Skiing down the fall line!!!

I need some help.

I can hockey stop in either direction whilst heading down the fall line when I am not travelling too fast.

But as soon as I build up speed my brain flips into "I can't do it - I'm going too fast mode". This results in slight panic and thoughts of snow plough stops. I am travelling to Val di Fassa in two weeks and really want to crack this.

Can anyone give me any tips?

Thanks

Barb&Sven wrote:I need some help.

I can hockey stop in either direction whilst heading down the fall line when I am not travelling too fast.

But as soon as I build up speed my brain flips into "I can't do it - I'm going too fast mode". This results in slight panic and thoughts of snow plough stops. I am travelling to Val di Fassa in two weeks and really want to crack this.

Can anyone give me any tips?

Thanks

don't hockey stop :D

carve your turns or at least skid them with a bit of shape letting the skis start to head uphill at the end of the turn, ie finish the turn. What most people do is grab the end of the turn instead of finishing it and the result is they accelerate a bit on each turn until they reach a speed they either have to stop at or lose control or, I suppose, lose control but carry on pretending they've not.

You've isolated the problem already, it's that picking up speed bit, you're not racing so unless you want to accelerate like you're going into a flat section then you shouldn't.

The best thing for this is either to only go as fast as you can safely control, or to plan your stops.

If you look ahead and know where you want to stop, you can put in several hard turn/stops that slow you down progressively rather than in one go. This is good because you dont end up scaring yourself to death or causing an accident by trying to stop to quickly.

If you are coming to the bottom of the piste, its much better to slow right down before you get to the bottom rather than hooning all the way to the lift que just because there are many more unsuspecting/unpredictable people around.

As long as you are realistic about your ability and the distances which you need for stopping, you should be fine.

Tom

I agree with Ise. Hockey stops are a useful learning tool, but shouldnt really be used in free skiing unless in emergency!!!! :!:

As Ise says, you should be working on finishing the turn, and also on rounding the turn rather than a hockey stop which is abrupt and V-shaped.

Try to ski more smoothly, rounding the turn and gently transferring the weight from inside to outride ski. This should control your speed on most terrain.

Its all about ski - ING!! ie one movement should lead to another, rather than a stopping and starting movement.

Hi Barb&Sven,

Maybe think about booking yourself a couple of private lessons whilst you are away to work on your technique - I can say hand on heart that it will be money well spent (or at least it was for me).

Failing that, as everyone else has said, work on finishing your turns, ideally on gentle terrain. When it's not too steep, you will be happier letting your skis point down the fall line for longer and once you have convinced yourself that your skis will turn you if you use them correctly, the fear will subside and you can concentrate on improving your technique on the steeper runs.

Also, maybe try heading slightly back up the hill as you finish each turn as this will check your speed and get you in a better position to start the next turn.

Hope this is some help - and somebody please correct me if I've said anything wrong as I'm only a relative novice myself... )

Lynn

I only hockey stop close to a collection of boarders, usually hidden over the brow of a hill, and make sure they eat snow.

That's one reason why I learnt to hockey stop! )

Also a useful tool on ice skates to get revenge on those who get under your feet :lol: