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Percentage of skiers that can carve a turn... way too small...

esteban525

https://fedewenzelski.com/
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Jan 20, 2021
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34
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Argentina
The real on the groomers skiing, the most thrilling and enjoyable one, is all about “carving”. But it has been said that only 10% of all recreational skiers can actually carve a turn. So there is a lot of work for us, instructors, to help the other 90% experience those incredible feelings and sensations generated on the 100% edge locked “arc to arc” carved turns.
As an instructor, that’s what encourages me the most. To help skiers get to that level of enjoyment...
I'm not saying that skidding turns is not fun and enjoyable... but carving is another world... I'm convinced that we instructors have to introduce carving turns earlier in the skiers' progression... on an easy slope, a wedge or a stem christie turn with only the outside ski carving while the inside ski rather flat is an interesting way to introduce edge locking at a very basic level...
What do you think?

All the best,

Fede
 

pchewn

Skiing the powder
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Apr 24, 2017
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Beaverton OR USA
Good luck in your quest! Watching people at our home hill, I don't think most of them care or they think they are carving when they're not.

Exactly!! I do not want everyone on the hill to be carving arc-to-arc turns. The runs won't be able to sustain all of that extra speed and extra side-to-side motion. If everyone were carving arc-to-arc turns I think it would be very dangerous and the runs would feel more crowded.
 

anders_nor

Making fresh tracks
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on snow
Good luck in your quest! Watching people at our home hill, I don't think most of them care or they think they are carving when they're not.
this is a HUGE issue, I've been using video when instructing as a process for education, as what people think they do, they dont do.
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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Great White North (Eastern side currently)
I agree, it's a sad state of affairs, with more erasers than pencils on the hills, but I can foresee problems for your students down the road with your approach to introducing it, bad habits like too much weight on the inside ski, skis not parallel, stemming, etc. There has to be a better way.

I've also eventually realized that many folks don't want to carve their turns, even many of my fellow ski patrollers whom I've tried to convert; they are perfectly happy making stylish speed-controlling turns, and think I'm crazy to want to be skiing as fast as I do all the time. That being said there are a few who carve just fine, just not that many.

I think you will also have a safety concern with typical carving speeds when mixed in with lower skill levels.
 

anders_nor

Making fresh tracks
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Exactly!! I do not want everyone on the hill to be carving arc-to-arc turns. The runs won't be able to sustain all of that extra speed and extra side-to-side motion. If everyone were carving arc-to-arc turns I think it would be very dangerous and the runs would feel more crowded.
wednesday morning 06:50 we have "experts only" on the black slope, its the only one that opens, its just MAGIC, nobody skidding! its way less of an issue than you would think.
 

Delicious

Glass Cranks
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Feb 27, 2020
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285
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WA
I'm not a ski instructor. I feel like the most effective way to demonstrate the sensation of carved turns is by doing "railroad tracks" on flat/gentle slopes. Terrain of ZERO CONSEQUENCE. Gradually work on "sinking the hips" to enable the generation of higher edge angles to produce even more sensation.
A common hang-up that I observe (again, not an instructor) is the straight/locked, tall lower body combined with an otherwise ready to rip mentality and ability.
 

graham418

Skiing the powder
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As long as everyone is having a good time, thats what matters the most. Dont forget that we (members of this forum) are the outliers of our sport. Most people that would call themselves skiers only get out an average of 1.5 days per year. Its hard to advance without the commitment, especially when you are skiing on too wide skis that the marketers have convinced people they need
 

SSSdave

life is short precious ...don't waste it
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Fistful of Moguls...Glen Plake:

The old carved turn. Nobody can carve a turn. You’re not supposed to be able to carve a turn. That’s like the sacred cow, man. But for 650 bucks go get yourself some hourglass skis and you’ll out carve half the guys teaching skiing at Vail!
 
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anders_nor

Making fresh tracks
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on snow
I taught my GF howto carve, now she just does it everywhere, for her she was OK was skiiing before and liked it, now she loves it, and goes skiiing without me quite often (she works shifts, so 2 weeks off) and just RAILS. She was a bit annoyed that nobody bother telling/teaching her about it before though.
 

Jack Lake

Putting on skis
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Mar 24, 2019
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Vermont, United States
I was skiing with a buddy this weekend who lives at the mountains. He prefers the speed and just straight lines most of the time. Wicked fast, but I told him, the joy is in the G's not upright blasting with a few low angle tracks. He just laughed and said, the carves take too much energy. I chuckled. There's no better feeling. I dream about it. Seriously.
 

Johnny V.

Half Fast Hobby Racer
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Exactly!! I do not want everyone on the hill to be carving arc-to-arc turns. The runs won't be able to sustain all of that extra speed and extra side-to-side motion. If everyone were carving arc-to-arc turns I think it would be very dangerous and the runs would feel more crowded.
You have to know when to do it and when not to. Of course the higher the edge angles and the more you can bend the ski the better for tighter radius carves. Or you can use a pair of FIS spec slaloms and carve all day in a pretty tight corridor. 30 meter GS skis not recommended on a busy weekend unless you want to be putting the brakes on all the time!
 

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