We have been here for just on 9 weeks, skiing about 4 times a week on distances of about 7 to 12 km on each outing. Our time here has been well worthwhile and we have learned quite a lot. I thought I should record the main learnings (so we can retain them for next year). Much of this came from the hints given to us by Eduard Michel who skied with us on 6 Aug.
Two main learning:
1. Core. You mainly ski with your core. The arms do very little. Trunk posture is extremely important – shoulders down, string pulling up through the top of the head, tail tucked under. (Allowing the tail to point out is a fault that I have not been able to shake off and should have been eliminated on the beginners slopes.) The shoulder girdle is important and needs good stability. Strengthening the core with planks and crunches is an essential preparation. Hamstrings are as important as quads. Not much of the quads are used in classic skiing.
2. Feet. You need strong feet for most things (including classic skiing) and foot strength is usually overlooked. (Doing squats with heels on the ground and toes lifted does nothing for the feet and is an exercise not seen in normal life.) Good balance is essential and can be practiced by balancing on the balls of your feet. (We all loose the ability to balance as we age. We all have a preferred foot – usually the left foot if we are right handed. Balancing on the ball of preferred foot should be significantly easier than on the other foot. I’m doing 60 secs per foot twice a day.) I found that the toes on my right foot are extremely lazy. My right big toe did not engage. As a result, I could not get my left ski to slide. (The right foot pushes the left leg forward.) I think that gyms teaching heel-down squats and balance should be also teaching heel-up balance.
