Hitting Gates

[NJSkiFamily]

Atomic,

 

I thought about your comment that your fastest time was when you hit a gate. But I also have in my mind how Racerchick tore her ACL in a race because she hooked a tip.

[AtomicSkier]

Atomic,

 

I thought about your comment that your fastest time was when you hit a gate. But I also have in my mind how Racerchick tore her ACL in a race because she hooked a tip.

 

You're not going to hook a tip racing NASTAR That only happens in slalom

[Ski]

Ski999

1) Do you still have that link to Al Hobart's "Complete Carving Made Easy" DVD? I think that would help Mbike with the idea of setting up those little markers above the gates.

2) I am a victim of waiting until I meet the gate and then starting the turn which washes away all my speed. I understand the concept of setting up the little markers above the gates and using them to start the turn.

But when I'm actually on the course itself, my brain seems to think that if I start the turn that early that I will crash INTO the gate and not go around it.

Any advice? I know you've talked about making that leap of faith and just doing it but its so hard. Should I just run the course at very slow speed and to heck with the time and just work on technique?

 

I'd loan it to Mbike, if I hadn't already loaned it to someone else...but here's a link to buy one:

 

http://www.reliableracing.com/detail.cfm?e...7&category=4720

 

As 'Dude says, you only hit the gates when your line dictates it...that's a great way to put it. And your not hitting it with skis (in NASTAR/GS), your hitting it with your shoulder, or clearing it with your forearm.

 

Ideally, your skis are very far from the gate because you have created a big angle. Your downhill leg is almost fully extended away from your body, bent only slightly at the knee to absorb small bumps. This makes you skeletally aligned and takes pressure off the muscles. Think about riding a bike around a turn: the outside leg is extended and the inside knee is bent. Both of your feet are flat on the pedals, so as you lean into the turn they tip at an equal angle off the ground.

 

Now, if your on that bike and swooping around a turn, you don't want to lean your upper body down toward the ground, right? You'd fall. Rather, you want to just let your inside hip press toward the road, while your upper body remains upright. Keep your shoulders level, facing down the hill.

 

So here are the basics:

 

You want your upper body facing down the hill.

 

Shoulders level and square.

 

Hands are forward.

 

Feet are apart.

 

As you begin the turn, your outside leg extends away from your body as you tip your skis up on edge. Your uphill knee bends and shuffles forward a bit. You drive your uphill pinky toe into the hill, which helps match the carve of the downhill ski.

 

For a visual, check out JohnnyP's signature photo. Johnny might tell you he'd prefer to have his left hand up and forward a bit, but who am I to mention it (BTW, Schlopy broke his hand dipping it like JohnnyP).

 

Here's a great Ron Lemaster series of Lasse Kjus:

[skidude]

1/2 my post from the other thread... (probably not too useful after what ski999 said)

 

 

Atomic,

 

I thought about your comment that your fastest time was when you hit a gate. But I also have in my mind how Racerchick tore her ACL in a race because she hooked a tip.

 

 

It is only good to hit the gates when they become part of your line. Trying to hit them will most likely cause you to lean in. This will cause you to unweight the outside ski and most likely fall.

 

As Jeff said, it is more likely in SL to hook a tip because most aggressive racers try to 'shin' the gates, or hit them with there shins. If you add that to the quicker movement in SL, it is not very hard to hook a tip if you stop paying attention.

 

 

Moral of the story, don't worry about doing that in GS

[Papasteeze]

You're not going to hook a tip racing NASTAR That only happens in slalom

 

It happens in Nastar too.

[skierboi]

ive hook a tip in the last 6 of 8 slalom runs that ive done

[skidude]

It happens in Nastar too.

 

It can happen in Nastar, but it rarely every does.

 

With GS it is not ideal (or comforatable) to shin a gate, so most time the skis don't come too close (but accidents do happen).

 

Here is a picture of a SL racer going at it. His skis are pretty close to the gate

(image from youcanski.com)

 

Here is one of a GS racer hitting a gate

(image from http://i.b5z.net)

[Ski]

ive hook a tip in the last 6 of 8 slalom runs that ive done

Ha, I hooked a tip and separated my shoulder in my last slalom. That's the thing about racing: even consider backing off just a little and you're DFL. Confidence and aggression are everything.

 

Rahlves recently said that his best race last year was the second run of a GS, where he had that spectacular crash near the finish. He said it was the first time he ever took his GS skiing to the limit.

 

Crazy sport.

[skigurl]

i didn't hook a tip b.c i was to close, it was more of hitting powder and screwing up my line that forced one ski to go on one side of the gate and the other to go the other way, i was prolly like a foot from the gate

[NJSkiFamily]

Sorry Racerchick.....glad you cleared that up.

 

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I think my problem was the timing of the turns.....getting too close to the gate to start the turn and then having to skid like mad. I need to think of that imaginary marker up above the gate and then initiate the turn.

 

When I was standing watching the others doing their turns on NASTAR they were predominately small kids and they can get much closer to the gate to initiate their turns.

 

Next time I'm just going to take it slow and play around with my timing.

[Ski]

I had flipped through the Ski Mag I somehow get sent every month a few days ago, but just really read through it this morning and found it has some GREAT ski racing tips and illustrations. It talks about some of the very things being asked about in the last couple of days---def. worth picking up a copy.

[mbike-ski]

Thanks for all the tips - I look forward to keep plugging away Thursday nights! After 30 some odd years skiing it's alot of fun and a great challenge to actually THINK/feel/REACT to the snow/equipment/body differently - I even see a change in my free skiing over the last few weeks!

[Ski]

I think Nastar and running gates can only help the quality of my skiing. It's crazy how I'm now arcing real low on homestretch where I used to always just straight run..

 

Did you bring home your JH medal...you know, the race you TIED the Jackson Hole pacesetter?