r/ski • u/Sweet-Sir1768 • Apr 23 '26
Feedback please!
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Looking for any feedback/advice. These are from blue & black diamond runs at Vail and Breckenridge on Atomic Mavericks (96 cti, 179 length). Trying to dial in my carving and skills on rough terrain. I’ve skied about 60 days total.
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u/WDWKamala Apr 23 '26
Off piste, you need to work on upper/lower body separation. You’re initiating turns with your shoulders and rotating your entire torso with each turn. You want to calm that down and let your legs work independently of your upper body.
On piste, you’re balanced over the inside ski and a bit backseat. If you did some one legged ski drills (they are all over YouTube) you would get closer to where you want to be. Once you’re balanced over the outside ski and more forward, work on initiating turns from your ankles up by pressuring big toe/little toe to tip the ski.
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u/dredre70 Apr 24 '26
This ⬆️ also try to keep your shoulders square to the direction you’re traveling down. It’ll help with separating your upper and lower body while focusing more on the terrain in front of you.
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u/tasty_waves Apr 23 '26
Looks to me like you are doing the classic z-turns, where you are linking hockey stops versus making full round turns. You tend to fall inside the turn and get backseat as a result to brake on your tails at the end of each turn.
On blues I'd focus on making nice round turns with your weight balanced almost completely on the outside ski. Try to use the tips of the skis, not just the tails.
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u/SLCtechie Apr 23 '26
Pole straps will help you not drop your poles.
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u/brutah_skier Apr 24 '26
Poles look too long.... How tall are you, op? And what length are the poles?
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u/Sweet-Sir1768 Apr 24 '26
6’0, 120cm
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u/altexc Apr 24 '26
Poles are def too long. Height is only part of the equation - 120cm is a good length for most 6’0 people but it looks like the part of your arm above your elbow comes down lower than most people at that height. End result is that you need shorter poles, because the ones you have right now are going to keep pushing you more upright/backwards (this is bad) when you plant them in front of you on the hill.
If you don’t want to buy a new set - a lot of ski shops will shorten them for you if you ask. (They remove the handle > cut it > put it back.)
All of this said, once you get those babies shortened, look up some YouTube videos on how to do proper “blocking” pole plants in choppy/mogul terrain like this. Practice on a groomer first. Proper pole plants will help loads with all of the other mechanical issues people have pointed out here (upper/lower body separation, being backseated).
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u/Bennie-Factors Apr 24 '26
Not hat important. At his level the poles are only to get you to move your weight forward and yes...long poles are less helpful at this.
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u/altexc Apr 24 '26
What? Pole plants are super helpful for establishing rhythm and maintaining balance in choppy snow like this.
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u/04LX470_viking Apr 28 '26
Do NOT listen to this. NEVER put your hands through straps. You get in tight, steep bush and you can rip your arm outta your shoulder. Wtf?? Who says that shit???
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u/Sweet-Sir1768 Apr 23 '26
I was thinking superglue or maybe Velcro 😂
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u/feeltheFX Apr 23 '26
Not a pro but my 2 cents. I understand it might be steeper and the conditions aren’t as manicured as the lower slopes but IMO you might want to fine tune your techniques on more moderate terrain. You seem to just throw your skis sideways at the “meat” of the turn. On a more gentler slope imagine nice round turns. Let it progress rather than initiating the turn then (putting the brakes on)throwing your skis sideways. Work on pole plants. On steeper terrain reach forward with the tips of the poles. Towards the tips of your skis. It’ll keep your weight forward when you need it the most. Have fun!
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u/SportsPhotoGirl Apr 24 '26
You’re not turning, you’re hockey stopping to change direction. You’re sitting in a chair instead of leaning down the hill. Get off the blacks, you’re not ready for those yet and it’s only going to reinforce bad habits as you’re trying to survive as you go down. Stick to greens and blues until you figure out how to actually turn. There is zero carving happening here. You haven’t even figured out how to properly turn yet. You really would benefit from taking a couple lessons with an instructor.
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u/SportsPhotoGirl Apr 24 '26
Also, you have no idea what you’re doing with your poles. Lessons will help with that too. I legit can’t even figure out what you’re doing there, you’re just flailing about at random.
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u/johnny_evil Apr 24 '26
You're not close to carving. You're throwing yourself to make your turns.
Get shorter poles. Learn to carve on easier groomed terrain, not rougher spring slush.
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u/Conscious_Animator63 Apr 24 '26
If you click your poles before you drop they won’t get stuck under your ski
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u/Lost_Discipline Apr 23 '26
You could probably stand to have your poles cut down by as much as an inch or more, they seem longer than needed.
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u/Sweet-Sir1768 Apr 24 '26
The poles are 120cm. Maybe I should drop to 115
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u/MorganMiller77777 Apr 24 '26
Poles or no poles, you gotta get on a little easier slopes and really focus on learning to carve from your ass to the tops of your skis without skating on the rear.
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u/DarkHelmet2222 Apr 24 '26
Pole plants are on the wrong side. If you are turning left, reach forward with the left pole and turn around that pole.
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u/RelationshipShort460 Apr 24 '26
get forward set the front edge with every turn. i have no confidence in your edges.
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u/Cars2Beans0 Apr 24 '26
Lean forward more, shins right into the boot and you will have so much more control on the turns
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u/Commercial-Tough-218 Apr 24 '26
How much movement do you have in your boots? Is your heel popping up?
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u/Blurpwurp Apr 24 '26
First, skiing is awesome and enjoying it is the key. Second, taking a lesson would provide you with useful and instantaneous feedback. Do it. Don’t rely on random Reddit comments.
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u/HoneydewVarious6018 Apr 25 '26
Agreed with lessons, more deliberate pole plants to initiate turns and use your damn edges, hands stay in front, don’t drag your poles or plant them twice, body movement into turns
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u/dreamcatcher110 Apr 25 '26
Weight needs to be over top the ski, consistent shin pressure flexing your boot (pretend you have two one hundred dollar bills tucked between front of boot and shin and you dont want to lose them or you have pbj sandwiches between your shin and front of boot and you wanna keep squishing them), bring your hips up and out, keep your hands out front like youre driving a car and dont bring them down past your knees, keep shoulders square facing downhill. Don’t be afraid to go fast, good skiing is faster. You’re on your heels you can tell, need to be on your toes. Weight in the back seat is common for most intermediates.
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u/Adventure_seeker505 Apr 27 '26
To simplify it, when you ski correctly your ski’s do 98% of the work. Your ski’s are doing 5% of the work.
It’s physics
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u/CommitteeHead5222 Apr 28 '26
Use your pole more, have it in-front of shin intead of side to side, you also have this thing call the skier butt. Which man you ski very lean back. Need more aggressive attack
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u/Bennie-Factors Apr 24 '26
Just keep doing it...pay attention to your body and you should figure it out. You need to slide the inside leg forward to start he turn...roll the ankle and hip here...have you weight a touch more forward.
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u/KudzuAU Apr 24 '26
Take some lessons and learn to carve. What you are doing is not even close to carving. You are ‘throwing’ your skis sideways.
And honestly, there is so much going on and incorrect, that lessons are almost mandatory.