GET THE DRIFT OF TELEMARK SKIING IN THE TREES BY JIM SHAW On ONE CONDITION
T
ree skiing for me means the opportunity to leave the boundaries behind without leaving the ski area. It doubles the size of the
ski resort. Most telemark skiers interested in skiing the trees are at least
advanced intermediate skiers, comfortable on more diffi cult blue runs and in small bumps and variable conditions… or they’re kids (up to their 20s and young at heart). Interestingly enough, the student I have skied the trees with the most (200 days) is 76 years young! It started when she was in her 60s with a simple question: “Have you ever tried skiing in the trees?” If students express a desire to ski in the trees, I make a point to check their comfort level. I fi nd that tree lessons can develop naturally during a typical tele class if I feel it opens up an opportunity students don’t know exists or didn’t realize they can handle.
WHAT TO TEACH BEFORE TACKLING TREES Early on, I have my students warm up on groomed terrain, practicing the skills that will come into play in the trees. Primarily, I encourage students to: 1. Work on the fundamentals. Skiing in the trees involves managing fore/aft pressure control, balance, and edge angle to allow for drift and slipping sideways.
2. Get the drift. Telemark skiers should pay attention to the pitch and roll of the terrain that allows the skis to drift right or left, which helps control speed and line.
3. Blend skills for better performance. T e ability to blend skills and change the blend is essential for continued success.
TAKE THINGS IN SMALL CHUNKS To refi ne the skills students already possess, it’s important that their comfort level is high, so I focus on tactics when teaching in the trees. It also helps to take things in small chunks, and allow extra time between runs. Simply talking about the line to take doesn’t cut it, so an
exercise like “Follow Me” helps a lot. I key students in to the tactics I’ll apply to my line through the trees, highlighting the
following things: Q Set your turn up to fi nish just below the tree you are skiing around. T is allows for more space and time for the next turn.
QT e sideways “drift” is critically important for adjusting line (and controlling speed).
QMake a point to see places to fi nish turns across the hill, looking to the periphery and not just straight down the hill.
QRemember, you’re not actually skiing the trees. You’re skiing, and looking at, the spaces between the trees.
While watching students choose their own lines, off ering input and highlighting the skills and tactics from a vantage point above them is essential. Understanding why things go wrong may help, but in order to get better, students need to know what will work. Coaching
28 | 32 DEGREES • FALL 2015
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Watch this video to see how the authors Kevin Jordan and Seth Johns picked their chosen lines through a stand of aspen trees.
students on what should happen, and reinforcing skills and tactics from above is a must.
KEEP AN EYE ON ENERGY LEVELS To gauge students’ need and desire for more runs, I consider factors like skill level, energy, and overall fun and enjoyment. And taking a break to practice the skills out of the trees still counts as working on one’s tree tactics. Sometimes it’s best just to let the skis run out of the trees and feel the breeze. Tree skiing can be intense. By breaking down the lesson into small pieces (analysis) and putting it back together (synthesis) both in the trees and out, students learn what makes for success.
DON’T HIT THE BRAKES TOO HARD T e most common issues I see in the trees is turning too quickly and hitting the brakes (edges) too hard and fast – coupled with a lack of understanding of what to look for and where to go (the line). Once students get the fundamentals, they’re in for a great experience – making those beautiful, drifting telemark turns through the spaces between trees.
Jim Shaw is the telemark specialist on the PSIA Nordic Team. An instructor at Winter Park, Colorado, he has plenty of opportunities to apply – and teach – telemark technical skills in the trees. Email:
jshaw@rkymtnhi.com
VIEW VIDEO
ERIC SCHWINK
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