I did! You’re talking about the Summitcone Vagabond, right? Actually I kind of thought of you when I saw those; looked like something you’d be interested in. Seems like a very cool ski.
Yes indeed. You know me so well
I did! You’re talking about the Summitcone Vagabond, right? Actually I kind of thought of you when I saw those; looked like something you’d be interested in. Seems like a very cool ski.
You’re gonna have to explain that to me!Think leaf spring, not lunge. Your legs will thank you.
I think what @markojp is referring to is the constant fluid motion in tele…one doesn’t stay in a “lunge” position; just as in alpine, one is continually moving one’s feet through the turn. I had to Google “leaf spring,” LOL but it is a great analogy!Someone told me once that you don't have to lunge when tele skiing. One of my trainers at Butternnut was on tele skis but I never even noticed because he never lunged. I'm looking forward to learning how to tele this winter also. We've a couple awesome skiers at Bromley who teach tele so planning on takinig a lesson with Paula at some point.
If what you mean by not having to “lunge” (I think dropping your knee is a better term) it’s true…you can do regular alpine turns on tele gear by keeping your heel down and turning as you normally would with your alpine gear.Someone told me once that you don't have to lunge when tele skiing. One of my trainers at Butternnut was on tele skis but I never even noticed because he never lunged. I'm looking forward to learning how to tele this winter also. We've a couple awesome skiers at Bromley who teach tele so planning on takinig a lesson with Paula at some point.
Hey, Yo Momma!The beauty of Tele is that styles wildly vary. Free your heel, free your mind. You can do kinda whatever you like that works and nobody is going to critique you. drop the knee, don't drop the knee... depends on who you ask. Beards, duct tape and body odor are the rule of the day!!! I'm joking but most are just happy you are out there on Tele gear. Read the Allen and Mike's book and you're there! If you didn't already have gear I'd suggest you get an old set of Hammerhead bindings from 22 Designs. You can adjust the up and down heel movement and set it to very little to start out and it's almost like alpine skiing. That is their "hardpack or ice" setting as it keeps your heel closer to the ski. I mostly use the middle setting and rarely go all the way down other than for occasional "Style Points". (Actually up here in farm country we kinda chuckle when we see people go all the way down on one knee in anything less than boot deep pow.... if it gets deep... that's when you need to really engage that movement) Mostly we use the "John Wayne" or "Bow-legged" gait and mix in a James Brown "Hop" between turns! Gradually increase the heel play setting as you get accustomed to the movements. One tele turn, 3 alpine turns...... work your way to a 1:1 ratio then work towards 1 alpine to 3 tele turns. That combo of the Hammerhead bindings and mixing in Alpine serves to turbocharge your learning curve.
Try this....Think in terms of going across the hill rather than down it. I always practice going across on a wide easy or intermed slope in my various Tele stances (up down, etc....). That gives your body a chance to break the focus down into individual structural components and build muscle memory and familiarity w/ the positioning w/o having to deal w/ the other factors at the same time.FINALLY…my first day out today. On tele gear.
I went to the bunny hill (School Hill) at Blue Mtn. It’s not a great spot; it’s relatively narrow for a learning hill, and there’s a dip + rise in the middle that impedes momentum. But I didn’t want to start on the green run because it was fairly crowded. I’ll be happy when they open up more terrain.
I got the hang of turns to the left, but to the right…still awkward. Getting enough weight on my trailing foot is hard. Can anyone think of a cue or some mental trick or physical trick to help get that weight distributed better?
Glad my skis are a bit shorter; easier to maneuver. I LOVED being able to skate with my heel free…at one point I was skiing a big arc, then when I turned uphill and stopped, and skated back uphill to do it again, rather than take the magic carpet.
I have a lesson scheduled Dec 13 up at Killington. I plan on taking lessons regularly this season to help get the hang of this and have a set of eyes on me.
Hey, thanks!Try this....Think in terms of going across the hill rather than down it. I always practice going across on a wide easy or intermed slope in my various Tele stances (up down, etc....). That gives your body a chance to break the focus down into individual structural components and build muscle memory and familiarity w/ the positioning w/o having to deal w/ the other factors at the same time.
To focus on turns simply shorten the distance across making tighter S patterns rather than C's. Be sure to check out Allen & Mike's Telemark Tips book for some fun reading and really good breakdown drills. I especially like the "James Brown" drill I learned but not sure it that came from the book or from one of the Tele Festivals.......
That’s cool! Thanks! I love it!Think of the yell from James Brown's "I Feel Good" every time you pop your butt up to transition from turn to turn At every transition yell "WOW"! Now think of 30 pple going down the hill at the same time at a Telefest yelling WOW at the start of every turn! Talk about FUN!!!!!!
Okay, this may sound corny, but it worked for me at the time.... Can anyone think of a cue or some mental trick or physical trick to help get that weight distributed better?
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"dance lightly" I like that. Yeah, you don't want to promote poodling, or over weighting for sure, but sometimes drills are useful to introduce new movements or adjustments to old movements. It's up to the student to know how much spice to add to the stew; recipes are to get you in the ball park-it's up to the batter to hit the homerun.Once you've broken the habit of over-weighting the front foot, then you can work on doing the same for your rear foot
And I find it best not to use the term "lunge" - it tends to promote mis-weighting and poodling. Better to think if it as a feather drop in the heel to toe position, straight down, combined with a reverse feather drop straight up.
Yeah, unnecessarily verbose. Just dance lightly on the hill.
You’re absolutely right. My problem right now, aside from not weighting that rear foot properly, is that I am not thinking of “leaf spring” and I’m getting stuck in one position rather than making a fluid motion from one foot forward to transition to the other foot forward. At least I’m recognizing it so I can work on it.Once you've broken the habit of over-weighting the front foot, then you can work on doing the same for your rear foot
And I find it best not to use the term "lunge" - it tends to promote mis-weighting and poodling. Better to think if it as a feather drop in the heel to toe position, straight down, combined with a reverse feather drop straight up.
Yeah, unnecessarily verbose. Just dance lightly on the hill.
This is where the James Brown "Wow!" comes in handy! Imagine your butt touching a hot stove at the bottom of the turn.... That will make ya transition from foot to foot QUICK but the idea is to eventually make it nice an fluid, like you said. When going "Low" it's actually easier to transition on steeper technical terrain, in moguls, and in deeper conditions. When conditions are mellow going Low makes the transitions more laborious for novices.rather than making a fluid motion from one foot forward to transition to the other foot forward.