How to carve like Ted Ligety?

[4ster]

How do you win? Assuming the boat is going a constant speed and each skier makes all passes shouldn't their times be the same?

It’s not timed like ski racing. It’s a matter of elimination. The most bouy’s at the shortest line length wins.
For instance, a winning run could be 2 bouy’s at 41’ off a 75’ line.

 

[ThomasD]

Pressure on the outside ski is nice in the first third of the turn, mandatory in the middle. If the outside ski is still being pressured at the bottom third it is an act of desperation.
...

That's one way to look at it. You call also consider it your pre-stivot technique.

 

[geepers]

 

[James]

I check all the box's there coming from single slalom tournament waterskiing And I work 10 hours a day in an ortho PT gym doing core work all day with my patients!
Thanks!

Your exceptionally well setup. Esp with the waterski background and understanding getting inside the arc.

Acquire a proper learning tool, and learn to ski slowly, balanced on the outside ski. There’s obviously a thousand other things.

Just go get a 157/8cm fis sl ski. You could go for the longer one? But might as well start short. Things happen quicker, you don’t need lots of space, and you really feel the inside foot.

Different groups argue like cats and dogs about skiing, but there’s pretty much unanimous agreement on using a narrow ski to learn advanced skiing. It’s mostly about foot tipping and feeling the direct response.

 

[cragginshred]

This is the GOAT in men's water skiing at -41 like nothing.
The rope never has slack
The ski is never flat
He finishes his turn at the buoy , Not down course


Now here is me a few years back

Slack in the line, late around the buoy, late edge change and poor body position or 'Stack' on my off side

Here you see the difference between -25 which I do fairly easy, then the 2nd pass is only 3 feet shorted and you see toward the last couple of buoys it falls to $hit

 

[Tony Storaro]

Just go get a 157/8cm fis sl ski. You could go for the longer one? But might as well start short. Things happen quicker, you don’t need lots of space, and you really feel the inside foot.

How different would be 157 FIS from 165 FIS? I mean I am strongly considering adding Atomic FIS SL to the quiver and am wondering which one since I already have Rossis 165.

Fully agree on learning-one learns to carve on skinny carvers and then translates the skills over to fat skis. Spent the day today on SR95 and although it is a sublime ski I thought if I was to learn on them I'd learn nothing much in terms of on piste skiing.

 

[James]

How different would be 157 FIS from 165 FIS? I mean I am strongly considering adding Atomic FIS SL to the quiver and am wondering which one since I already have Rossis 165.

Fully agree on learning-one learns to carve on skinny carvers and then translates the skills over to fat skis. Spent the day today on SR95 and although it is a sublime ski I thought if I was to learn on them I'd learn nothing much in terms of on piste skiing.

It’s quite different.
Possibly people in Europe will think you’re nuts. I’ve used a 165cm sl there as an all mt ski.
I’m sorry I let the shop guy talk me out of a 157 at the end of last year. They’re fun. Things happen quickly, meaning you feel right away what you’re doing with the inside ski. Tons of feedback.

Since you already have a 165, plus the 172 Wrt?, might as well go short.
But @KingGrump is the expert on these. He’s the one Who talked me into it.

 

[cragginshred]

I need to film my co worker who is an ex ski racer carve. He can get his 100 under foot Enforcer on edge just as well as his Fischer 84 under foot ski.
I will go back to the Stockli Friday

 

[James]

I need to film my co worker who is an ex ski racer carve. He can get his 100 under foot Enforcer on edge just as well as his Fischer 84 under foot ski.
I will go back to the Stockli Friday

This is well known and demonstrated all over. There’s video of Ted doing it. You can watch Bode ski his skis. Pretty irrelevant.
He didn’t get there by spending days and days on 100mm planks. It would drive you crazy on firm snow. So he’d be in the nuthouse with no knees left.

 

[martyg]

I need to film my co worker who is an ex ski racer carve. He can get his 100 under foot Enforcer on edge just as well as his Fischer 84 under foot ski.
I will go back to the Stockli Friday

Probably not. Casual observation is no way to determine that. Load sensors on the subject which measure loads at 200X / second are.

Look up the peer reviewed scientific papers of Dr John Seifert. A ski that is 70 underfoot is 30% quicker from full edge load to full edge load than a ski 90 underfoot.

Another test: drop a ski. Do quick slalom turns on one ski on a wider ski. Let me know how transition feels for you.

 

[cragginshred]

Not doing the single leg ski drill. I treat too many meniscus injuries and like my knees just as they are!

 

[Tony Storaro]

Not doing the single leg ski drill. I treat too many meniscus injuries and like my knees just as they are!

Which leads us back to what was already said-buy a 66-68 mm ski, you have the skills you have the snow I just don't understand why are you insisting on skiing something that clearly holds you back.

 

[cragginshred]

Stocklis will make a return Fri!!

 

[Atomicman]

Don't just pull your inside knee up. Pull your whole leg up and back with your hip joint, while also bending your knee. This movement helps me get to the inside of the new turn easily and quickly, while creating instant angulation. It also keeps my hips very square to my skis.

I'm not an expert, but I ain't bad at carving.

You don't want instant angulation. There are 3 phases to the turn in the 1st phase you want inclination, 2nd phase shoulder leveling and beginning of angulation last phase max angulation.

 

[Seldomski]

Your exceptionally well setup. Esp with the waterski background and understanding getting inside the arc.

Acquire a proper learning tool, and learn to ski slowly, balanced on the outside ski. There’s obviously a thousand other things.

Just go get a 157/8cm fis sl ski. You could go for the longer one? But might as well start short. Things happen quicker, you don’t need lots of space, and you really feel the inside foot.

Different groups argue like cats and dogs about skiing, but there’s pretty much unanimous agreement on using a narrow ski to learn advanced skiing. It’s mostly about foot tipping and feeling the direct response.

The other good thing about SL skis is you can get big angles at relatively low speeds. So if you make a mistake, you don't go into the woods at high speed and die. Get the feel and develop precise movements with the narrow short carver, then go back to a ski that requires more speed to get to those angles.

 

[KingGrump]

How different would be 157 FIS from 165 FIS? I mean I am strongly considering adding Atomic FIS SL to the quiver and am wondering which one since I already have Rossis 165.

The following only applies to free skiing. If you are running gates, buy whatever gets you the quickest time.

It's a well known fact that most skiers select their skis length as compensatory measures for perceived body part deficiencies.
You can get away with the 165 on the groomers. Once off the groomers, them 165s may as well be boat anchors.

If you think you needed a 165. Read this post by ScotsSkier.

If you still think you needed a 165, come and ski with @A Grump for an afternoon.

 

[François Pugh]

IMHO, a 157 FIS will be more fun at SL speeds (quicker, livelier, feel faster), if you have the discipline to keep them at SL speeds then by all means get 157, but if you know will ski them at GS speeds on occasion, being too lazy to go change them out for a more high-speed suitable ski, best get the 165.

The other good thing about SL skis is you can get big angles at relatively low speeds. So if you make a mistake, you don't go into the woods at high speed and die. Get the feel and develop precise movements with the narrow short carver, then go back to a ski that requires more speed to get to those angles.

On the other hand if you do ski the SLs at high speeds, especially a shorter one, you're much more likely to end up hooking into the woods at high speed and dying when you hit a tree.

 

[KingGrump]

On the other hand if you do ski the SLs at high speeds, especially a shorter one, you're much more likely to end up hooking into the woods at high speed and dying when you hit a tree.

Skilz matters.

 

[François Pugh]

Skilz matters.

So does side-cut turn radius.

 

[KingGrump]

So does side-cut turn radius.

One can ski the skis or have the skis ski one.