POST
CARDS FROM THE EDGE
11/17/00
Dear
Mica,
Just
thought I’d drop a note from Mt Hood to say hello. We’re down here for the
PSIA-NW Staff and TD Training for the weekend. You can’t believe the sunshine
and snow conditions. We’re dodging a few rocks coming down the lower part of
the Palmer and it has me thinking about one of my past trips here for Tech Team
Training years back.
I
was in a group led by Mike Porter of the National Demonstration Team, and he was
providing personal feedback to our group. When he came to me, he told me that I
“skied athletically – but I didn’t know where I was going”. I had been
making turns where I was ‘crossing over’ so aggressively that I had no other
choice other than to accept what came back from the snow and skis and just hang
on for most of the turn. He explained that to improve my skiing I needed to
picture skiing through a rock field on a new pair of skis, I needed to plan my
turns and direct my body to where I want my feet to go.
His
analogy was basically telling me to make movements in the direction of travel
and maintain contact with the cuffs of both boots so that I would be in a
position in which I can readily move from. By doing this it would allow me more
options in controlling edge and pressure throughout the turn as well as actually
guide the skis through a series of turns. (Shades of ‘Efficient Movements’,
he must have been psychic.)
Well
time to go revisit these thoughts and work on my tan. Say hello to Roger and
Jodi when you see them.
Calvin