Learning to stop (and then forgetting how to stop!)

Why can't you stop in a snowplough? Is it because your edges are catching too much to push the back of your feet outwards? If so, avoid bending your knees inwards.

The snowplough is important no matter what level you're at. It is after all the only way to stop while facing down a slope which is always useful when you don't have the space to put your skis sideways like in a lift line.

I provide a guide to learn to snowplough on how-to-ski.org

Lessons lessons lessons nuf said!

Try these videos as well as lessons !
http://youtu.be/tXUbCPuc4nw

Learning to stop.

May I suggest you change your mind set!

Watch a bird soar. He never stops!

Think like a bird,,,skiing is very much like soaring, flying with freedom.

Fine you say,,,,but what about that speed and those other skiers!

The secret is to anticipate,,to look ahead ( not 1 meter ahead) and re-direct skis in an easy supple, elegant manner so to avoid objects, skiers etc,,,

The secret is to anticipate speed level by directing skis up hill ( to slow down),,downhill to speed up .

Skiing,,,,effective skiing is never to stop,,,but rather to channel gravity in a soaring, flowing manner.

Learn to channel that gravity "energy" to turn and slow down ( using slope )

Seems to me most beginners are fighting slope, fighting skis, fighting speed rather than re-directing these.
Take lessons.
Above all enjoy soaring.

I really agree with that Pavel...It is how people SHOULD drive their cars as well...but I do have trouble on long narrow paths..I cant seem to go slowly enough and then panic when I meet a slower skier,, I am on 190s and they seem to take up the whole of the path..any tips

Daved, although 190s may seem a longish ski to some, (many of us learned on 210s/215s), there are only 3" to 4" extra from the boot forwards, from a mid length ski. Hence the ski length should not be a significant issue. In fact, you might consider the point that you will have an extra 6"/8" braking length.

A heavier skier will need more braking force.
Remain strong on the edges.

You can put in small plough turns.

You can look well ahead, and choose a bank to head up, stop, release the edges, and slide down.

If the path is wide enough, then turn sideways and side slip.

If all else fails ~ Shout "Coming through on the right!", make yourself small and fire past as close to the edge as you dare!

Always remember, it is the uphill skier who carries responsibility in the event of a coming together.

I wondered for some time how to pass along this advice on stopping?

Then today I watched rank beginners and experts go down a slope.

It came to me.

Clearly beginners and experts go down the slope very much in different ways. I am not speaking of technical issues , but how they choose paths, ski lines.

The experts even if they ski faster never stop. They deviate away from problem zones or skiers.
They flow down varying their speed in reference to; traffic, slope and conditions.

The beginners.
They are so focussed on the 2 meters ahead, on their fear of speed and fear of poor ski control that their progress is a series of starts, quick turns ( to avoid speed ), and sudden stops with a fall or hard body turning "hockey stops"!

How to avoid this?
First beginners for your own happiness, safety,,,,take lessons
Second stay on protected easy wide runs.
Third learn to look ahead well over 2 meters.
Fourth learn to make all ski moves with gentle, soft gradual moves[i]. Fast hard panic moves will not help.
I know it sounds silly to suggest " slow, easy manner",,,,All effective skiing is done with small "adjustments" often not seen by most skiers. Great skiers are "quiet skiers" !

Many ski resorts have protected beginner slopes stay on them until you can go down non-stop in a slow flowing motion. That is with no stopping,,,,top to bottom.

You must learn to anticipate where to change direction in a elegant slow easy manner.
The more you will anticipate,,,,the better that slow easy turn will be.

The less you "anticipate" where to turn, the more radical, fast, quick your turns must be.

Learn to feel free while soaring down ( with no stress, tension and fear ) That only comes with time.

Enjoy letting the skis go!
Enjoy turn slowly, with easy with no object ( or skier) to avoid.
Enjoy going down non-stop fro top to bottom.

In short enjoy skiing. It will make you at ease,,,,then you will ski better.

I hope this helps some of you.
Pavel

Back to the issue of stopping.

Many many ski resorts now have "beginner zones" or slow zones !

All beginners ( and some intermediates ) should go in these zones until they can ski NON STOP from top to bottom.

If you ever watch a school of fish or a flock of birds ,,,they flow in all knowing what the other is doing.

I know,,,I know we are not as smart as birds and fish so we meander all over the slope! We have too many "experts" on the runs who want to do their "thing" !

Survival ( and I mean survival) on the slope is knowing how to "read" the traffic flow. To locate that "stray" skier and avoid him/her.

In Darwining contextes he/she would be eaten very quickly by a predatory. I suspect many will be "eaten" by natural selection established by the mountain.

Part of skiing is selecting "your" slope or run. Hard enough to "excite" you,,yet not too difficult or dangerous to terrorize you. Many skiers do not know how to select this slope !

Just yesterday I carried a skier down who was a rank beginner ( yes in jeans ) who was on a well marked black diamond (expert ) run. Seems it is the norm !

If you really have to stop mid-slope,,,,,,ask yourself WHY ?

Effective skiers do not stop mid-slope ( well perhaps to admire another good skier or the view )

It is called, "carrying the rythme "