Harald Harb: "The biggest change in the body while skiing and making turns happens during the transition from one set of edges to the other."
Why is the lifting of the tip so prevalent with expert skiers, World Cup racers? Were they taught to do it this way? In most cases no. They evolve this movement because it's more efficient, they discover it works and they keep using it.
What does lifting the tip do?
Simply, it engages a different and correct set of muscles that activates a stable hip through the release and transition. Most skiers don't recognize that there is a profound hip lateral angle change as well as a ski edge change at the transition and as the CG moves toward the new turn. The hips slide over from one side to the other in transition to align the body for the forces, coming up in the new turn. This involves setting up the proper counteracting and counterbalancing movements.
Some will ask what are counteracting and counterbalancing movements? They are explained in my book, "The Essentials of Skiing", books and DVDs about these topics are available on my web site; www.Harbski.com
The tip lifting movement also stops the skis from shooting forward, critical for all levels of skeris and junior racers who end up in the back seat. The movement comes from the tibialis anterior muscle on the front of the shin. And engages several other key mid-body and torso muscles that hold the upper body over the skis during the transition. This happens through the engagement of the kinetic chain.
The tip lifting movement also stops the skis from shooting forward, critical for all levels of skeris and junior racers who end up in the back seat. The movement comes from the tibialis anterior muscle on the front of the shin. And engages several other key mid-body and torso muscles that hold the upper body over the skis during the transition. This happens through the engagement of the kinetic chain.
But "How" is this accomplished? And why is the "tip lift" part of this important phase of skiing?
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Shiffrin |
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Top swiss slalom skier. Counteracting and lifting the tip. |
Lifting the old stance ski has been around as long as great skiing has been around.
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In this photo you see Harald Harb's old outside or stance ski being lifted at the tip, while the tail of the ski is still on the snow. 2013 video! This video is on my Youtube site. |
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Marcel Hirscher best skier in the world for the last 9 years lifts the ski tip to release the stance ski. |
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Ozz National demo Team one of the best skiing teams in the world, releasing the old stance ski by retraction and tip lifting. |
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Stefano Gross, Italian National Team, one of the best slalom skiers in the world ski tip lifted to enter the turn. |
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Gross balance transfer by retraction and tip lift. |
After the tip lift?
After the tip lift, the skis transition to the new edges, the next step for skiers should convert this into a tip down ski tail up or level ski relationship. This demonstrates a profound ability that only a few of the very top skiers have. This is called foot pullback in PMTS, we have been teaching and coaching this for decades. We knew early on that extending (pushing your body up) was slow and extending the hips forward was not what was happening with the top ski racers. The best skiers pull the knee up toward the chest and lifting the toes causing the tip to lift. The tip lifting starts a process and prepares everything at and above the ankles, to engage the kinetic chain. This prepares for effective fore/aft balance properly and quickly.
16 comments:
Can you give us more about this movement? As a ski instructor I'm always teaching how to ski over the new outside ski but I use to lift the tail of the inside ski...
very clear photos-until camp i did not think of 'lift and retract' as pictured here early in the release. i was probably lifting straight up, without the phantom pull-back, till Chuck mentioned early tipping at this point. i think, 'premature phantom or little toe edge' to myself. now i see the lifted tip in your photos
Excellent overview of "why" to use those movements Harald!
Good stuff AS USUAL HARALD. Gerry Renaldi died this week he was 71.
The recent updates to this post, should answer your questions.
Yes! Thanks again!
Great advice. Performing tipping exercises on blue runs made huge difference for me. Suddenly I was able to stay forward on steeps, make sharp turns and control speed much easier. Also, short turns became much better That is what really shocked me, the ease with which it can be done compared to the past struggle. Thank you very much.
Harald - thanks for a clear explanation of why pushing or early pressuring does not produce an efficient turn. I teach on a plastic slope in England and cringe when I hear instructors say ' push out or push on the ski to turn' - it does not work and now I know why!
Dear Harald,
I'm currently in Laax in switzerland, I've tried what you've described in this post and I have to admit that it feels much easier to make a turn.
After watching your pmts video two weeks ago on YouTube I'm following your blog. I find it very interesting and inspiring, hope you will describe more of skiing secrets :).
Regards,
Adam Adamski.
Your last few Blogs have help clarified what I been studying. You can see it when you watch WC skiing. Your photos and description make a lot sense. Also Dianna did a boot fitting on 1/14/17.My transition now is much quicker and with less effort.Thanks
Thank you for your comments, we really appreciate teh following.
You are "finishing" your turn, generating energy for the transition to the next turn..
Hi harald, just seen your link on twitter and What a very clear and well explained post !!! I am looking forward to play with this counsciously ;)
Thank you, interesting. Can this be applied to powder skiing with different timing or slight alteration of the movement.
Hello Harald and thank you very much. Using the PMTS Instructor Manual and Essentials book and videos, my skiing is being rebuilt. Seeing gifted racers' tip lift I was wondering where and how it fit within the PMTS movements. Now I understand. The timing insight explained older observations and was a wonderful bonus. Hopefully I will participate in one of your camps next season.
Jual Lift
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