Painful feet while on ski-lift!

AllyG wrote:Sobeuk,
I think the idea was to ski with boots undone as an exercise, and I'm sure no-one was going to try and ski an icy black or moguls like that.

I would think it's no more dangerous than some of the other daft exercises I've done in ski-ing lessons - like; with my eyes shut, on one leg, touching my downhill boot, holding the tips of my skis with both hands (very difficult), bouncing up and down with both skis, backwards ... etc. etc.

Ally

I have done the exercise but was told under no circumstances to do it with a lesson-group due to liability issues.

Really Pablo?
That's very surprising, especially considering the fact that Bandit was doing it in a group lesson in a snow dome.

What about liability issues when a group of us were ski-ing with our eyes shut - and turning as well? Although I have to admit our eyes weren't actually covered up, so we could have cheated if we'd wanted to.

Actually I'm surprised the ski schools can get insurance for a number of things they make us do, now I think about it. Like last year, we had to climb over a snow wall about 3 feet high marking the edge of the piste, with our skis on, in order to ski 'off piste' (really at the side of the piste) over some huge boulder-like moguls.

Ally

AllyG wrote:Really Pablo?
That's very surprising, especially considering the fact that Bandit was doing it in a group lesson in a snow dome.

What about liability issues when a group of us were ski-ing with our eyes shut - and turning as well? Although I have to admit our eyes weren't actually covered up, so we could have cheated if we'd wanted to.

Actually I'm surprised the ski schools can get insurance for a number of things they make us do, now I think about it. Like last year, we had to climb over a snow wall about 3 feet high marking the edge of the piste, with our skis on, in order to ski 'off piste' (really at the side of the piste) over some huge boulder-like moguls.

Ally

Really, they are looking at it from the point of view that if you tell someone to misuse their equipment and they break a leg or blow out a knee then you are liable. I don't think the suing culture is as bad in Canada but they get a lot of people from the US visiting :twisted:

AllyG wrote:Sobeuk,
I would think it's no more dangerous than some of the other daft exercises I've done in ski-ing lessons - like; with my eyes shut, on one leg, touching my downhill boot, holding the tips of my skis with both hands (very difficult), bouncing up and down with both skis, backwards ... etc. etc.

Ally

People do all sorts of darf thins on skis.

Skiing on one leg is a great exercise. I try and do it often as it helps ballance (mine is crap). Not sure about the blind skiing though. That is rather tough. Backwards skiing is great though. I personally like spining around and around and around. Snow is for fun after all.

Cheers 8)

Sobeuk,
Our ski instructor started us off ski-ing with our eyes shut because it was really foggy, and we were all feeling a bit nervous. We began by just doing the traverse with our eyes shut, and then we progressed to doing the turn as well. She had her eyes open, so she could tell us when we were about to collide with the person in front of us. And it was on an easy bit of a blue slope.

Actually, it did improve our ski-ing. We all found that when we were ski-ing with our eyes shut we became more aware of other things, because we were desperately searching for clues as to the direction we were heading in, speed etc. So we started listening to the sound of our skis on the snow, and became much more aware of the feeling of the snow under our skis, the wind on our face etc.

At the end of it, the instructor said we should always ski as though we had our eyes shut.

I can't spin all the way around - only about 3/4 of the way. That's very clever of you to be able to keep spinning.

Ally

Who made you hold the tips of both your skis :shock:

Ask your instructor when you are away why you can't go all the way round, I'd bet there is a simple reason ;)

Pablo,
It was one of our instructors - can't really remember which one it was - but I rather think it was my morning one in La Rosiere.

It was very amusing, because it's so difficult to do. I seem to remember that I could actually just reach them, but not hold the position, and I skied with my hands just off them. I'm not a very flexible person at the best of times!

I think the general idea was just to get us bending etc. when we're ski-ing, and improve our balance and give us all a good laugh. You could only do it by sitting right down low almost on top of your skis and then leaning right forwards, like when you're sitting on the ground with your legs straight out and you try and touch your toes.

Pablo - I know why I can't spin all the way around - I'm not a very good skier! Maybe one day I'll improve enough so that I can do it. What's bothering me more though, at the moment, is that I realized when we were at Tignes that I can't turn right round when I'm stationary at the edge of the piste facing the wrong way :(. The TDC instructor simply stuck his pole in the snow and did a stationary type of parallel turn 180 degrees, when we were up the top of the icy black slope. I'm afraid I had to do something like a snow-plough to get round! I can do a kick turn but I didn't fancy trying one out there :shock:

Ally

AllyG

Yes it can be sometimes challenging to do a kick turn to get out of a nasty situation. I do take my hat off to you, at least you did not take off your skis (as I have seen some people do) and walk down. Easier to ballence on ice on skis than just in boots. Keep it up with the Kick turns as they are a god send in some situations.

Touching the toes is usefull to extend your hamstrings, but do not do it too much when you are not warmed up.

As for spinning around it's easier on flatish piste and it's all about weight destibution. Play with it and maybe use your poles to help push you around.

8)