Some unpopular opinions on turning by Woods

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Woodserson
Posts: 2968
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:25 am
Location: New Hampshire
Ski style: Bumps, trees, steeps and long woodsy XC tours
Occupation: Confused Turn Farmer

Some unpopular opinions on turning by Woods

Post by Woodserson » Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:48 pm

My hard opinions that work for me:

Stop stabbing the snow with the pole to retain balance. Go faster, get more compact, think about why weight is off kilter.

Stop double poling.

A trailing, dragging, uphill pole puts a skier in the back seat, stop this and punch downhill like the damn book says over and over again. Keep those shoulders square to the fall line. I still struggle with this in steep erratic bumps.

***Best tip to learn to telemark efficiently and powerfully- lose the poles entirely. Bring them back later as supplementary tools. The pole is the greatest crutch and impediment to improving skiing.***

Turning light XC gear can take a more fundamental technique than that needed with modern powerful boots and binding. Adjust technique accordingly.

Mentor others but don't be overbearing. Low Angle Al probably taught me more with subtle hints he dropped than he realizes.

(I'm guilty of all sorts of shit in my years of progress, including all of the above. But I strive forward every season to become smoother, more powerful. I train my body and mind and flow like water. I watch a lot of videos. And I screw up a lot too.)

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joeatomictoad
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Location: Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
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Re: Some unpopular opinions on turning by Woods

Post by joeatomictoad » Thu Dec 02, 2021 5:55 pm

Woodserson wrote:
Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:48 pm
...think about why weight is off kilter.
...because I had too many pancakes.
But seriously, yes, this is usually first to go when things get dicey, but I strive to reprioritize.



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Montana St Alum
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Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2020 6:42 pm
Location: Wasatch, Utah
Ski style: Old dog, new school
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Re: Some unpopular opinions on turning by Woods

Post by Montana St Alum » Thu Dec 02, 2021 5:58 pm

Woodserson wrote:
Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:48 pm
(I'm guilty of all sorts of shit in my years of progress, including all of the above.
Hell, I'm guilty of most of this shit every run! I'm just trying to get the corrections quick enough that no one notices.



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