2 breakthrough concepts

[Chris Rossi]

@ToddL

"What is the one or two things that you had to learn/master to get over one of your biggests plateaus in running up the ski rope? These might be things that you have so incorporated into your style that now they are automatic, so think back... Also, how did you obtain that skill or ability?"

 

I'd say my biggest two breakthrough concepts were:

 

1) Be ok with my vision or sight line being narrow of the buoy line. Like many here I was stuck at 35 for a long time. I could run 32 every set but struggled to run 35. It took me a while to realize that I was trying to make 35 look like 32 but at this line length the rope is closing in on being short of the buoy at 90 degrees to the pylon. I found myself pulling harder and longer at 35 but still ending up narrow! It's very frustrating so say the least. I did not start running 35 consistently until I grew my confidence so I stopped pulling so hard/long, and finally the lightbulb went off that I will not see outside the buoy line on any line lengths past 32 off.

 

2) Turns are not where you make up time in the course. The turns are where we as skiers are vulnerable. To try to make up for mistakes here is the greatest mistake. Where do we fall almost 100 percent of the time? Not until I started focusing on completing the turn (no matter how down course I am) and skiing into a stacked position (power triangle http://slalomguru.com/articles.php?article=power) did I start to get consistent with my skiing.

 

 

 

[ral]

"Turns are not where you make up time in the course."

 

I think it is difficult to find something more important than this.

[ToddL]

Perfect! Thanks, @chrisrossi!

[Wish]

I spend a lot of time telling myself my head will be on the inside of the buoy line but the brain does not want to listen and I still try to get it outside the line far to often. I tell myself...just the ski goes around, just the ski goes around. Tough to do though. Great advice.

[markchilcutt]

Bingo @chrisrossi love this 32 to 35 off concept!! My brain wants to see me outside the bouy line!! Another tool to add to the tool bag!!! This might just be the best advice to date to help me get through 35 with some consistency?

[ForrestGump]

I was always told that the turns are just to link two cross course movements. And that in reality, the turns are less than 20% of your time in the course. Spending time making those cross course movements better, also makes the turns better.

[Chef23]

I am not nearly at that level as a skier but the times I have gotten deep down the rope at -35 I have focused on stretching and getting the ski around the ball rather than the way I feel at -32.

[Dusty]

Unless time starts running backward, I will probably never run it, but one of my ski partners maintains- "at -35, if you get to a point where you can see down the buoy line, you already missed it". Seems reasonable, given the geometry involved?