J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by snowpack

As others have said here - a good teacher (of anything) will adapt their teaching style to fit with the learners style. We all learn differently and therefore need to be taught in different ways to get the most from it.

What I have a BIG problem with is what Ise has highlighted which is the use of obscure technical terms by people who are appear to want to over complicate an answer in order to that they come accross more knowledgeable. It's refreshing not to find that here.

But on another (ski) forum I visit (less and less now) it seems to be the order of the day. I thought it was me at first, and I must admit I felt a little insecure at my own lack of knowledge. But after a while reading posts, I realised there was a different motivation, and not a very healthy one at that.

I'm certainly with Ise on the jargon issue. On another forum where they talk about this I've never heard such detailed analysis which certainly taked emphasis from the a n a l. I appreciate you need terminology but that really isn't for the pupils/clients/those being taught.

As for pushing the snow - well I would say that yes I'd agree, in some types of turn you certainly push, but in some you don't (like a pure carved turn). Since snow is what it is, there is always going to be some movement as you apply your force to it while skiing.

Overall though, I think the point is here about the instruction and how somehow there's this idea that a ski instructor (?) has some unquestionable higher knowledge which mere mortals cannot ever begin to understand. And they will impart small amounts of this to you for large amounts of cash while you are on holiday.

To counter that one good ski instructor I had once said, in essence that skiing was not complicated, it was simple "moving about on skis". We all move, we just need to adapt to having the skis on instead of our everyday shoes . . . anyway.

I'm still considering it, to be honest. As Ise says once completed you are then able to teach on dry slopes or snowdomes (non mountain environments). But the idea is probably to progress through the BASI system. I'd like to be able to teach but I'd also like to make some core improvement to my skiing. I've done performance courses but I the BASI system appears to offer the "all round teaching" elements which I think I may find interesting too.
Along with the level 1 I'll need to do shadowing, first aid, and child protection BEFORE one can claim the level 1 status so it's a reasonable comitment.

I'm not scared of snow ploughing, although I don't know if I was ever taught it 100% correctly.

Thanks for all your input.

Anyone any experience of doing this course. I'm considering booking myself on one. What should I expect? Is it difficult to pass? Is it more of a learning training experience than a test. The course I've seen is 5 days.
I'd be interested to hear your views and/or experience.

I know this is one of the "staple" things we are supposed to remember and in most cases it makes sense even if you can't always achieve it perfectly. But recently on an "all mountain" course I was told shoulders in the direction of travel. Obviously, sometimes this is down the mountain but sometimes it is not! Where I'm most confused is probably in big wide turns accross the off-pisted sections - would you say shoulders down or shoulders in the direction of travel (ie where the skis are pointing at anyone time)?

I'm sure once you get onto the main roads you'll be fine weather wise. I know exactly what you mean though about waiting for snow and then it appears in the wrong country at the wrong time.

My guess is that it'll be melting by the weekend. Obviously, I'd allow more time for your journey to Gatwick, but all in all I'd say the roads should be passable.

Not that I'm a travel expert or anything - just trying to keep you positive!
Have a great holiday.

"humble feelings about mountain, ski runs, nature "

I think this is so important and really draws the distinction from just someone who skis. A lot of people seem to ski and for them it's "just another holiday". They may even be technically very good skiers, but for me, I think there is more to the activity than simply doing good parallel turns or carving, I think there is something about skiing which is more thoughtful and pure. Which is about the place we ski in as much as the equipment we use, the techniques we adobt and the apres ski.

I think you also need to practice on a gentle slope and realise that you can make the turn accross the fall line.

For me, there was a big mental thing connected with this. I learnt that yes you do go faster and faster in the fall line but if you commit to the turn your making eventually the ski will run out of the fall line and begin to slow you down.

If you know you can do this you just have to stay with it, keeping the pressure on the ski you are turning with and knowing that the physics of what you are doing will eventually mean that your ski will start to resist gravity and you will slow. Sorry, the above is not a particularly good technical explanation. What I'm saying is let the speed happen in the knowledge that while you continue to affect a turn you will eventually slow down (or stop). But it really is a mental thing as well as a physical process. You have to believe you will make the turn. It won't happen immediately, just as you have gained speed, it will take you time to slow down with a big wide turn. Of course as you end your turn you will then be begining the next turn as you come down the mountain.

Another method would be just to make a single turn out of the fall-line until you reach a point where you are almost skiing backwards - so you keep turning in your arc eventually the ski will stop and then go back down backwards (you can show yourself, in this way, that you are able to turn out of the fall-line and arrest your speed). Then you can link this with other turns.