J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Reinhard

and... one other thing, the pole plant gives your hand something to "push off" against, which helps rotate your torso, since you have your arm as a lever

OK Thank you, I think that is a great place to start. I've never thought about pushing my knees towards the slope and really "trusting" my edges like that... it will be on my mind when I go up in a week.

Some posts just list uses for poles, but the question is, what is the pole PLANt for?

One possible response is that it can help "force" you to use the correct motion and balance better. But in that case the plant itself has no value.

I think I can see a value in the pole plant when it is steep, because when initiating your turn, you can be more aggressive in leaning into it, because you have a way to "push back" against your lean if you need to. By leaning more into it you can make a quicker turn, avoid facing straight downhill longer than you need to, thereby keeping a manageable speed.

so there is an argument for a value to the pole plant that you can't have without poles :)

Hi... I love skiing.

I want to work on carving, since I have completely neglected this part of my skiing. Specifically, I can make very quick turns without skidding, and it is easy to feel the ski "turning itself." But when I want to make larger, longer carving turns, towards the middle of the turn I start to lose my carve, I dont feel like I'm applying pressure on the edge or felxing the ski very much anymore. Know any good technique pointers to keep in mind, or drills to try?\

And... since I don't want to start another post I thought you might like some of the "mental tricks" I like to use when skiing.
Sometimes I try to pretend that my ski is just a really big foot. My toes are up by the tips, my heels are at the back. Keep your balance nice over my pretend feet same as you would feel comfortable on your real feet. This helps you use your ankles and feet to flex the whole ski.

Sometimes I pretend that I'm not riding on skis at all, but instead on a small board, maybe a little smaller than a cafeteria tray. A rather precarious position, but it helps really keep you in control, by limiting yourself like this mentally you actually enable yourself. Especially good for powder

I think of my center of gravity. If you've taken physics, you know that for a body of mass, there is one single one dimensional point that is the center of gravity. Do you know where yours is? If you're like me, then well, pretty much, but as I am skiing I try to zone in on EXACTLY where it is. I think of trying to find it. I have a point, where I imagine my center to be, and I try to match it to where it actually is, constantly trying to pinpoint it the whole way down the slope, but getting knocked off by inexperience.

Other times I think about my head. I try to keep my eyes looking straight, like an owl. Then focus your vision and head on a certain spot and direction and feel how the rest of your body follows... as if by magic!

Or in the steeps imagine bounding down the fill from foot to foot. Good for steep and narrow.

Anyways hope that doesn't bore you.

this is a random guess. your pain sounds very similar to shin splints. try putting ice on your calves, this may totally cure your pain in 30 minutes...