is to keep your center of mass steady. Your legs work underneath you. When you cross a bump, absorb it with your legs, do not let it throw you up. (Obviously this only works for bumps no bigger than you have the leg length to absorb). It does not feel like you just let your feet come up, you have to, have to, have to ask them.

Suck 'em up!

Click to expand...

I think you just threw up

All pretty good advice on here...

So without sounding redundant... When my friends want to get better I'll have them ski with my buddies and me - each one of us has our forte whether it be bumps, groomers, or just overall form - but we ski everything... so skiing with folks that are going to pull you into something you otherwise wouldnt bother skiing is the best start.

Also, box jumps, leg lifts, and any other core exercises you can think of will DEFINITELY help.

Good luck!!

gostan said:

... And then I took a season long adult clinic at Sugarbush where I skied with the same instructor (thanks Mac) and group every Saturday. Yes, we did a lot of icy bumps, along with a lot of other terrain, but the instructor broke down our skiing habits early in the season and we all kept working at it all season. Working with a really good ski instructor is the way to go. If I had tried one lesson and worked out my skiing on my own, I would not have made the breakthrough that I did. Yes, it was a big commitment, but best thing that I have ever done to improve my skiing. I know that not everybody can commit to something like this, And I know that after having to take last season off, that those new relatively new basics are still ingrained in my skiing. Lots of luck. Bring on the snow!

Click to expand...

I also has the good fortune to do a season long program wth Mac and it was an amazing breakthrough for my skiing ability on all types of terrain and conditions. For the OP I would also recommend multiple lessons over the length of the season and getting more days at places that have a variety of terrain and challenge. Too many mountains groom to death and you get stuck in the rut of killing it on groomers but not challenging yourself on moguls, natural snow and variable conditions.

Racing at Gunstock has helped me but I still have a long way to go. You should check out their race league. The Monday League is a great deal, $150 for eight weeks of racing and ten weeks of skiing. You get to ski all day with your bib.

catherine said:

Racing at Gunstock has helped me but I still have a long way to go. You should check out their race league. The Monday League is a great deal, $150 for eight weeks of racing and ten weeks of skiing. You get to ski all day with your bib.

Click to expand...

I wish I could get in on that Monday Night league, but I do live in Mass... So I am hardly up in gilford mondays. If anything I am looking maybe at the nashoba race league.

Bostonian said:

Nashoba is literally 8 minutes from my house ... so the mogul field there would certainly be an option even if it is an hour after work or something. In terms of Gunstock, I am really going to try to lobby them to get a good bump field going this year - I am very much committed to trying to get bumps under my skis.

Click to expand...

I don't live far and that's where I learned to ski in 1970 Do they have bumps? LOL.

When you go, seek out bumps (and yes..an hour after work as many days as you can will help). That means getting comfy skiing close to woods. Because some days in NE thats the only place you'll find them - the dust that gets to side of trail from all the skiers in middle of trail. Good reason to sleep in for the day, get a late start and ski that snow. But....you have to be close to trees which may make people uncomfortable. Also...ski all weekends March-April...you are guaranteed bumps.

DO NOT GIVE UP! You will never get better if you quit after that first fall in the bumps for the day...keep going. My advice is to play with your stance. You have to change it up totally from a groomer, and even from day to to day conditions. Mess with it...weight a little back. weight a little front, hips, back...see what works. One day I saw all these happy people in spring bumps...and I was in misery lol. I figured if they could be happy, why couldn't I? It was 50*, sunny...I wasn't ready for lodge even though the mashed potatoes were winning. So I just changed things up with my body and weighting, figured out how to not push the stuff around but rather flow with it...have no idea what I did, but after a couple hours of misery, I figured it out and have never willfully gone down a groomer since lmao.