Faster, boy, faster

Dobby,

It will be strange what follows,,,but trust me when you feel this "state" you will understand !

At one speed level in skiing,,,,,when you are in your groove,,,,in your ski zone,,,it seems that all goes into a slow dimension !

Yes of course the trees are whizzing by.
Yes of course you feel the wind.
Yes of course those skiers seem to be standing still

but you are feeling calm !

Every small, slow movement of your body creates a change in skis!

The secret in getting into this state is to allow skis to flow. Never set hard edges,,,be gentle with all your turns!

The faster you go,,,,the more gentle soft you must be with all your "actions" That is more a state of mind. Thus you must feel comfortable at this state!

Trust me,,,it seems that everything slows down!

How to get to this state.
Start at top,,your head. Strange but you must relax to let skis flow,,,ride for you!

At core level ( torso ) again be relaxed to adjust for all changes.

At thighs level do not feel any tension..just tight muscles WITH ski dynamics! Never but never forcing ski to do radical moves!
At warp speed in skiing it is all about "anticipation, patience and ski touch "

At boot level it is all about forward forward and more forward pressure!

1 /100 second back on heels and ski will go into hyper speed !

Not recommended!

Finally,,remember there are others on this slope so safety is essential !

In some resorts they have closed racing slopes. You can ask to ski such slopes under supervision ! You will never sate that you ski too slow once you have done a "free speed" run !

Be careful,,it is addictive !

Hope this helps you !
Pavel

Thanks, all. I agree that lessons and the right sort of practice are the key. I improved a lot in the last week away, even with group lessons. I think I will still head for the carpet cos I ain't gonna be able to get onto proper snow for a while (not until the next skiing holiday or the Cardiff snowdome gets built). And, Pavel, I cannot wait until I reach the standard you describe.