Big turns or quick turns?

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Which do you prefer? Do you measure the success of your day by the number of turns you can cram into every last vertical foot of mountain...or do you feel turns are like golf scores...the fewer the better?

Personally I'm all about the big turn...even in bumps...I have a blast making gs turns in bumps when they're soft. Trees get a little hairy, at least in the east...so I suck it up and make mid radius turns in the woods. Its not that I can't make short turns...I'll jump into the congo line with the posse every once and a while...I just prefer to let 'em run.

 

[riverc0il]

Depends on the conditions. Generally, the more powdery, the more I like to open the skis up and let them run. Hard pack generally almost always quick tight turns though every once in a while I will open it up for big carves. Nothing beats charging a foot of untouched fresh on a wide open trail and railing huge arcs. The guys that go for the woods on the first run of a powder day are kidding themselves. So overall, depends upon the conditions but my overall tendency is for more turns rather than less, though I hardly measure the quality of my day by the number of turns.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I like both..in powder and crud I prefer big turns for more speed although quick turns in the woods in powder is great but it's not so much turns like a carved turn on the groom..more changing direction and pivots..

I was on Atomic Jeffs SL12s last season and on Lazy Mile which is a run I usually straightrun or maybe make 3 or 4 big turns....I was enjoying making short radius turns bouncing back and forth like a pendulum..when Xanadu opens..that's the type of skiing I'll likely do to get the most bang for my buck. One ski patroller told me I should be making slow and deliberate turns. To me slow and deliberate turns are about as gourmet as cheese in a can...fast and deliberate turns..that's another animal..nd something I really enjoy..so it's hard to choose..I like it all..

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

. The guys that go for the woods on the first run of a powder day are kidding themselves..

I couldn't agree with you more..first run on a powder day for me I like to ski a wide run or under the lift which can be wide..as I know untracked will remain in the woods quite awhile..plus I like a few people to break trail on woods traverses first...

 

[OldsnowboarderME]

I like big turns that are quick ..

 

[mattchuck2]

Out West: Big turns on wide open powder faces
East: Small turns in the trees and bumps (GS turns in bumps are fun for the challenge, but I prefer to be more smooth)

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

(GS turns in bumps are fun for the challenge, but I prefer to be more smooth)

that's what I like about it...staying smooth while making big turns...with a well formed zipper line there is a clear path to follow when making regular fall line bump turns, but when you're coming 4-5 bumps across the fall line on each turn you have to find your own path. Most well formed bump runs have diagonals, the key is to find them and link them together.

 

[wa-loaf]

Groomed = big turns. When trails get scrapped off I start hitting the soft snow on the tree line with the quick turns. Moguls quick turns mostly, but ripping the GS turns through pow bumps can be fun.

I'll often mix in both on a run depending on conditions. Both have their plusses. But there is nothing more boring (skiing wise) than quick little turns down the middle of a groomed slope.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

. But there is nothing more boring (skiing wise) than quick little turns down the middle of a groomed slope.

I agree...that's the way the ski patrollers at Blue ski...uke:

 

[dmc]

Big ass turns on big terrain going really fast...

 

[kingslug]

Depends on where I am and who I am with. Jim G taught me the super fast quick turn....out in utah its big sweeping ones to cover vast terrain quickly. And chasing after GSS....no turns.......

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Depends on where I am and who I am with. Jim G taught me the super fast quick turn....out in utah its big sweeping ones to cover vast terrain quickly. And chasing after GSS....no turns.......

I like big, but I like short too, depends on mood, conditions and who I'm with.

Kingslug, good to see you back, where you been?

 

[Skimaine]

Big turns on early groomers. Short'em as the day goes on and conditions dictate.

 

[kingslug]

I like big, but I like short too, depends on mood, conditions and who I'm with.

Kingslug, good to see you back, where you been?

I've been lurking about ...trying to get my life back in order, sell the house, move, buy a new place, moving in. Just started thinking about skiing again as winter gets closer. Still in car mode, working on the vette. Hopefully I'll get up around you're parts this winter, didn't make it last winter...long drive to do alone.

 

[mondeo]

Quick, but that doesn't mean short radius. The transition is the fun part.

On groomers I basically turn as the mood fits me, mixing up the amount of time between turns.

In the bumps, it's the zipper.

 

[drjeff]

Biggies! FRom way back in my gate bashing days I've always enjoyed big radius GS/SG tunrs over short SL radius turns (especially free skiing). Put some slalom armor on me and let me crash through a see of red/blue plastic gates and the short turns can be a blast occassionally!

 

[Geoff]

My everyday skis have a 20+ meter natural turn radius. I tend to make linked carved shaped ski turns using the natural turn radius of the ski. I ski the bumps and the trees with that same basic turn. My turn cadence is probably half what it was when I was in my 20's.

 

[deadheadskier]

FLOW dictates my turns. I take what the mountain gives and aspire for the smoothest way of getting between A and B, don't think much about turn size.

 

[Glenn]

Usually bigger turns to keep the speed up. I'll make quicker turns if the conditions call for it.

 

[Marc]

I like the turns that make me crash as little as possible.