CA

[jbotti]

Here is a quote that I got from Diana Rogers in an email recently:

CA = the secret weapon for ungroomed

How true!! I will also say that when your CA is in place flexing becomes part of the secret weapon. When you are nicely counteracted and you flex to release you snap into the next arc!!

None of this is new, but after doing so much work on CA it is new for me. It makes skiing steep and challenging terrain easy and fun.

[BigE]

Why do you just "snap in" to the next turn? Is it because CA allows you to hold the old turn longer?

[jbotti]

No it is because when you have CA including your hips, you have created tension against your legs and feet. Your hips and upper body are now facing away from the direction the skis are moving (if the skis are moving left the upper body is facing right). With the skis on the snow the skis will track in that direction and the tension can be maintained. Once the the skis are released, the tension pulls the feet and legs (and skis) back to the way the hips and upper body are facing (think of a rubber band as the tension gets released). This snaps one into the next arc.

[CO_Steve]

I got the same thing out of camp this year. Once I got the CA going you can hold onto the turn in soft ungroomed snow until you release and then bang! Here come the skis across into the new turn. We've had so little new snow this year I'm itching to practice it more.

[BigE]

Think I felt this snap, but always thought it was me getting back seated. Thinking about it, it probably was, because the skis leapt away.

So is this a signal that you should be releasing or pulling back the feet harder?

[Max_501]

When you CA, Flex, AND Tip the legs will jump from one side of the body to the other. You must pull back hard when flexing or you will be aft, especially in bumps and steeper terain.

[BigE]

So in this case the Tip is still in the same direction as the turn that was just released?

[jbotti]

When we tip after we flex and release we are starting a new arc, in the opposite direction of the previous arc. I know you already know this

[kirtland]

Here is a good visual, of releasing, while holding the CA from the previous turn
http://www.universalsports.com/video/as ... s+parallel

[Matt]

So in this case the Tip is still in the same direction as the turn that was just released?

Not in this case I think, but its applicable in other cases:

http://www.pmts.org/pmtsforum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3383&p=34867

[BigE]

Unfortunately I can't view the video.

jbotti,

I was just making sure that the tipping was not that little 'extra' after release to wind up just a bit more before unwinding.

The Nolan thread is excellent, but that video has also been removed.

[Max_501]

The goal is not winding and unwinding. Especially unwinding which is passive. At the end of the turn flex and tip hard. In steeps and bumps you want those skis upside down asap.

[marsound]

I know both CA and CB are important, but is it fair to say that CA is more helpful/useful than CB in soft snow?

[jclayton]

Marsound , on thing that permeates the forum is that all essentials are essentials and must work in harmony . If you don't CB in soft snow you will lose balance just as easily as if you don't on groomed .

[BigE]

The goal is not winding and unwinding. Especially unwinding which is passive. At the end of the turn flex and tip hard. In steeps and bumps you want those skis upside down asap.

The difficulty we're having up here when we do that is getting the stance leg extended. What happens is that a crouch develops. I believe the fix for this is a cleaner release with more momentum to float through transition.

Perhaps the real issue is with the lateral weight distribution in transition.

I've found that working with the weighted release *does* get my stance leg extended, so perhaps maintaining a bit more weight on the stance leg through transition will help get the new stance leg longer when there is less performance from the ski?