J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dshenberger

I was just throwing that out there since you said you have Volkl now. I have NO experience with them.

Check out the Volkl Sumo. It might be a little insane, but it should keep you above the snow! Plus according to their "Family Business" DVD it works on piste, also.

Well, I'm not Pavel, but maybe I can be of a little benefit. . .

Since the modern ski has a "sidecut," if you set it on edge only the front and back edges touch the ground. But, when you put weight on it, while on edge, the ski is forced to bend until the whole length touches the snow in a beautiful arc! Which is why sidecut, to some degree, determines turn radius. Hence the "ease" of skiing while carving! Your body weight is causing the ski to do the work!

By applying more pressure to the fore part of the ski you are forcing the front edge to "dig in" a little harder which causes more weight to act on the ski quicker. The ski has to "bend" sooner because of centrifugal force.

Now, I wait to be corrected. :)

I would suggest some skating wrist guards. Some people don't have trouble with it, but wrist injuries are supposed to be the most common snowboard injury.

Other than that, just be prepared to spend a lot of time on the ground! ;)

Will a forwarded email confirmation of a donation be good enough proof? Is St. Jude an acceptable charity?

Yes, Pavelski, that consistent forward pressure is hard to maintain! :) Especially when I let my turns get too long. Now I am wondering about SL turns vs. GS turns. Can one really do SL type turns on steeps, yet keep a "safe" speed? I know this is very subjective, but if I am making very short, quick turns on a steep trail I find my speed getting WAY out of hand! I find that the steeper the trail, the more width I need to use to stay in control.

Trencher - Thanks for posting the video. :) It makes me feel like less of a dork for getting low, and using lots of knee/hip angulation. Not that I am near your level, but I feel like I am on the right track. I certainly feel that the lower I am the more edge grip I have, but isn't that because I am forcing more of an edge angle? And I find that the faster I go the faster my transitions need to be. Duh!! Also, since I am so light weight (150 lbs) I theoretically need more edge angle to get the ski to flex, right? Oh yeah, I am skiing 168 cm 14.4m radius.

And Ben, I have to admit I find myself having to skid to avoid those muddy patches that are cropping up everywhere! Also, at my level, I do a good bit of skidding trying to safely avoid collisions, and keep my distance from EVERYONE! But when I have a clear path. . . :)

Thanks to all who take the time to post! "They" say that you can't learn from reading, but I have progressed tremendously from reading, and trying to apply "new" ideas every time I ski!

To put it simply: What should the stance of a skier, who is carving effectively, be? I have been able to ski at my local resort several times a week for the last few weeks. I have been working very hard on my carving skills. I find that I need a fairly wide stance, and a steep edge angle to carve. But, in my observation of other skiers - I see very upright stances with skis fairly close together. Virtually none are "really" carving. Most of the time skiers who appear to be "good" are starting out with a nice carve, and at the apex of their turn are skidding through the rest of their turn. Even most of the instructors I see aren't consistently carving.

So, is it possible to carve with skis close, and an upright stance, or am I actually doing OK with my method?

I used to think snowboarders were annoying potheads, but after working as a mountain host at my local resort I have to say they are the same as the skiers! In either group you will find extremely irritating people! Of course, the number of nice, friendly, respectful people usually outweighs a few "rotten eggs." :)

In response to the idea of skiers pushing the snow into piles by not carving: I have to say the boarders are just as guilty. I don't think instructors are even trying to teach people to carve on boards! I may see .5 percent of boarders carving! Although, to be honest, only a couple percent of skiers are putting forth the effort :) This is at my local resort though, I would hope it to be better at bigger places.