Friday, February 8, 2008

HH all mountain steeps


Pallavicini is steep enough to keep you interested, but not so steep to frighten anyone. It normally has big bumps and irregular snow; so you never know what to expect. I didn’t take any reconnaissance runs here; I wanted to jump in and make the best of it.
In these situations you don’t want to get too fancy; solid skiing is the best approach. As far as releases go, you are just looking for what feels best. In uneven snow like this you don’t want a ski to catch or hook, so I use more of a two footed release, with new inside ski leading the tipping for the new turn; this approach serves me well here. You don’t want to jam your big toe ski edge into the snow or go for outside ski edge grip too early or too hard. You have to feel your way into the top of the arc, so the skis don’t catch or rip off in a funny direction.
Although it looks very fast and dynamic; I’m really taking my time at the top of each arc, trying to feeling the snow. Definitely every new turn is exciting, you never know what you’ll get, so you have stay alert. It’s exciting and very satisfying at the same time. I test myself in these situations every season to make sure I’m not losing any of my quickness or reflexes. I used to take more chances even on the opening runs in these situations, but now I take my time and wait to feel my skiing senses for this type of terrain develop. After a few days in these situations; I begin to really let go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxHOdUEbqAg

This is unrehearsed skiing, I jumped right into the steep slope without a practice run. You have to have your head about you to do this, figure out your main points of concentration before you ski. Take a moment to calm yourself and think about relaxation, with an adequate portion of aggression and keep yourself within the boundaries of control. The important thing to remember is that it won’t be a smooth, comfortable, or an easy ride. You have to make it that way, you have to impose your will on the slope, don’t let it beat you.

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