Delve deep into your subconscious ... and ask yourself 1 question.

So here we are standing at the top of a wonderfully inviting run, maybe it’s one of our first runs of the day, and maybe we have a small group of people we would like to impress about us! We are motionless, we have a world of infinite possibility before us and maybe we are immortal!

Now we punt off down the hill and make a right podge (Ed: Please no technical terms here!) of our first turn – we get our weight all wrong or we let our outside ski skid away or we catch our inside tip too hard or we just plain wipe out! Anyways we then spend the next few precious seconds struggling to recover composure and show that we really can do this skiing thang.

So what happened?

Well luckily I have the power of second sight and I was watching what happened and maybe I have an idea about a way to improve your posing ?

How often do you find yourself cruising down a hill (green, red, black, off-piste, whatever) and you just wish you could have that crowd of admirers watching now?

The point is that you are (Caution: Yoof talk imminent) “In the groove” – “Hangin Sweet” – “Chillin” - “Rippin” … “Layin down some trax!”

In translation, you have made a significant number of turns and now you are settled into a rhythm. This is the key.

Now, delve deep into your subconscious ... and ask yourself one question: - Why can’t my first turn be as sweet as those further down the hill?

The reason (almost certainly) is that you made one critical mistake:
1. You started your first turn too early.

At the risk of boredom there are two possible reasons for this: -

1. You started moving away from the top of the run by choosing a route that took you across the fall line (what used to be called “On a traverse”) – This (IMHO) is the most likely cause and also the greater of these two possible sins. Why?- The problems you have set yourself is that your first turn has to be a full turn, you have to turn from a “static” position and pound to a pinch you will start your turn before you have sufficient speed. The first two problems don’t exist for any of your subsequent turns (well unless you like to do long traverses with a quick turn when the piste runs out!) As for the speed issue, most people will have a comfort zone within which they are familiar with the “forces” involved. As the speed drops the forces reduce and yet the technique usually stays the same, hence we see people falling into their first turn because those damm skis don’t push back as hard as we expect them to!

or

2. You started off down the fall line (well done, this means your first turn only needs to be a half turn) but made your first turn before you had achieved the speed that you would normally make your turns at. This is easily cured once you recognize the problem. One good tip is to use the first second or two of your run to check you arm carriage and general posture. By the time you have run through a mental check list of feet, ankles, knees, hips, abdomen, torso, shoulders, elbows, hands and head you should certainly have enough speed to start thinking about that first perfect turn.

As a final thought, you won’t be surprised if I mention that the steeper the slope the faster you need to do that pre-turn check list but ironically it’s also much more important that you do!

So in summary, start your run from a straight run down the fall-line, use that time to carryout a full body posture audit and then pose your way to glory!

Now for the competitive amongst you, this may help you to remember:

FTPIPTF

Happy first turn,

Jan

I have programmed my computer to open to this site every morning! As the coffee is brewing, I get my intellectual stimulation from the many excellent question posted.

This time I did not even get my coffee!

FTPIPTF ???? A code?

Face
That
Pole
In
Perfect
Turns
Faster

or

Forward
Then
Pass
In
Powerful
Turns
Forever

or

Fast
Turns
Perhaps
Involve
Power
Truth
Faith


Ok OK stop laugthing Jan,, I will get my coffee and think of this FTPIPTF sequence!


I got it !!! I got it!!!

Forget
That
Push
Instead
Pole
Through
Fast

No?

I suspect it will be a long day ,,,,Mike help me!

Its that first letter, like the first turn that gets me!

How about;
Face
Trunk
Pelvis
Intestines
Pen s
Then
Finish!!!


Phew!!!

Follow
The
Pole
In
Prepared
Technique
Fellow


First
The
Post
In
Perfect
Technique
Finished!!!!!!!

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Pav,

I guess having English as your 4th language puts you at a natural disadvantage ... I may post some help later if you and your gang are too slow to work out a simple game :)

Although I have to salute your industry, and all without coffee - Wow !!

Jan

I do no know how it is with other couples, but in my home you DO NOT talk to wife until she has had her coffee and then 5 minutes!

I have had my coffee! My brain is now engaged and I have called some of my friends who worked on various computer codes!

I presume this is in English!
I presume is it a sentence or sequential linquistic order
I presume it has to do with skiing
I presume it is related to your message
I presume it is logical


Mikem did you notice
2 Fs
2 Ts
2 Ps
One just one I

Now if we were to refer to Jung's book "The Unsconscious Symbols of the Mind",,,the I (alone) of course represents Jan!

The 2 Fs (and note they are at very beginning and very end of the sequence) represent First and Finish which of course are two concepts which are fore-most in Jan's mind!

The two Ts are also very symmetrical since they are second and second last in sequence!
According to Jung they are Trust and Truth!
Again very important values

Now did you notice at the Ps are also in a set sequence( just between the famous I)
The Ps are close to the I, just next to it.

We did say that the I represented Jan, thus of course the P letters are "perseverance" and patience! Two personality qualities well know for this man! ( his wife might not agree....but that is another story)

What does this have to do with skiing! Not sure?


Back to the lab!

FF TT PP I PP TT FF


Do you all see how t I is t center of the squne

How the letters "rotate" around the I axis?

I am getting to be like Mike!!!

Jan I Stenmark wrote:
1. You started moving away from the top of the run by choosing a route that took you across the fall line (what used to be called “On a traverse”) – This (IMHO) is the most likely cause and also the greater of these two possible sins. Why?- The problems you have set yourself is that your first turn has to be a full turn, you have to turn from a “static” position and pound to a pinch you will start your turn before you have sufficient speed. The first two problems don’t exist for any of your subsequent turns (well unless you like to do long traverses with a quick turn when the piste runs out!) As for the speed issue, most people will have a comfort zone within which they are familiar with the “forces” involved. As the speed drops the forces reduce and yet the technique usually stays the same, hence we see people falling into their first turn because those damm skis don’t push back as hard as we expect them to!

Good observation.
This is especially the case on snowboards, so I don,t think the answer has anything to do with poles.


Trencher

There is no doubt that many many skiers have this, "first turn" problem.

As you mentioned often it is a "mental" issue since in steep sections you have to allow ski to go down fall line, yet fall line means speed = fear!

I reminds me of a frequent skiing SIN that you see often! I call it the "birds on the wire" problem!

Here is the context.

In Lake Placid there is a top run used for the downhill which starts with a very steep drop! From the top of the chairlift there is a "cat walk" about 2 meters wide which leads to intermediate runs. However the "expert" run is right off the chairs and remember there is no room to "chat"!

You still get 5-10 "expert"skiers on the top of the lip, of the run looking where to go! Trying to decide where the first turn will be! Were there is just a little less ice. Where it seems to be alright to "turn"!

Meanwhile,, like in the Charlie Chaplin movie,,the goods are coming up and piling up in this section!

The longer you wait and think of what and where to go the the less it seems you will survival that first 15 meters of free fall!

The problem you bring up Jan is there!

When I ski with my sons and we are going up this chair to this run,,we know what we will see, "birds on the wire" all lined up at the lip! Chirping!!!! This way! That way!!! No NO which way!

We plan our moves on the chair! We decide who will go first and right away it is fall line! The most dangerous is the first 3 meters. Not because of the steepness, but because as you noted many skiers go "traverse" in the steeps! They wipe out or "skid" those first few meters!

Yes that first turn is the key turn!

Now back to that damm FTPIPTF !!!!!

Face
The
Possibility
I
Planned
This
Form.......

No?

pavelski wrote:There is no doubt that many many skiers have this, "first turn" problem.

As you mentioned often it is a "mental" issue since in steep sections you have to allow ski to go down fall line, yet fall line means speed = fear!

I reminds me of a frequent skiing SIN that you see often! I call it the "birds on the wire" problem!

Here is the context.

In Lake Placid there is a top run used for the downhill which starts with a very steep drop! From the top of the chairlift there is a "cat walk" about 2 meters wide which leads to intermediate runs. However the "expert" run is right off the chairs and remember there is no room to "chat"!

You still get 5-10 "expert"skiers on the top of the lip, of the run looking where to go! Trying to decide where the first turn will be! Were there is just a little less ice. Where it seems to be alright to "turn"!

Meanwhile,, like in the Charlie Chaplin movie,,the goods are coming up and piling up in this section!

The longer you wait and think of what and where to go the the less it seems you will survival that first 15 meters of free fall!

The problem you bring up Jan is there!

When I ski with my sons and we are going up this chair to this run,,we know what we will see, "birds on the wire" all lined up at the lip! Chirping!!!! This way! That way!!! No NO which way!

We plan our moves on the chair! We decide who will go first and right away it is fall line! The most dangerous is the first 3 meters. Not because of the steepness, but because as you noted many skiers go "traverse" in the steeps! They wipe out or "skid" those first few meters!

Yes that first turn is the key turn!

Pavel, this is excellent observation, and "spot on" in terms of skier (and boarder) behaviour. I know I am guilty of it :oops:
I shall keep in mind "birds on a wire" this winter, and work on modifying my behaviour )