Lesson 4 : A slippery skier is a better skier

Just a short note to follow the class presentation on those wild hydrogen molecules!

Remember I told you at the beginning that this course will make you great tuners AND better skiers.

Now you will understand why this claim is not "hollow"! Knowing the existence of this quasi-fluid layer ( QFL) will make you aware how your skis glide over varied types of ski surfaces. I am not talking about varied topographic terrain but rather varied QFL gliding features.

If ever you skied in a ski resort which has artificial snow and you ski into a zone that has "fresh" white pellets ( I hesitate using the term snow), you will feel an instant difference. Very much like a "drag"!

If you ever ski a race course prepared specifically for a race and go off the course, again you will feel a difference!

If you ski in the spring time and go where all skiers go, then go "off track" you will also very quickly feel a difference in glide.

If you ski in the spring and ski in the shaded part of a run and then switch to the sunny part of the run, you will feel a different glide!

The QFL is not uniform! It has a mind of its own and depending on various factors it likes to change personalities. It likes to tease skiers!

So the "experienced" skier learns not only techniques but also strategies to make skiing faster or just more enjoyable!
When you hear sports announcers say, "a racer is a great glider" what they are saying is that the skier "feels" the ski interacting with this QFL and allows the ski to flow with little "force".

In recreational skiing ( especial in Spring) the snow surface varies a great deal and very quickly you can spot the skiers that intuitively find the fast snow! They have no idea of the existence of QFL but they feel a difference in glide. They search for this like the shark that smells blood 10 kms. away!

Remember also I stated that this course is designed for recreational skiers, thus there will be some differences in tuning procedures! In racing race organizers try to make the racing course as hard and uniform as possible. Even adding chemicals to "slow down those excited hydrogen molecules" Thus make the surface harder and the QFL less unstable! Tuning is performed with a "smaller" surface variance ( a another concept which we will have to discuss soon).
Recreational skiers tend to go in all sorts of terrain and in all sorts of surfaces! Thus the smart tuner must take in consideration these greater variations. That is why I feel that the skier must know his /her skiing area ( as well as temp. condition, etc....) before tuning. I tune my skis differently in Utah than I do in Maine or New York State.

That is why tuning your skis correctly and improved skiing go hand in hand!

For class look up variance and try to see its importance for skier and tuner !