Why can't I turn left?!

Where is the fella, has he gone skiing, perhaps he is still going round in circles

Why, has he only got 1 leg?

No, he is a Haggis!

Pablo Escobar wrote:No, he is a Haggis!

Why would a haggis ski in circles?

Because they have one leg shorter than the other to help them get up the mountains quicker in their native habitat Scotland.





Before you think I have gone bonkers - that was what I was told when small and I do now know that a haggis is not an animal

Hey I'm back for some follow up!

First off I'm not left-handed, sorry. And my legs are the same size, etc.

I'm not "pole planting" during my turns. When I initiate the left turn, I turn my right ski and wind up putting 100% of my weight on that ski at the point during which I have to pick up my left ski and turn it to match the right one. And for whatever reason I find the turn more difficult to make when I'm moving slowly...I can't even do a pi wedge and then make a left turn. Although that's not really how I learned to turn in the first place anyway. When I'm on steeper stuff it's almost like I'm jump turning and it's not as much of an issue.

Also, I should also mention that I am able to get down the mountain reasonably well and in one piece (somehow) despite this obvious flaw in my skiing. Basically I learned to ski the entirely wrong way...a couple runs on the bunny slopes and then they brought me to the top of the mountain and said "let's do this". So I've adapted but I think it would be nice to learn the right way so that I can enjoy skiing more.

skiNH09 wrote:Hey I'm back for some follow up!

First off I'm not left-handed, sorry. And my legs are the same size, etc.

I'm not "pole planting" during my turns. When I initiate the left turn, I turn my right ski and wind up putting 100% of my weight on that ski at the point during which I have to pick up my left ski and turn it to match the right one. And for whatever reason I find the turn more difficult to make when I'm moving slowly...I can't even do a pi wedge and then make a left turn. Although that's not really how I learned to turn in the first place anyway. When I'm on steeper stuff it's almost like I'm jump turning and it's not as much of an issue.

Also, I should also mention that I am able to get down the mountain reasonably well and in one piece (somehow) despite this obvious flaw in my skiing. Basically I learned to ski the entirely wrong way...a couple runs on the bunny slopes and then they brought me to the top of the mountain and said "let's do this". So I've adapted but I think it would be nice to learn the right way so that I can enjoy skiing more.

It almost sounds as if you are catching the inside edge of your left ski. Assuming for now that your legs are symetrical as you say, then you might want to check the cuff adjustment on your boots. When you turn at slow speeds, you use less edging of the skis, so a badly aligned boot/ski would be more evident.

Going back to the symetry of your legs, Are you sure of this ? Skiing shows up iregularities in the alignment of our legs that might never be noticed in other sports. A quick indication of the need for adjustments would be to stand legs straight, with your feet hip width apart, feet aligned foreward. Measure the distance between your knees, centre to centre. Flex your legs to bring your knees foreward over your toes. Does the distance between your knees change ?. Do you need to tilt your feet on edge to get your knees back to the original measurement ? If so, you may need adjustments to your footbed or cuff adjustment etc.

Again this is just one of the many things that could be your problem, but that the problem is worse at slow speeds, makes this a possibility.

Trencher

Sounds to me, with the greatest respect, that you were not taught properly, and need to go back to basics in ski school.