As an addicted carver-thanks for showing me another way to ski. And one that I learned, and unlearned years ago. At age 84 I find myself more open to new/old ideas. Thanks Deb
Over the years, it’s amazing how things have changed. In the middle 1960’s, in order to negotiate a steep line within a narrow corridor. It required an exaggerated up and down motion with hard edge sets( ergo short swing turns) If the run was long, it was exhausting. I’ve learned over the years to be very light on the edges and let the skis do the work. I find (even on very steep hard surfaces) that if I keep my torso square and I rotate my feet to finish the turn, I can manage to maintain a tight corridor with my desired speed control. No exaggerated movements for this old man.
Rotary is such an under appreciated and important skill for advanced skiing. Carving is fun and obviously important for racing, but it is so over-emphasized in the internet skiing world. I'm with Deb in my love for this move. It's really helped me take my skiing (and enjoyment of skiing) to another level!
Thank you Deb. You should tele! The idea of having the shovel of the downhill til slightly behind we free-healers call “pedal the bicycle backward” it creates ankle flex without having to forward pressure, thus creating more range of motion in the thighs and hips so no “parking and riding” just flow!
This is a great video! I truly love how much you love skiing, and your dedication to excellence despite being an elite skier. If only others would share your passion about learning 🙂
I've watched many of your videos and they're all great! This one, on the finesse of skiing and expression of your precise body feelings during turns - is extra special. Thanks!
Deb's tip at 4:10 about getting the outside foot behind your hip just a hair is kind of the reciprocal of another cue that has really helped me recently- which is to point the inside knee where you want to go. It kind of results in the same effect: your upper body falls into the new turn, not only laterally but also FORWARD, resulting in a much easier time accessing the tips of the skis to get the turn started off "on the right foot," so to speak. Always interesting how different cues work for different people when it comes to these complex movements.
The amount of golden nuggets in this video is astounding! Each time you stopped to relate your internal cues or talk about ski or body performance I had to stop the video and think about how I go about doing those same things. If you listen closely, you can also imagine how you might go about teaching this stuff too....just be sure you really understand it!.....this will become a favorite of mine!
Thank you for sharing this particular “tortured experience” 😂 as you refer to it around 8:45. And I feel exactly the same about that almost meditative flow feeling that skiing can give. Especially when you slow it down a little. Viva slower skiing! Your authentic openness and generosity in giving the world a glimpse of your inner life is lovely. All the technical is beautiful too. As always. But your ability to create a sense of special connection with the audience is one of a kind. 🥰
And, um, maybe I got a bit carried away, but after reading the comment where you mentioned the ski you were on, I bought it within the half hour. Just in case Fischer might want to know! 😊 Normally I agonize for too long (talk about torture!) with the ski research/demoing/scrounging for already sold out inventory. So thanks for helping me “initiate”(and complete!) a dreaded shopping project! I have wanted a ski in this class for a couple years now, so… here goes. (I do already have a Fischer slalom ski, RC4 SC, which I really enjoy, so I’m not just being totally impulsive. The little I read about the Curv GT seems to indicate it’s a very well respected construction and performance, so we’ll see if I can ski up to its standards ) Sometimes a leap of faith kinda move required in skiing, yes? ❤
One of your most fun videos ever Deb, love it! You never cease to inspire me. Working so much on my carving these days and this is such a great reminder of how the same fundamentals apply to non-carved turns.
Thank you for this video, Deb! I have been instructing for 32 years, now, and am working on developing "dynamic wedge turns." I am finding I am really shortening my inside leg to maintain a wedge: very little, but some, edge on the outside ski. In a wedge configuration, as you do here, I can let my skis move away, just as I work to do in parallel turns. My daughter started coaching this year and was shadowing me with my adult group. I demonstrated it to them and she told me she had never seen me ski so straight down the fall line. This had not been an intention. But, I noticed that my personal skiing had been changed as well! Because the "dwt" required so much leg activity, it transferred over to my parallel skiing without my brain getting involved and in the way. This confirmed my belief that skiing in a wedge shape with good body alignment will lead directly to parallel skiing with no moves learned that have to be unlearned, simply changing pitch and speed.
Just got my PSIA Level 1 and as a former racer rotary skills are what I really want to work on. As someone who has watched your videos it was cool to hear you say you went through this process as well and I am really excited to start playing with different turn shapes and developing rotary skills. Thanks Deb!!
Along with everything else offered in this video, it's a fantastic window into the mind of a high level, competitive athlete. Magnified a thousand times, because Ms. Armstrong is an Olympic Gold Medalist. The mind just remains "on fire" with all the nuances that connect the body to the skill, and it's a lifetime of, "How can I refine this?" I love every bit of this, and I've been using these training vids to help both my, and my daughter's skiing. We're both former competitive runners, so we share the mindset... always looking to "dial it in." I'm 60 and she's 24.
Hi Deb, thanks for showing me the world of skiing. I love hearing about your first hand experiences of what you're doing. Those are always what have helped me the most in your videos. This time, I stumbled onto the pulling-the-foot-back thing on my own just trying to bring my downhill hip forward while carving. But once I did it, I felt so stable and effortless, that I decided to try out your exercises again. What you described in the old rotary movement clicked, and it finally felt like I was leading the ski rather than being led by it. Surprisingly, it helped with making smooth transitions during the falling leaf exercise too. Super satisfying. I'll have to work on my inside ski next. Leading with the inside hip, driving the knee... I can't wait to experience what you mean by being stacked.
Deb! This video is the culmination of what you bring to skiing - thank you. You love skiing. You break down and isolate the pieces. Then you put the puzzle back together in dynamic fashion. Very few people "narrate" the turn like you do. Thanks from Vermont, Todd
I had a great instructor once tell me on the chair if alone move both skis with ankles at the same time with toes up and pressure on the shin then try it on the snow and wow.
I loved it when you spoke of putting it all together and it your Zen I really don’t know what Zen is but I understand you and that’s amazing for me to be on that level.
Thanks Deb for adding more to the conversation on squaring the hips! In your most recent videos you mentioned how you have been experimenting with squaring your hips. The realtime trial and error exploration in this video is awesome! Heuristics (trial and error experimentation) is a valuable part of the scientific method. I’m a retired engineer and the ski school I teach with has several full time engineers who teach skiing part time.
I love doing this, in fact, on the flat running up to the first fall line is a great way to get in touch with this technique. I am trying to get to a point where it's my default and don't have to think about it anymore.
The way I understand hip direction is that it should be squared to the direction of travel, which at moments matches the direction of the ski tips. But rotary of legs changes the direction of the ski tips faster than the change of direction of travel in a skidded short turn, and that makes many people confused about trying to countering their hip against their ski and direction of travel
I know! I am. Ha!!! And even more to come. It’s fun diving into it. I have actually been thinking about it and skiing it for years now, only now going public with it and getting into teaching it
Awesome tips! I love hearing you describe various sensations as you ski - it gives me a target. Does the difference between pivoting and stroking in a turn come down to hip socket rotation in a pivot versus knee rotation in stroking? That difference is likely above my current ability level, but I hadn’t thought of it before you pointed it out. Cheers!
Gosh those turns look good! Had a lightbulb moment about a week ago, where I realized my foot to foot pressure was feeling more like a toggle switch and less like a dimmer. Bringing it back to a smooth transition felt so good! After that I realized I could focus on all the parameters (edge angle, steering, fore/aft) and they could all be more smooth and intentional. Finesse is key for sure!
Lots of comments about the technical side of this video, but what really spoke to me was the absolute focus, even wonder, when you bring attention to the individual muscle and joint sensations while linking your body (internal) to your skis, to the snow (external). As someone who has done martial arts and is now getting into skiing, I think the reason both sports speak to me personally is not because of the external challenges - in skiing, the terrain, snow conditions, obstacles; in martial arts, the mat, the pads, the people trying to kick you 😂 - but rather the real challenge, which is mastery of your own body. Always excited to find parallels in new activities to balance introspection with extrospection (if that's even a word lol)
Thanks! I always look forward to a new video from you Deb, and this is a good one! But then they all are. Question; have you heard the word scarving? Yes, I know it’s not a real ski term.
@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong It means steering blended with carving. PSIA Centerline had carving on one side of centerline and rotary on the other. The two can come together. Not sure where I first heard the term. Not trying to be a know it all, just asking. ( Steering plus carving. ) You’re welcome.
Thank you so much. That is pretty much what I guessed. I am on a pair of Atomic slalom skis pretty much every day. I am very interested in the yellow pair. We are waiting for some new snow here in Aspen. Have a great day, Deb! @DebArmstrongSkiStrong
I don’t know what to say. I can not teach by text. Watch the video a few more times. I think it speaks for itself. Also watch a few more of my hips videos😉
I get lots of stroking from my hips as my hips remain square to my direction of travel, my hips keep up with my skis. I also stroke the skis through the turn through ankle and lower leg work
Thanks for the clarification! I have a follow up question. Are you trying to ski with anticipation too while keeping the hip square (traveling in the direction of your skis)?
FYI - I’ve followed Chase Seymour’s advice (from one of your past videos) about flexing the “outside” ankle at turn initiation or maybe better to say flexing the ankle at the top of the turn. I mention this because I found that this movement put my outside foot, where it belongs, behind my hip. For me, Chase’s tip was the missing piece to making more dynamic parallel turns.
@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong What is your take on a similar ski that is roughly 10cm longer than this one, which is about the same height of the skier (me). I had a little trouble getting in to a longer ski initially because I used to ski only 165
@@kevinwu693if you're doing true parallel skiing, I don't think length matters much. Deb is used to skiing skis taller than she is since she skis fast and needs the stability. My take is when you need longer skis, you'll just know it.
@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong I guess squared hips doesn't mean your chest must also face the direction of travel at all times, like at the end of the turn, right?
I'm completely lost on this one. Phrases, words, movements in a jumble. ??? It seems like she is saying skis flat with slight edge and somehow rotate the skis, maybe with the thigh? Pinkie toe edging uphill ski when and where exactly in prep for becoming the now outside ski. ?? ? ? I love Debs video but this one after 4 looks is not clicking for me. ?
The rotary skill, making a turn shape smaller than what is built into the ski design takes shaping the turn from the skill of some form of rotary action. I have other videos on rotary as well
@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong Thank you Deb I'll search for them. Ski language is a big problem for many and certainly me. I have never understood rotary after many years and oodles of video from better people making RU-vid videos. I assume you boy is well off pizza and french fries and carving gates. 🙂
