[Jon Sulzer]

Those are good tele turns for only 4 or 5 days on pins, but I'm seeing a hitch developing in your transition.

Try to smooth things out by reducing the amount of time your skis are parallel in transition and by getting your skis on edge much earlier, at the top of the new turn, not 1/3 or so of the way through as you are doing now.

[bbense]

I think monomarks would help you get more dynamic in your turns.
You're kind of "freezing" in the middle, since you are doing
the lead change before the edge change. Monomarks will help you
decouple the edge change from the lead change.

Also, the shoulders are overotating. The more square you can keep
them down the hill the better... That will also quicken up the turn
a bit so you'll be less tempted to "step" into the next turn.

All in all though, I'd say you're well on your way to getting the turn.
There's good extension and compression in and out of the turn and
the back ski carves once you get it set. If you have the time,
I think you'd benefit a lot from some lessons. The Bear Valley telemark
festival is coming up soon and I think you'd get a lot out of their lesson package.

To practice monomarks, get on a gentle slope, get in a tele position
and make turns without shifting the lead leg. This will feel really awkward at first, but if you stick with it, you'll get a lot out of it.

_ Booker C. Bense

[Allen L.]

There is nothing wrong with initiating the start of the tele turn with the skis parallel but you don't want to pause there for long. Keep those skis moving in transition, either by moving the dowhill ski back or the uphill ski forward, which ever visualization works best for you. Just don't pause it parallel for so long and "ooch" the skis around.

[WBW]

Agree with Booker that monomarks would help.

Though I think that this early in the game (4 days?) just paying a little more attention to the fundamentals of the turn and the sequence in which their should occur might solve Skier A's problem.

[christian :?)]

Exaggerate your counter rotation (feel the pinch in your side), actively pole plant, and search for that thread from the beginning of this winter about hesitant transitions.

- Christian :?)

[yamariva_2000]

It's nice to have the TC going again since winter is over already.

That looks good for only 5 days. The flow is not there yet but the edging is pretty good. Work on turn initiation.

You do not need to stand up to release the edges. Keep your body moving downhill and roll your edges into the new turn. Do the lead early or late (up to you), but do it smoothly and sychronized to your turn tempo.

[wvfreeheels]

Don't be afraid to bring on the punches. When transitioning b/w turns reach down hill and plant that pole to turn around it. That should help keep your body facing down the fall line. If you are having trouble snapping into the next turn, bring your arm around like you are going to hug someone (that you really, really like). When initiating a turn to the left, bring that right arm around (from right to left for a big hug) and then punch it downhill and plant that pole. Reverse the order for the right turns. I don't know if this is good advice or not, but it has really helped me with winding up the "corkscrew" or "spring" effect and seems to help me weight the back foot in tracked up pow or heavy snow.

I wished I looked that good after a few days with freeheels...keep up the good work!

-WVFH

[Grant]

[dana]

The biggest issue I see here is that all turns are initiated by the LEAD ski, and that ski is carrying the biggest edge angle throughout the turns. To figure this out, take 1-2 runs on a bunny hill where you don't even ALLOW that lead ski to edge- intentionally flatten & skid the lead ski only edging it just prior to the edge change and initiating and carving the turn by edging (what is becoming) the new REAR ski. Then go back to just recreational skiing and still carve 'em both, but consciously intiate the turns with the (new) rear ski.

Other than that I see a tendency to lean in rather than bending sideways at the waist for edge angle. That's both less stable and less powerful. The other thing is that while hands are staying out in front, indcating good balance, they tend to follow the ski tips, not the fall-line. Try keeping the upperbody more faced down the fall-line and the transitions will be quicker/cleaner.

Last (and probably least), timing the turns with a hint of pole plant helps. No need to stab the mountain, but the pole plants look tentative and late, late, later. Try planting at the bottom of the turn, before you rise up. It looks like you're standing up thinking about it, then planting the pole as you change edges.

Looks like you'll be able to figure this out.

[JPL]

[yamariva_2000]

[nsotak]

[bbense]

[jellero]

if that is after only 5 days i have nothing to say but just keep doing it, the basics are there and you are looking good. most people (alpiners) seem to keep skiing on downhill ski and pull the uphill back as an afterthought, you are initiating turn with new back/inside ski. j

[dana]