Are you old enough to remember the

 “Way Back Machine”? Rocky and Bull Winkle?

Calvin Yamamoto

PSIA-NW Tech Team Head Coach

My skiing activities of late have me thinking of the “way” we used to ski “back” when. Not that it’s a negative thought or a revolutionary thought, but I am beginning to take a stand on really believing in the fundamentals as the stepping stones to modern skiing. (I’m a little slow)

I have had the opportunity to watch and ski with some fabulous skiers this winter, people who can go any where, ski in any snow condition or terrain, and travel at the speed of sound.

If that’s the criteria for picking the better skier, the selection ends in a tie. But if I want to pick the best skier, from my criteria, I choose the one that has the most versatility and adaptability not just to the terrain and snow conditions, but also the one skier that can change movement patterns to facilitate a variety of turn shapes and movements patterns at different speeds without disrupting the flow of the movement pool. Sounds pretty wishy-washy.

But to be selected this person has to ski the bumps sloooow, showing the ability to balance over a narrow platform or make high speed medium radius turns in the bumps while maintaining ski snow contact. I want to see pivoting as a way to turn the skis, with no air between the legs. I want to hear the clicking of the ski tips in a parallel turn. I want to see the tips pushed down the backside of the bump and both skis arc in a perfect tip to tail carve. I want to see up unweighting and down unweighting. I want to see rebound retraction and rebound absorption in the bumps. I want to see turns on the inside ski and trenches from the outside ski in a high-speed turn. The skier selected at the top of the pool is the one that has explored all the ranges of movement patterns and is comfortable reaching into the bag for the next turn. Not too tall of an order. The point being is that I want to be surprised in finding out who the skier is when they finally stop at the bottom. I do not want to know who it is by their third turn.

Our greatest challenge as contemporary ski instructors is to slow our selves down and show a variety of turns, skidded and carved alike. Bringing our skiing back to basic fundamentals can help create different feelings and sensations as well as a new awareness to where we are in the bigger picture of balance or the refinement of edging, rotary or pressure control movements.

So is it a matter of just doing a whole bunch of exercises? I want to suggest it is - but it requires the dialogue and understanding of what each exercise is supposed to look like, what skills are focused on and the movement patterns to be shown during each phase of the turn. The tracks need to be analyzed and critiqued based on the desired outcome. Speed needs to be regulated and controlled for consistency or used to set a parameter. The main point is to create the challenges in perfection and the dialogue to anchor your thoughts. Hopefully the dialogue brings you to the point of doing a particular turn with a certain movement pattern not for any reason right or wrong but just to say you can do what you say. Then the mileage, time on task, and trust take us to the higher levels.

And just to throw another element of fun while revisiting the fundamentals is to change your equipment. Longer - shorter – wider -fatter- skinny - deeper side cut - straight sticks - free heel - whatever. Expose yourself to new movement patterns while practicing fundamentals exercises you have chosen and discuss the changes or similarities.

My underlying thought in what I have proposed in revisiting the fundamentals is that to fit the mold, you need to break the mold. Just don’t sit still long enough to get moldy.