Couple of problems

Hi Cirrus,

It's always very difficult to tell when you don't have all of the details, but my guess is that it's a combination of a couple of things:
-something is putting you in the 'back seat'.
-you may be transferring your weight from one ski to the other too quickly and late (timing and co-ordination)


On the first point...
You mentioned that you bought new boots. The more precise fit may be making it harder for you to keep your weight and hips forward. You should aim to keep constant pressure on the front of your boots. I had similar difficulties a couple of seasons ago and I'm also a heavy skier. One of the things I find gets more difficult is that flexibility becomes a challenge with every passing year. It is important to have flexibility in all of the muscles of your legs and your hips.

Try focusing on gym exercises to improve hip flexibility and stretch and strengthen you leg muscles. Do plenty of lunges and squats, but also try some yoga and you might be surprised with the results.

On the second point, here is a couple of questions..
Would you describe your turns more as z's or s's ?
Do you find difficulty maintaining a constant slow speed on steep icy terrain?
Do you find moguls especially challenging?

You may be throwing on the breaks and transferring all of your weight from one ski to the next far too late and quickly. At the beginning of the turn, try transferring the weight from your downhill to your 'new' outside/downhill ski earlier and more smoothly. This should result in smoother more s shaped turns.


Another possibility that will not help with any of the above is that you are 'rotating' (turning to face left and right with each turn) too much.


The other factor is altitude. What altitude were you skiing last year compared to before? For most people coming from the UK, altitude is a big factor. In general, the higher the altitude the fitter you need to help mitigate it's effects, but there are many factors that vary from one person and time to the next.

Dave Mac wrote:Ok here is the video. When you are teaching someone to carry out four different actions at the same time, the trick is to try and encapsulate a method which does not try to separate and then bring together the elements.

This was posted by a good friend who was British Speed Ski champion ~ he too still searches for the best description.

https://www.skicanada.org/tips-up-balance-on-skis/?utm_source=SnowOnline+subscribers&utm_campaign=473a2b3639-Tips_Up_Oct_910_9_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b2f88be4ac-473a2b3639-101196109

Great video. This was once explained to me by a level 3 instructor as visualizing an open window perpendicular to the fall line and as you begin the turn, try to visualize putting your upper body 'through the window'. It worked for me, especially on challenging terrain.

Appreciate the positive responses, Steve, and Canadian.

If you are learning to ski, certainly at the early levels, there is a lot to take in, and sometimes it can be helpful that an idea is planted in your mind, and this does not appear to be directly linked to elements of technique, and yet, by focusing on the idea, several split elements are incorporated.

On the subject of boot cant, as an engineer, I always look for causal factors, ie, what has changed. The OP indicated a change in boots. Hence the possibility of a change in cant may be a reasonable suggestion, and worth checking. It is too easy for very experienced skiers to be dismissive of the difficulties involved in the early years of skiing.

I can still remember trying to tighten those laces, and latch up those cables. Seems only like a 100 years ago.....

Hi Cirrus.
One thing to add if you are having pain on the outside edge of your foot. This is often caused by having the bottom 2 buckles too tight - which crushes your foot.
The top 2 buckles do all the work and should be tight. The bottom 2 should be fairly slack.
Dylan

Interesting comment Dylan Ski re pain on the outside edge of the foot, which I occasionally get, on one foot in particular. My particular brand of boot has only three buckles, not 4, which may be part of the problem ! But I'll definitely bear in mind the need to check buckle tightness. It usually seems to ease off as the day goes on anyway.

A proper footbed helped relieve pain in outside of my foot. Little toe was being pinched in causing pain. Foot bed prevented pinching in

Wow - thanks for all the replies guys - so much to look at and take in! One thing I failed to mention which may have had some bearing is that I was carrying 3 broken ribs and intercostal muscle damage last year when I went to Andorra. Yes, I am a big chap but am not totally unfit as an ex rugby player and weight trainer (admittedly weights and little cardio lol). I wonder if I was perhaps over compensating for my injury and tensing up subconciously.

I always keep my bottom buckle loose (I have Atomic Livefit 130 boots) as most do. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if the foot pain is just a tensing issue as when wearing boots on a ladder (I am an electrician) I find I get a similar pain on my outstep. Maybe some exercises as previous posters have mentioned will help.

I do struggle enormously maintaining a constant slow speed on steep icy terrain as Steverandomno asked and find my turns on steep terrain to be very sharp, aggressive and uncofortable looking! No smooth turns to be had!

Hope this helps explain things a bit more.

It's all quite simple Cirrus. Lessons and practice. No amount of reading will make you a better skier. Get out there and have fun!