twhisper

A worthy investment if you want to know what is really going on vs how it feels.

I feel like vision is one of the most key elements in skiing technique, but it's often not mentioned. It's one of the quickest and easiest ways to get the body to move in a better position without having to focus on all of the technical movements. Changing your vision will change your body position, and it's just a matter of finding the best places to look.

I just got a pair, and they are great. Lots of grip, pre-curved fingers and little fingertip pods so I can roll the handle all the way out to the tips. Most importantly- all black! I wear a medium in Radar/HO gloves and Ryan recommended that I get the Smalls. Perfect fit.

@Zman the glasses are TIFOSI. I think mostly designed for cycling so they have good ventilation to limit the fogging, and the lenses adjust to the light a bit. I wear them to keep the bugs out of my eyes when the sun is setting or in the rain at times. @jcamp I have about 1/2" of spacing between the boots. The rear toe bar on the Reflex is a thinner/smaller diameter bar to allow for tighter spacing. I have no problem getting my feet where I like with the set up.

@jhughes No Virus. @Zman I play with gates and find that both ways have benefits/drawbacks. If I were to ski a tournament today I would be doing one handed probably. I feel like with the one handed gates I can get the angle I'm looking for while being a bit more progressive and maybe not so hard away from the boat with my lean. With the two handed gates I feel like I don't get as much angle with the turn in, and then I'm digging in a bit harder away from the boat trying to make up for it. What I do like is the ability to be able to do both and be comfortable with each. It's not often that I get my timing perfect on every gate during a tournament set, so sometimes I will adapt on the fly.

@jcamp @jimski Double Reflex is very similar to GOODE Powershells but uses the most tested release system out there.

@jimbrake I think vision is critical to everyone, whether they are aware of it or not.

Try walking on a slack line with your head tilted. Then, compare that feeling to standing on a 7" wide ski going 50 mph trying to maneuver precisely through the course. It would be interesting to to be able to collect data on where all the best skiers are looking at exactly what point in the course.

This vision is not accidental

Something that seems to be left out of the technical discussion too often is the skier's vision. I feel like it is super important, but there are also a variety of ways it's done by the top skiers. Many times when I ask skiers where they are looking they don't even seem to know.

@horton It’s the impact of the through at the shorter lines where the skier is compressing most.

@wish Taller skiers tend to stay taller because it’s more difficult for them to recover from broken/misaligned body positions. Shorter skiers tend to be able to get away with more as far as getting out of position, but then being able to recover more quickly. I did not intend to say that shorter skiers should squat more. I usually do not focus my coaching on the amount of knee bend. What I tell people to focus on is where the kneecap of the front leg lines up over their front foot. If the kneecap is behind the heel at certain points in the course then the skier’s weight is going to be placing more pressure over the tail of the ski. During an attempt to accelerate this is going to be a problem. The ski will not respond as well as it could and the space between the hips and the handle is going to be increased so the skier’s ability to leverage is going to be diminished. Two things that are important in skiing is that the skier’s weight is balanced over the center of the ski, and that the skier can leverage the ski into direction. The body being aligned through the major joints, the head and shoulders, the hips, the knees and the ankles, will help to achieve both balance and leverage. Some skiers do this with a little more compression and some with longer legs, but it can be done either way. Personally, it is much more challenging to keep my legs straighter than it is to sink into them a little. We all have our own natural styles, and sometimes going against that too much is more detrimental than it is helpful. A couple of things to think about... What would it be like to ski if you had braces on your knees and ankles that allowed for zero flex? How would slalom styles evolve if we were able to ski the course with zero wakes?

Analyzing a skier at only one point in the course is not an accurate assessment of their entire style. It really depends on where they are at in the course, as well as which passes they are skiing, and even which model of boat they are behind. Taller skiers tend to stay more extended through the entire body because it’s more difficult for them when they get peeled apart to get themselves back together. That doesn’t mean that the average sized skier is necessarily going to have the most success emulating one of the tallest skiers in the sport. CP is a badass, but his style works best with his body type. He has that classic slalom style, but he’s also using his legs better than you might notice. His legs are long and resistant when he needs to be, but also light and flowy at times.

Everyone pushes into the first wake. It's the second trough where the legs compress/absorb. Much more obvious at the shorter line lengths where there is generally more of a trough.

@MarcusBrown is the guy to capture the video. I’m happy to do the skiing. I think the more perspectives you get the more comprehensive the picture can be in your mind. This old video has some different views...

@SlalomSteve great comparison. I believe you laid it out perfectly. The tough part, like you said, is isolating any one component and so I believe the fundamentals are just that much more important. The better your fundamentals the more possible it is to work on one aspect of your skiing while allowing the other elements to take care of themselves. I would love to see more skiers follow your methods.

@Orlando76 Here’s one from above... The proper technique is the same throughout all of the passes regardless of boat speed or line length. Things just get more critical with a faster boat and shorter line. I have several videos on my site with examples of slower speeds and full line. https://www.trainwithterrywinter.com/

@Drago You look pretty good in Creed ||

I think it's more important to focus on ankle flexion than knee bend. It's too easy to fall back into a squat when trying to bend the knees. If the ankles are getting flexed forward then the hips are going to be moving forward whether the skier has a more compressed style or a taller style. What's important is keeping the hips balanced over the feet and keeping the hips close to the handle. It's also important to understand that skiing is dynamic, and we're constantly adjusting to what's happening in order to try to maintain balance. I'm going to have a different position through the wakes at '32 than what I have at '41. That will change with different boats as well. The Nautique has a flatter wake and trough than the MC, and hitting that trough can have quite an impact sometimes. If there was no wake or trough I would stay much taller naturally behind the boat.

Willi running 5@41 in tail current is pretty amazing.

@Horton Yes, I think so. I would think the ski would feel better in the water with less water speed. Everyone seems to think that skiing up-stream is easier. Would be an interesting test to have a different ski set up for each direction. Wondering if you could ride a larger/smaller ski depending on current direction.

I can imagine the idea of a head current feeling like it has some extra drag, but what about the extra speed of your ski relative to the water? Doesn’t that create some lift? Isn’t that similar to a surfer riding a standing wave in a river?

With Moomba fast approaching I was curious about who undersatands currents and how they affect the ski. I’ve skied Moomba several times, but have never managed to stay out on the water very long. The river level fluctuates quite a bit, and the current can be moving right along some times. Which direction is easier to ski? Is a head current like a head wind, or is it the opposite with the water moving faster relative to the ski?

@Booze Planning to add a 68" to the lineup this Summer. May ride just a bit higher on the water for guys that felt the 67" is was a little too much work.