Sundown 11/30

[wa-loaf]

then I see the vid and my poles look like a blindfolded kid swinging at a piñata. :-o

The problem is I look like a monkey trying to ef a football after about 4 bumps.

lmfao :lol:

 

[Beetlenut]

sorry to hear that beetlenut. i had the same surgery last June.

So how long did it take to calcify before you felt like it was fixed enough to resume your normal lifestyle? I figure I should have some March and April skiing in my future.

 

[skiadikt]

my revelations from yesterday:

• my new pants from TJMax are not waterproof
• i stand too tall in the bumps
• i am much slower than you guys
• i really need to learn something other than a spread eagle

if that's you in the 1st (& 3rd segments) then you look great. very smooth w/ a relaxed stable platform. wish i had that "too tall" problem.

 

[Greg]

my revelations from yesterday:

• i stand too tall in the bumps
• i am much slower than you guys

Tall is good. Stiff leggedness is not. However, I will qualify this by saying that you do fine muscling around those 724 Pros through the bumps. It's not easy to work a short carve on a burley board like that through the bumps. If you start taking a more direct line with a less carved and more skidded turn you will go faster. However, if you don't absorb and extend, you're going to start launching. As you come into a bump, relax and let it drive your skis up. Some folks say raise your knees, but I like the suggestion of pulling your heels up towards your butt which keeps you forward and your tips on the snow as much as possible. After you crest the bump, get back into that tall position you're already good at by driving your hips up. Softer and lighter skis would help.

Disclaimer: I'm a hackjob bump skier.

 

[Grassi21]

Tall is good. Stiff leggedness is not. However, I will qualify this by saying that you do fine muscling around those 724 Pros through the bumps. It's not easy to work a short carve on a burley board like that through the bumps. If you start taking a more direct line with a less carved and more skidded turn you will go faster. However, if you don't absorb and extend, you're going to start launching. As you come into a bump, relax and let it drive your skis up. Some folks say raise your knees, but I like the suggestion of pulling your heels up towards your butt which keeps you forward and your tips on the snow as much as possible. After you crest the bump, get back into that tall position you're already good at by driving your hips up. Softer and lighter skis would help.

Disclaimer: I'm a hackjob bump skier.

don't sell yourself short greg. you are a radical hackjob bump skier. ;-)

 

[bvibert]

Some folks say raise your knees, but I like the suggestion of pulling your heels up towards your butt which keeps you forward and your tips on the snow as much as possible.

I've never heard that one, I'll have to give it a shot next time out.

Disclaimer: I'm a hackjob bump skier.

don't sell yourself short greg. you are a radical hackjob bump skier. ;-)

:lol: Good call!

 

[Greg]

I've never heard that one, I'll have to give it a shot next time out.

Yeah. Me too. I'm good at thinking about technique when posting here. When out on the hill, fun factor takes over and it all goes out the window... :lol:

 

[gmcunni]

if that's you in the 1st (& 3rd segments) then you look great. very smooth w/ a relaxed stable platform. wish i had that "too tall" problem.

Thanks. it is odd to see yourself on video after many years of skiing. i've only used my shadow to "see" what i look like until recently showing up in a few of greg's videos.

Tall is good. Stiff leggedness is not. ... If you start taking a more direct line with a less carved and more skidded turn you will go faster. However, if you don't absorb and extend, you're going to start launching. As you come into a bump, relax and let it drive your skis up. Some folks say raise your knees, but I like the suggestion of pulling your heels up towards your butt which keeps you forward and your tips on the snow as much as possible. After you crest the bump, get back into that tall position you're already good at by driving your hips up. Softer and lighter skis would help.

felt i looked stiff in the video, need to try the "raise heel" tip. i think i absorb more with my back than with my knees which is why my back is killing me since sunday.

my skis are heavy.. the one thing i hate about them.

 

[bvibert]

Yeah. Me too. I'm good at thinking about technique when posting here. When out on the hill, fun factor takes over and it all goes out the window... :lol:

I'm with ya there! My ski time is too infrequent to be worrying about drills and such.

 

[2knees]

Thanks. it is odd to see yourself on video after many years of skiing. i've only used my shadow to "see" what i look like until recently showing up in a few of greg's videos.

video is an awesome tool. i can say i've honestly changed the way i ski bumps significantly since i first saw a video way back when greg and i skied the first nor'easter bumps 3 or 4 years ago.


felt i looked stiff in the video, need to try the "raise heel" tip. i think i absorb more with my back than with my knees which is why my back is killing me since sunday.

my skis are heavy.. the one thing i hate about them.

Sore back is a tell tale sign of exactly what you just said. absorbing with your back instead of your legs. I know because it happens to me all the friggin time. that and i tend to slam the face of a few bumps. its a habit i just cant break. actually its fun but when the bumps are firm, like sunday, it can take a toll. You ski very very well. those logs you use aint helpin matters but you seem to handle them just fine. I was impressed with your skiing, for whatever that is worth.

 

[Greg]

felt i looked stiff in the video, need to try the "raise heel" tip. i think i absorb more with my back than with my knees which is why my back is killing me since sunday.

Mogul back. Oof. :blink: Lower back soreness is a result of continually driving your hips forward to achieve that tall stance which actually is a good thing. Think of it as accentuating the C shape of your lower back continually after each bump. Those are muscle you probably don't use often (there's a side joke in here somewhere... ). Again, muscle soreness there is a good sign. Or at least that's my defense.

my skis are heavy.. the one thing i hate about them.

I started really concentrating on bumps using the Volkl AC3 which is the next generation of the slightly more forgiving model you ski. Heavy and somewhat stiff. A stable all mountain ski, but not forgiving in the bumps. Your 724s are even beefier so they gotta be rough. Despite some opinions, bump skis for me made a big difference. Light, softer and easy to turn.

 

[2knees]

lol, sounds like we have two different view points. we need BMM to break the tie.

 

[bvibert]

I tend to think Pat is right, lower back soreness if from absorbing the bumps with your back instead of your legs. I managed to not crouch nearly as much in the bumps the last few times out and my back is much less sore than usual. Then again, maybe I just use those muscles more often than others...

 

[deadheadskier]

Mogul back. Oof. :blink: Lower back soreness is a result of continually driving your hips forward to achieve that tall stance which actually is a good thing. Think of it as accentuating the C shape of your lower back continually after each bump. Those are muscle you probably don't use often (there's a side joke in here somewhere... ). Again, muscle soreness there is a good sign. Or at least that's my defense.

I've always looked at 'mogul back' as a sign that I need to strengthen my stomach muscles. Given my track record for keeping up a consistent core strength exercise regimen, it will always be a problem for me. :lol:

 

[Grassi21]

i crouch a ton as you can see in the video. knock on wood, i have yet to experience mogul back. maybe its the yoga working my core muscles...

 

[skiadikt]

but I like the suggestion of pulling your heels up towards your butt which keeps you forward and your tips on the snow as much as possible.

i'll have to try that one. i try to curl or raise my toes up to the top of the boot which helps maintain contact with the front of the boot. your idea may be better.

 

[Greg]

lol, sounds like we have two different view points. we need BMM to break the tie.

I tend to think Pat is right, lower back soreness if from absorbing the bumps with your back instead of your legs. I managed to not crouch nearly as much in the bumps the last few times out and my back is much less sore than usual. Then again, maybe I just use those muscles more often than others...

I think there is lower back soreness of some degree anytime you ski bumps. If you're slamming and banging and getting thrown forward into crouching tiger mode, you need to pull yourself back up constantly. Probably more of a middle back movement.

If you're really extending correctly, you're doing it by driving your hips forward and upward. Again, kinda like accentuating a C shape in your lower back. I've also heard the "stick the dick" analogy. :-o :lol: You know the activity you like to do with your woman, or in Pat's case, with random men at Tyler Mill....

 

[powhunter]

I have that problem as well...My legs being tense, I tend to absorb with my spine...one thing I am learning is to start bringing your heels up earlier..a split seond before you should start absorbing

steve

 

[Beetlenut]

i'll have to try that one. i try to curl or raise my toes up to the top of the boot which helps maintain contact with the front of the boot. your idea may be better.

I like the heel anology too, seems to keep me out of the backseat better. The thing I was working on on Friday when I was there, was to keep my hands about a foot apart and not let them get behind me, and once fully absorbed in the bump, to get my weight on the front of my feet to drive the tips into the next trough. For me though, the hardest part is the timing between the absorbtion and extension. Trying not to extend too eary and in effect stand up on top of the bump, verses waiting a split second and allowing your momentum to carry your absorbed frame over the top of the bump, and then extending your legs down the backside of the bump. For me anyway, this is the next part I'm trying to get. Surgery on Thursday, then start the countdown.

 

[SkiDork]

I use a similar trick to the heel analogy, but it's useful on the flats as well. When you're talking about shin pressure, instead of thinking about pushing my knees/shins _forward_ I think about moving my _feet_ back. It accomplishes the same thing but it somehow works better for me. FWIW.