Carving mindset for Mike

Mike asked me in a post recently for insight into the mindset for carving. I don’t know if it requires a mindset, but there are some concepts that are hard to get your mind around. Chief among those concepts is how to get the edges to grip through the whole turn? How is the edge pressure achieved ?

There are a lot of explanations out there and most talk about pressuring the skis or flexing and extending the legs. All of which are confusing if you can’t picture what is actually happening. I’ve said before that the problem with watching people who are good, is that often their movements are subtle and it is hard to figure out what is going on.

A common way of explaining the concept is to think of bathroom scales. You stand on the scale and see your weight. If you suddenly flex your legs, you will momentarily see your weight decrease. As you finish sinking on the scale, the weight displayed will momentarily increase above your actual weight. Now start to extend your legs and the weight display will be heavier than your actual weight until your legs finally straighten.
This is a classic case of “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.

The problem with this example is that it makes you think of an strictly up and down movement. In carving this up and down movement is offset to one side, the inside of the turn. This is where angulation comes in. Angulation is really offsetting your feet (and skis) from your body.

A picture is worth a thousand words and a picture with arrows on it is worth a lot of instructor modeling where you can’t see what’s actually happening……


So our first picture shows the skis on the new downhill edges and our hips and body moving out over the snow inside the turn. Note that the skis are already on edge before we commit to the turn.


Now we start to lower our body downwards to the inside of the turn (and downhill). We know from the bathroom scale exercise that this is making us (and our edges) lighter. At this point in the turn, the forces working against us are small and we don’t need much edge pressure. So it’s not a problem.



Halfway though the turn now and heading down the fall line. Speed is increasing and centrifugal force is working against us. We start to need edge pressure. It is achieved by rising upwards (which remembering the bathroom scale and as we rose upwards, we appeared heavier) means our ski edges are forced downwards biting into the snow.



Nearing the end of the turn now and the forces against us are maxing out. We need more edge pressure and we get it from rising up further to get over our skis again.



This type of turn is called a “cross over turn” because in the transition from one turn to the next, our body crosses over the skis. In it we sink into the turn and rise up out of the turn. The cross over turn is the simplest of carved turns and the best way to learn how to get a feel for edge pressure. There are other types of carved turn.

The sinking phase in this turn should be quick. The rising up phase should be slower and progressive. If the skis start to skid out, then rising up a little faster will drive the edges back down into the snow.

As I mentioned above, the problem with the bathroom scale analogy is obvious from the photos. There is very little flexing and straightening of the legs. The vertical motion is achieved by inclining the legs not flexing the legs.

I have taken liberties with the physics to keep things simple. I hope that doesn’t offend any anal scientist out there. I just wanted to demystify carving a little. This is not meant to be a lesson, but rather my explanation of a concept.

Trencher

Informative, thanks Trencher, can't wait to try to put it into practice!

excellent pictures trencher

Trencher, this is a superb piece of pictorial tution. the technique was referred to as avalamont, by the French, and Grundschwung by the Austrians.

I rarely use it on piste, mainly because I just use upward unweighting, (ie just going into the turn) Where I find the downward unweight technique useful is off piste, because it helps avoid being thrown, on uncertain terrain.

After looking at these pics, and your videos, I have to conclude that your technique produces more even arcs. At least when you do it.

You could have complted the triangle of forces on each of the pictures, with the vertical arrow changing direction, just as you have shown. The arrow would start somewhere about the solar plexus, maybe.

Another two pictures either before the first or after the last would have shown the crossover.

Fabulous. You have just ruined my winter. I had a mental map of this years improvements, and now I'm gonna have to change it.

Trencher = Legend

Dave Mac wrote:
Another two pictures either before the first or after the last would have shown the crossover.

I thought I'd leave the transition for another post....

Thanks for the appreciation guys

Trencher

Top banana,

Nice tutorial T