Author Topic: Fore Aft Balance and how to get there.  (Read 3689 times)

jbotti

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Re: Fore Aft Balance and how to get there.
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2012, 10:51:25 pm »
Just because they aren't falling over doesn't mean they are properly balanced laterally and not relying on two-footed stability to keep them upright. Take high edge angle turns for example - lots of skiers, racers, recreational skiers, and good instructors alike can ski with high edge angles. The question you have to ask is how many are relying on the inside ski for a significant amount of support? How many are just grinding away on a highly edge outside ski without extracting much performance out of that ski? The answer is... pretty much everyone. That is why outside of high level racing it is rare to see high edge angle carves where neither of the skier's feet are under them. This is also why, when a skier finally starts to learn this, their edge angles decrease for a given turn radius... they are using the ski. Do you need the above to be a good skier? No... but you need it to be a great skier. Anyone interested in being better than "good enough" should pay attention.

I have learned much from asking the question (or being asked it) can you pick up the inside ski at any moment in that arc. Clearly if you can't your lateral balance is not where it needs to be. I also agree that perfect lateral balance at speed in high edge angle arcs is a very lofty goal, one that even WC skiers don't achieve on every run. Yes, for sure a characteristic of great skiing.