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Here’s a Top Tip for your first Family Ski Holiday
The children’s book all skiers have been waiting for!
Any parent with children who ski will tell you that the first week is crucial and not without stress and worry.
Will they take to skiing? How will they cope with the equipment, the cold, the environment? What if they hate ski school and refuse to go back? The first week or two is make or break – it could either mean a future of great family ski holidays or zero family ski holidays.
A trio of British ski instructors, all ex-GB team racers, have come together to tackle this problem and have published a great little book for children called "Jacob's First Ski Holiday".
The book which is aimed at 4 to 8 year olds is guaranteed to bring extra excitement in the build up to a child’s first ski holiday.
Written by the founders of Maison Sport, they have used their experience of ski teaching and love for the sport to create a book that will increase the chances of a successful and enjoyable ski holiday for young children.
The book features illustrations and descriptions of various key techniques the children will learn during their first lesson, in a subtle and exciting way. It also aims to show how much of an adventure the children will go on during their holiday, taking away some of the unknowns that can make the experience daunting for a child.
Nick Robinson, one of the team behind the book explains:
"Sometimes the first hour of a children’s skiing experience can be quite challenging, they often have no understanding of what skiing is and more importantly why they now have to walk around in giant shoes (ski boots), with ridiculously slippy planks of wood stuck to their feet (skis). They then spend the next hour trying to walk around with said planks of wood attached to giant shoes, sliding and slipping everywhere. This can be disheartening and that’s why the book tries to show them all the adventures they will discover once they can ski.
We have huge passion for the industry and have great memories skiing as a child, we feel this is a great way to pass this on."
With beautiful illustrations the book helps to paint a picture of what a child can expect on their first ski holiday and helps to get them excited and looking forward to the experience, whilst familiarising them with some of skiing basics. The idea is to give them the book before the holiday so they can start to learn what to expect.
To find out more and how to purchase the book take a look at https://jacobsadventures.com/ !
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Skiing moguls with Ben Cavet, world class skier, and Avoriaz Alpine Ski School
Having finished last season second on the World Cup Mogul circuit, Ben Cavet took time out to run a clinic on skiing moguls with Avoriaz Alpine Ski School!
If you've ever wanted to ski moguls, rather than just be thrown around by them, take a look at this video and contact Avoriaz Alpine Ski School for more information on how you can do it!
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How new ski designs are speeding up the learning curve
New
concepts in ski design are literally speeding up the learning curve.
First, there was the invention of carving skis. This helped skiers to
turn more easily on firm snow. Then came the extra wide off-piste skis.
Off-piste skis are much wider than the carving skis. This allows for
better float in deeper snow, which has again helped to speed-up the
learning for wanna-be off-piste skiers.Also more recently, yet
another new design concept, the "rocker" shaped skis. This fairly new
rocker or reverse camber design, makes learning to ski in deep snow even
easier than before. Conventional skis were cambered in their shape.
Where as the clever new reverse camber design has lifted the tip and
tail of the ski upwards. This new design is dramatically helping two key
areas in skiing: balance and turning.How do the rocker designed skis help for balance?
The
front of the skis are bent upwards towards the skier. This provides for
more forward balance support, preventing the tips of the skis from
diving deep into the snow. This is revolutionary. In fact, this one
design improvement alone is helping many people to master off-piste
& deep powder snow skiing.On conventional skis, it would
have taken a skier much more balance practicing and forward face
planting in the snow to learn the skills required to stop the ski tips
from diving deep into the snow.How do the rocker designed skis help for turning?
As
the front and back of the skis are bent upwards towards the skier, they
sit higher up in the snow pack than the middle of the ski. This means
there is less snow encasing the front and back of the skis. Less snow
equates to less resistance around the front and back of the skis. This
reduction of resistance allows easier rotation or pivoting movement of
the skis. In simple terms, twisting the skis becomes easier.Remember safety first!
There
is a downside to this speeding up of the learning curve. It is now
possible for an intermediate skier to venture off-piste into potentially
dangerous terrain and snow conditions without having learned avalanche
awareness skills through experience and time. In the past, it would
have taken an intermediate level skier years to master the correct
off-piste technique, and in doing so, they should have also had the time
to develope mountain awareness and avalanche safety skills.With
this in mind, it is highly reccommended to learn off-piste skiing with a
qualified ski instructor who can also help with the mountain awareness
skills needed to ski safely off piste.By Mark Gear, head ski instructor at All Mountain Performance Chamonix.
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Metal or Mental Edge
By Roddy Willis
Presumably if you are reading this article, then the chances are that at some point you have had a ski lesson. Your instructor might have told you to do ‘something’ with your legs and body so that your skis do ‘something’ on the snow?
There really are only four ingredients to make a ski work – all four are used in varying degrees in every turn your skis make on snow – You can tilt (edge), twist (rotate) or bend (weight and unweight) and not forgetting to add some velocity (sliding on the snow). Yes, this is all great stuff and all helpful with the basics of skiing. For me there is way more to skiing than just a few mechanical body movements. If this is the sort of lesson you want then let me know and I’ll direct you to one of the zillions of instructors who teach this way. If you want something more keep reading.
Unless you’ve lived on another planet this summer then you will know that the Olympics were in London. If you watched any of the games on TV then you will have heard the pundits talking about the difference between the good and the great. They weren’t talking about anything as tangible as physical strength or athletic skill – the hot topic of the 2012 games was the mental state of the competitors – the positive-self-believe and the knowledge that you’re able to-pull-it-out-of-the-bag on the big day.
What is it that you need to be more than just good on your skis? To ski perfect powder turns, shred the bumps or land a cliff drop. Well it’s probably something to do with this summers’ hot topic – You need a positive mental state.
One of the first skills I like my clients to acquire and use is – Positive-self-talk
What is Positive-self-talk? - To have a clearer picture of Positive-self-talk, it might be easier to imagine Negative-self-talk. Imagine this: I want you to fill your mind with every negative thought you have ever had about everything ever and skiing – Now with those thoughts running round your mind I want you stand at the top of a ski slope and produce your best performance! Does that work for you? Or imagine a ski instructor that constantly tells you what you are doing wrong and not what you are doing right. Or they tell you ‘don’t be scared’ and now you can only think about ‘being scared’.
In essence Positive-self-talk is the words, both unspoken and spoken, which we use and are directly related to the results we achieve. This may appear simplistic, but the use of positive language is intertwined with our self-believe. Many top athletes use Positive-self-talk and like anything it requires training and practice to to-pull-it-out-of-the-bag whenever you choose.
Perhaps now is the time to eliminate any internal-negative-chatter. This may or may not take some work and time, it really depends on you. Start using language linked to the results you want…how about talking about the smooth line through the powder, that pathway appearing through the moguls or a successful cliff drop landing, you will start to see and feel changes in your skiing and maybe your life….
In my next articles for the Chalets Direct blog I’ll be outlining a few more simple mental techniques you can use not only for skiing but in your everyday life. So, stay tuned-in and learn how to twist, bend and shake your mind into shape and give yourself the mental edge on your next trip.
Roddy Willis is a Verbier based ski instructor and holds the Swiss Patente he is also a qualified Sports Mental Performance Coach
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Top powder skiing tips from pro skier & coach Mark Gear
Here are a few top tips from the experts for skiing deep powder snow!
A two footed platform
Aim to push both skis into the snow when intitiating your turns, this will provide you with a two-footed platform of pressure through your turns. It's important to change your edges simultaneously and not sequentially.
>Make smooth shaped turns
Go for smooth fluid movements, this will encourage smooth shaped turns. Any abrupt movements or turns will have an abrupt effect on your balance. Smooth turns and a good rhythm are essential for a fluid powder skiing run.
Push the heels downwards
Not to be confused with leaning back! In deep snow, we should push the heels downwards a little to keep the ski tips up. This will stop the feeling of the ski tips wanting to dive deep into the snow which is often proceeded with the classic forward face plant.
Remember to pole plant
Smooth coordinated pole plants are very important. This will help you to build fluidity and rhythm into your run. The pole plant also helps for commiting to the turn and helps move your body forwards and in the direction of the turn.
Hope you enjoy the ski tips and all that great powder!
Mark Gear, Head Coach For All Mountain Performance, Ski Courses & Private Coaching in Chamonix
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Pre-Season Equipment Check
With your cardiovascular and core strength work-outs well under way, it's that time of year again to start thinking about the dreaded commute to the airport with all your luggage and equipment. Before it all gets packed away in the ski bags though, it's well worth a check over so as to not let you down when you're skiing and spoil your holiday.
With many people about to set off for their first ski holiday of the season we thought it a good time to re-post this great blog from Mark Gear, Chamonix ski guru from All Mountain Performance.
How to make sure your gear is in shape for hitting the slopes!To see the full post click here!
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Ski Tips: How to ski a drop off
Ski tips from Mark Gear
How to ski off a drop off this season without hurting yourself. Of course no guarantees!
http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=107931
This is what the ski movie guys do, they don't just jump and hope.
Here are a few top tips for how to ski a drop off. Watch the sequence of shots.
- Pick your jump carefully. Jumping can be dangerous. Its always best to start small.
- Always visually check out a jump or drop is safe before leaping off. The landing and run-out should be clear of obstacles and allow you enough space to land and make turns to slow down. Speed picks up fast in the air so you will need plenty of open space for confidence to land well and ski away.
- It is important to ensure that the landing is not flat. The landing area should slope away from the jump. Flat landings should be avoided as the impact is greater.
- Snow texture and depth should be checked before jumping so you know what to expect when you land. For example, deep and heavy snow will slow you down on landing and could throw you forwards over the skis as you land. Hard snow is going to offer a fast landing and a harder impact. If the snow is hard, you may want to find a smaller drop.
- Once you are happy that all you are going to hit if you get it wrong is snow, there's not alot to it other than take a deep breath, point the skis and jump!
- Take enough of a run up to get some speed off the jump. It really helps to make a positive, intentional jump upwards and forwards into the air.
- Hold the hands forwards for the flight also pulling your knees up towards your chest. This will help keep your balance and stability in the air, also setting you up for the landing phase of your drop.
- Whilst in the air, you will need to angle your skis to match the angle of the slope gradient. You don't want to land too far forwards or backwards on the skis.
- When coming into land, allow your legs to extend a little. This is like droping your landing gear. It will set you up for absorbtion on landing.
- Land absorbing the impact, standing up and skiing away hearing the applause from the nearby chair lift.
By Mark Gear Head Coach, All Mountain Performance
Mark runs off piste & freeride ski courses in Chamonix where you can actually learn how to do this. Of course, you choose the size of your jump.
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How new equipment is making learning to ski off piste much easier
Learning to ski off piste is getting so much easier.
With the latest modern off piste skis these days, it can be much quicker to learn to ski off piste than in the past using more conventional skis.
The invention of fat skis that are much wider under the foot is speeding up the learning curve for wanna-be off piste skiers. The new skis give much more stability in deeper snow conditions and allow for better control as they simply float more, thus making things alot easier to learn to ski off piste.
Also in more recent years, ski manufacturer’s are making skis with a “rocker shape”. This again makes learning to ski off piste much easier than before as the skis really have been made for the job. The tips and tails of the skis are made to be higher than the center of the ski giving them the “rocker shape”. This makes pivoting the skis in deeper snow much easier than a ski with a conventional camber, as the tips and tails of the skis do not catch in the snow so much.
Rocker shaped skis also help for balance allowing the skier to stand up and forwards over the skis. On rockers, you are far less likley to be forward face planting! The tips of the skis do not want to dive downwards into the deep snow as they are bent upwards, creating a far easier feeling when skiing knee-to-waist deep snow.
Technique on the new skis has changed a lot also. In deep powder snow using conventional skis with a normal camber, the skier would have to push on the skis so as to bend them into adverse camber. The rocker skis are already bent into adverse camber, this means far less physical energy wasted poping up and down as we used to on skinny skis. The fat rockers allow us to concentrate on the smoothness of those curves. This also allows us to use more leg steering with a little less edge tilt to help slash off speed when needed.
By head coach Mark Gear from All Mountain Performance in Chamonix.
Check out these links for off piste courses in Chamonix:
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Four top tips for better short turns
This months top ski tips for better short turns.
Keep your upper body facing down the fall-line.
If your upper body is held still and your legs are turned in the hip sockets, there will be a spring back to centre when the legs are released. It is for this reason that its is best to ski short turns with a quiet, poised upper body that faces down the fall-ine.
Aim to make smooth curves
Press the outside ski downwards against the snow early in the turn to use your skis design. This should be done before the fall-line.
Tilt your edges over
Once the pressure is on your skis you can tilt the skis more onto their edges for grippier short turns.
Plant the poles
A good pole plant is very help full in short turns to maintain fluid linked turns and good rythm.
By Mark Gear and Simon Halliwell from All Mountain Performance in Chamonix
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Pre-Season Equipment Check
With your cardiovascular and core strength work-outs well under way, it's that time of year again to start thinking about the dreaded commute to the airport with all your luggage and equipment. Before it all gets packed away in the ski bags though, it's well worth a check over so as to not let you down when you're skiing and spoil your holiday.
There's nothing worse than finishing skiing for the day and then having to search around for a replacement part in the freezing cold, taking time out of your precious apres-ski. There's a few visual checks that can be easily done at home with enough time to rectify, if necessary, before leaving for your holiday.
Boots
Shell: Have a look all over the shell for cracks. A plastic boot shattering whilst skiing is not a good thing to happen, and can cause serious injury. Check the heel piece on the bottom. If this is very worn and it's possible to change it, do so.These are not only for walking in the streets, it helps the way the binding closes. If it's too worn, the binding may not click shut causing what's called 'pre-release'. If it's not changeable, maybe now's the time to think about buying new boots! Whilst walking, try not to scrape the heel, you'll just wear the boot out quicker.
Clips/Buckles: Are theses fatigued? Quite often the pin sheers meaning you can't close it and an ill-fitting boot means you can't transmit the movement of the foot onto the ski. These buckles are easily changed with rivets. Most ski shops should be able to source a replacement.
Skis
Are the edges nice and sharp? Most ski edges are sharpened to 90°. Rough edges and burrs can hinder the grip on the ice – meaning some slopes are not entirely pleasurable!
What about wax? Did you wax your skis after your last holiday? The plastic bases of the ski need to 'drink' wax to keep them healthy – and a well waxed ski slides a lot better than one that is dry.
It's better to store the skis over the summer with wax on. If you didn't do this, get them waxed at the same time as getting the edges sharpened.
Poles
Check the pole straps are still attached to the handle.
What about the basket at the bottom? Is one missing, or split slightly? A pole that disappears into the snow can injure you as it sticks in and pulls you back off your skis. Baskets are relatively easy to change, but there are different sizes, diameters of holes and systems of fitting them to the pole. If one of them is damaged, it's better to take the pole to a ski shop where they can check it out, remove the damaged one and find the correct sized replacement. Don't forget though, having different coloured baskets is not the end of the world, you won't notice it after a short while!
Goggles
The lenses shouldn't be cracked. Today, at the Grands Montets in Chamonix, we saw people with misted up goggles. This wasn't helping the situation in the weather conditions we had up there. If the lenses are cracked, either replace the lense, or buy some new ones (double-lensed are best), it'll make your holiday much more pleasurable if you can see! Once you have bought them, don't touch the lense on the inside with your fingers, use a soft cloth to clean them instead.
These checks really shouldn't take long, but should give you a bit more peace of mind for attacking the slopes on the first day.
The weather is not playing ball as we write, but already the amount of snow is good for this time of the season. Even on the renowned rocky slopes of Chamonix, we weren't hitting too many rocks off-piste last Saturday.
