Do Carvers Suck?

Anyone else wondering this?

In the olden days the "intermediate plateau" used to be around that transition from being a parallel skier (y'know, legs together, skid 'em round, heels clacking) to a proper carving skier (cranked over like a racer - make those edges bite).

With Carving Skis, now pretty much anyone can be carving turns on piste with only a few weeks snow time.

But hasn't that just moved the "plateau" on a bit? Seems to me that moving from a dedicated on-piste Carver to a stiffer, wider Freeride ski is quite a big jump now; is this the new plateau?

Have we just got a new generation of Intermediates who will be stuck on the piste wondering why they can only ever do decent turns on Carvers?

Have Carving Skis allowed us to go too fast through that vital learning phase where we used to have to learn how to really use our edges and pressure the ski properly?

Whaddya reckon?

Tone

99% of skiers suck at carving, even on carving skis. It seems to me that traditional ski instruction actually hinders devlopement of good carving technique. I believe there are moves in europe to rectify this, but what I see here in the US is more of the same. Sports like skiing with an emphasis on instruction always have problems adjusting to a revolutionary new developement. Will these new carvers develope off piste skills ?, maybe not, but they'll learn to carve better than the old schoolers.

Trencher

I'm a racer on the England team and I believe that without carving skis skiing would never develop and change like everything should. Without carvers we wouldn't be able to ski as safely either as you can move one hell of a lot easier on carvers than on the old planks. Think how much easier it is now for beginners to learn to ski, though I really don't want any more people on the slopes as there's enough congestion already, its not so fun when you spend half the day in a lift queue.

Speedy

I think it's just moved up the point at which people get stuck. That's a good thing for allowing relative beginners to get around the mountain more easily but so many of them just seem to think they're hot-shots because they can ride a carver round a turn.
At least in the olden days (speaking as an old fogie) there was no other way to carve a ski than properly and I believe that level of technique is stilll just as difficult to achieve.
But, definitely, more people enjoy their skiing more now and that can only be a good thing.

I am inclined to agree with Dave that the plateau has moved up a point and that skiers probably do enjoy themselves more. However, what concerns me is the higher speeds and relative inexperience. I would like to see more emphasis on turn shape to improve enjoyment further and the ski way code and improve everyone’s safety.

I've got to agree that people think they can ski better than they can, sure it gives a confidence boost to beginners and eggs them on a bit, but last year i thought it was quite funny seeing beginners trying to go down a black run in Mayrhofen, they just fell at the top and slid all the way to the bottom. Its not too good either when you are trying to do some slower technique practice and a punter comes out of nowhere and takes you out like a kamikazee.
!heart Speedy

So, have we reached a consensus to the original question “Do Carvers Suck?� I would say carving skis are great. (I did resist using carving skis for sometime thinking that their forgiving nature would undermine my progress to perfecting technique) The problem is more to do with who is strapped to them!
;)

I spent 20+ years on 'straight' ski's and moved to carvers without instruction, then one day took a 2 hour carving course in Obergurgl - what a difference - it showed me how bad I really was and I took a further weeks private lessons. Now I know what these skis can do - and how to do it properly.
Lesson learnt - if you've got carvers after skiing on straight ski's - learn how to use them properly