J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by pavelski

Ellistine,
Do not look up these terms in the dictionary since you will not find correct definition!

Ski feel is that skill that truly allows you to become an "expert"

It is rarely taught, but rather passed along, like a family secret to "deserving" future generations.


Before I continue, I must warn all skiers that are less than 18 that if you continue reading this your parents will wonder why you have that "smile" on your face while you ski since SKI FEEL promotes a "natural high"

This "secret" will generate a natural "high" unlike any you have had while skiing. You are warned!

It can be addictive!

Some background information, if you do not mind.

Most skiers ski with their eyes, all expert skiers ski with their feet. Let me explain.
Beginner skiers "think" that if they look at their skis and where they want to go, the skis will follow. These skiers believed the salesperson who told them that the skis they bought are telepathic. Just look, think and skis will get message from brain on where to go! Sorry this model ski will only be available in 2020!

Let us look what occurs in the brain while you ski and compare "beginner and expert"!

The brain can only process 4 billion bits of information per second, so it decides what is important and what is secondary. This cognitive process in fancy psychological language is called "gestalt". That is focusing on essential information, ie the central part of a picture and the secondary parts , ie the background of the picture. Often this is done unconsciously.

It is the same process while skiing.

Here is what is going through a beginner's mind while skiing;
-too fast too fast ohh ohhh slowl downnnnnnnnn!
-will get hurt will get hurt,
-did I get that insurance?????
-ice ice ICE NO NO too fast.....
- keep arms there, knees tight, ears up, eyes down, turn body NOW!!!
-lean back lean too fast too fast.. wowwwwwww!
-that tree that tree too close tuuurrrrrnnnnnn!

You get point. The skier is focusing on more emotional or technical parts of skiing. The mind is flooded with many extraneous messages and becomes "confused"!

That is not SKI FEEL!

Here is what goes through an experts mind!
(from now on you are in his mind and monitoring his cognitive messages)

AT TOP OF RUN

What a great day. Let's go to left where that snow is soft.
So nice to feel wind and sun.

Did you feel that left edge set. Skis sunk more. Watch out that side is really soft.
Try long GS turn to right edge.

Look a mogul. Take it take! No one around??? OK here we go!!!!

Wow,,,What a feeling.

Watch out three skiers on left and 2 boarders lying down!

Make tight SL turns near trees. Ops Pav, you are leaning back. Forward forward more....

Too many skiers at bottom, slow down and go to right.

Wow,,what a run! Again!!!

END


Notice difference in thoughts!

The first skiers is overcome with many many messages, some confusing and contradictory!!!


Back to Ellistine's SKI FEEL skill.

You must consciously focus on what is important in skiing. That is your pleasure. Your happiness in feeling free and soaring like a bird. You must make the mechanics of skiing automatic.

Think what you do while driving. Do you consciously THINK to;
-press clutch, change gears, press gas pedal etc....

Your brain places these skills in the automatic neural channel while you attend to more important driving activities like;
-avoiding other cars
-stopping at red lights
-putting on make up
-answering phone
-checking your PDA
-drinking your coffee.

Again you get the point ( I hope)

That is your goal also while skiing ( not the above activities). To focus on what is important ie to FEEL THE SKI EDGES!

That is why all beginner skiers must take lessons as soon as possible. So that they will learn "effective" skiing skills. repeat them over and over again until they are done unconsciously . Your brain takes over that part of skiing, thus allowing you the pleasure of;
-looking at other skiers
-feeling that wind and sun caressing you
-feeling the ski edges biting into the snow throughout the skiing arc
-appreciating the beautiful valley

That is the pleasure of skiing. That is the SKI FEEL!!!

In ski feel you have created a direct neural link to your brain from your boots. Your brain is trained to focus in what is important while skiing! The other several millions messages are processed without your conscious permission!

That is the valuable lesson you learn while skiing.To render the;
-arm, position
-pelvic angle
-head position
etc..... All controlled by the brain at an other level!

This does not happen over night, but then you did not learn to walk over night. Nor could you drive and answer your cell, put on make up, drink coffee and look at PDA overnight.

You practiced and you practiced.

One day you will ski all day and at the end of the day, you will note that you NEVER once looked at your skis. Yet you never crossed them!

That is the sign that your are on your way to SKI FEEL!

Another day you will discover that you can "feel" your edges from the very beginning of the turn to the very end when the tails just as the ski edge releases it hold!

You are at heaven's door!

Finally one day you will "discover" that as you hold that edge to the very very end of a turn, just like when you hold your breath till your lungs burn, then release tail edge,,,,, you will soar like Icarus.

Now you are in heaven Ellistine. Now you know what ski feel is!

Welcome to heaven!!!!

I did warn you that it is addictive!


Hope this helps you find the road to heaven Ellistine.

Pavel

Megacity,

Thank you. It is there for all to enjoy and stimulate imagination on "what could be" !


Think if you were in the 1920'S SKIING and wondering how it would be in 2000.
- buckle boots
-carbonfiber poles
-release bindings
-UV glasses
-AFD plates
-Sandwich layer skis
-quad chair lifts


Never!

Cheers

It was supposed to be imaginative a la Jules Verne.

You will not find this valuable ski skill defined in a dictionary ellistine.

Here it is!

I warn all skiers, once you have read this, it will change your skiing life.
Some have known to be "addicted" once they have discovered this natural "induced state of pleasure".

If you are not considered "adult" do not continue reading, your parents might complain that you have discovered a natural "high"!

If you have read some of my previous messages, one of the major sins of beginner skiers is LOOKING AT SKIS! Many skiers ski with their eyes, thinking that if they "will" to turn, that is look where they want to go the skis will turn there. They believed the salesperson who told them that the ski they bought had "telepathic qualities"

Sorry, that model will only be available in 2020, when they will insert via nose a "sensory in brain"! Meanwhile we must learn to ski using another sensory input medium.

If ever you have had a foot massage you know how "sensitive" the foot is. For some this part of the body is another "erogenous zone". That is another topic so let me focus on skiing!

Allow me a small diversion to explain why you must focus on the feet.
You create neural pathways when you learn and the brain has to decide what is important and what is not important. In psychological language it has the fancy name of "gestalt". That is was is central to you and what is secondary to you. If you look at picture, what attracts your attention and what is the background.

This also applies to skiing ( which is a learning situation).

You must create the most direct channel to the brain while skiing so that the brain can "process" skiing related information about; where your skis are, where your boots are, where your knees are etc.....You get picture.

The problem is that many skiers have "other" messages going to brain while skiing. Here are some of those "extraneous" messages;
-Oh my god the slope is steep
-Oh I will hurt myself
-Did I pay my insurance
-Got to look good,,got to look good
-Is he watching me......
-hands front, ears tight, nose up, hips turn, pelvis back, toes curled, etc.....
-ice ice ice no no more ice noooooooooo
-great party last night, who was she,,,can I meet her today, there there she is....
-where are the kids, are they okay, Frank Frank the boys..
-Got to watch the hurling bodies,,,ho no here comes one......
-left ski turn with right ski later,,,,no no right ski turn THEN left ski......????
-will I survive,,,,,,oh no not anther turn left. I can't turn left.......


You see the brain is confused with all the many input messages!
It can only process 3 million bits of information per second!

You have to help the brain decide what is important AT THIS TIME while skiing.

This is where ski feel comes in.

Allow me to let you get into my brain and see want is going on while I ski.
You will understand "ski feel".

AT TOP ( from now on these are my cognitive though processes)

Run clear and yes I will take the left side since no one has gone there.

What soft snow. left edge goes in deeper. Softer snow there,

Did you feel that zing after that turn. Great! Lets try it again. Woow...

Look at that great skier in front. Nice technique.

Lets pick up speed to follow her closer.... She has great skis...

Look look to right a mogul. Take it take it. Are the boys around, Is the wife near me??? NO right........ Here it comes!!!!! AIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

lets be Seagull,,,,flow easy from edge to edge...........

OPs....did you feel that .....Pav watch your hips,,,, more in more in

Near the end now...watch the kids.....avoid those boarders lying down..

Great run great run.

Again.....



Notice all the technical messages are "unconscious" or automatic. My feet are sending messages DIRECTLY to brain without my approval. My brain is automatically adjusting my body to get most effective skiing.

I am free to focus on the important things in skiing. That is; the wonderful view, the surroundings, the great skiers, the wind in my face, the slope, etc...

The ski feel has direct access to my brain!

If you have problems understanding this, just think of your driving. Do you realize how many things you do actions "automatically" while you THINK consciously of what is ahead, plus your next meeting, plus your dinner date, plus the bills you must pay!!!!

So it is while skiing.


Now you understand while ski feel is important. How do you get it and how do you master it.


In the next series of messages you will learn this "ski feel"

Next year you will ski with your feet rather than you eyes!

Meanwhile, analyze yourself and discover how many things you do "automatically" or unconsciously . Just everyday activities like driving, cooking, dressing, walking, shopping!


Soon you will ski in the same matter.

Soon you will take the time to smell the air while skiing. Feel the texture of the snow. Feel the air as you find another ski dimension just like Icarus!

Skiers of the world,,,,,UNITE!

We need just 10 NEW uses of ski poles to break 100 uses record.

Read all the "imaginative" uses posted then propose new ones.

Thanks all for your suggestions.

Pavel

Trencher,

Right on !!!

Now I understand your concern and question.
Please confirm if this is your concern.
You want to know what angle to set "perfect" radius of ski. Thus if ski has 13 meters radius it according to you needs an angle X.
If ski has radius of 17 meters, it needs an angle of Y
If ski has radius of 30 meters, it needs an angle of K.


If that is your question then,
sorry but you are confusing concepts.

Take any ski, with any side cut ( radius), to get maximum performance and use effectively the ski you must put it on edge ( so that edge from tip to tail is touching surface). At this point the angle in which you put ski on edge is irrelevant to issue. Just put ski on edge!
You now have ski "on its radius" edge = 13 meters.

Now if you are asking which angle is the most effective, in setting this ski on edge ( ie 13 meters), I would suggest 45 degrees just on pure geometry and physics IN THE LAB.

In real life every skier is different and conditions ( ski surface) vary so in real life this answer would also vary. They key is to set ski on ITS ARC.
The angle used to set this edge is "variable"!!!


Are you confusing tuning edge bevel angle? Another issue!!!!!

There is an excellent ski site that shows the geometry of effective skiing ( in racing context), in which the author draws a series of lines on a ski racer to show the most effective racing technique.
No precise angle is given since body morphologies vary among skiers and as mentioned before ski surface and conditions vary also.

I can send you the pictures via PM of this analysis. I am sure most skiers are not interested in the "micro-analysis" of ski technique.

Hope this clears up the issue.

If you are beginner you will not "feel" anything since you have not yet developed that fine "skiers touch". It will come.

Stay on standard position.

To answer your question, YES the change of binding position will effect skiing. Try this. All ski demo bindings have a position range of 15 cm., thus you can rent a pair and have units very forward for two hours . Then go back to shop and have units moved back.

Once you have ski "feel" you will note something amazing. I will not tell you since it will "spoil" the surprise.