Friday, March 27, 2009

I just TOTALLY figured something out!

I was falling asleep and then I realized I'd forgotten to wash my long underwear, so I crawled out of bed, and threw it in the wash, and decided to kill the 1/2 hour by showering myself, and, as I'm sure you can suspect, I do ski in the shower...

So I was skiing in my shower, and I SUDDENLY REALIZED why I HAD THOUGHT I was opening my ankle, or pushing into the back of the oncoming bump (two very different things.)

FIRST, I was pushing into the back of the bump, but I was extending from the knee and hip, and I was doing it WAY TOO EARLY, so that I was basically pushing myself away from the bump.

ALSO, when I was allowing my feet to crumple into the bump, I was not steering or pressuring the outside ski, I was crumpling, then as I crested, pointing and finishing the turn (which is fun).

HOWEVER, when I was just now skiing in the shower, I realized that the extension into the back of the bump is not a defensive "I need to slow myself down" move that's big and hugely anticipated so much as a "I'd like to be able to steer my skis around this thing, and to be in the middle I'm gonna open my ankle a titch just for a split second."

So I was making the move, but too early, too big, and from the wrong joint, which is why, when I tried to put it into my skiing, it was tossing me into the back seat. Now that I have the kinesthetic understanding of the subtlety and the purpose, it feels natural, and it makes the line much smoother, so you have more time for steering and more precise edging, which means you can butter the ski a bit while still slicing off the top of the bump!

OH OH OH! I can't wait to get out there and try it again tomorrow! Understanding what I was doing before is really REALLY helpful to letting go of it and moving forward. Man. Now I'm all jazzed and can't sleep, and I have to be up at 6 to meet Squatty and Weems for breakfast. Jeeze.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Funny how you figure things out at the strangest times. Hope you're doing well. Best of luck at your exams.

Here's a bit of a thought for you in the bumps (from watching your video), think about your line for better balance. If straight down the fall line is 12 o'clock, try to make contact with your skis at no more of an angle than 10 or 2. When you get to 9 and 3 you slam into the faces. Kind of like a race course bumps are about tactics as well as technique. My 2 cents anway.

Kick some ass!

Josh