Carving skills: railroad tracks and skating drills, a clinic with JEDI Outdoors

Why railroad tracks, why skating drills? This video and clinic covers it. The clinic group is JEDI Outdoors. A powerful initiative that centers advanced alpine training for Black, Brown, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC) who are PSIA Level 1 or 2 certified instructors to take their Level 2 or Level 3 exams. While there has been a recent spot light within PSIA-AASI based on the seminal work of Ann Schorling on “Increasing Gender Equity in Snowsports Instruction” and the launch of Women of Winter program in certifying Level 1 BIWOC PSIA-AASI instructors, there is a gap for specifically for BIWOC women advancing in their snowsports education.

[@razaman514]

Preach it Deb. The last 45 seconds of the video needs it's own video! I hear lots of people saying you need your upper body facing down the hill at all times (no matter the circumstance)...

[@jeffreygreer8782]

You’re such a natural teacher! We really appreciate your videos, they help out so much and it gets people interested in skiing!

[@atruewild]

I can imagine how heartwarming it must be for you to witness the efforts to promote diversity in alpine skiing. It's truly inspiring to see people working towards making outdoor activities more inclusive and welcoming for everyone. Separately, I was also inspired by your use of the tree as a teaching prop in your video. I have sent you an email with an idea that I thought you may find valuable. You are such a great ambassador for skiing!

[@Skedawg88]

A great clinic for the those attending, as always. And, for those of us viewing the video as well. Thanks!

[@henrynoerdlinger120]

Deb's videos are the best. They connect with me. I instruct similarly but have always felt my advice is unorthodox. It is refreshing to watch a video that emphasizes such fundamental but often overlooked concepts

[@debbielombard5132]

What a fun group of women! Since watching your videos, I never pass up an opportunity to do my carving practices on a cat track or skate drills, muscle memory. Thank you.

[@janebond0079]

Would love a video on the rules of skiing. Too many skiers have never been educated on “right of way”, passing etiquette, to look uphill (and downhill) before you start your run, don’t stand on a ridge line, etc.. We spend 30% of our time defensive skiing, it’s exhausting!

[@paulmelde919]

Great video! A nerdy way of saying it is that you need to learn to trust the centripetal force generated when skiing through the arc of a carved turn to keep you from falling over and hitting the ground. This trust is developed through practice and some trial and error.

[@oldcootcamper]

OMG. I have been trying to figure this whole carving thing out (admittedly on my own) for quite some time and two things popped right out. 1. My hips don't need to be downhill and 2. I don't need to have my zipper pointing down the hill. I've been doing both those things for years (ok, maybe decades). Can't wait to break those habits and see if that gets me to the next level.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Awesome!!!

[@jathompson37]

I’m dying from the beating!!!! 😂 Way to make a point & keep the class engaged. 👏👏👏

[@Osnosis]

Zipper 45 degrees downhill,from the skis, head, an additional 45 degrees downhill (to see the entire palate of turn possibilities).

[@michaelbrown3351]

Absolutely wonderful to see this Deb .🎉

[@thelion6614]

Thanks, Deb. Very helpful. Will use these techniques with my students tonight!

[@billgedh]

Gosh, I wish I could attend one of your camps or lessons. I'm near Lake Tahoe and not sure I could make it to your home mountain. Good stuff w/ your video!!!

[@rubyalexander2]

Can you do a short video devoted to skating on skis? I could really use the help. Great video!!!

[@jim5549]

Awesome! (As usual, Deb!)

[@lifted_above]

There's a time to keep the torso facing down the hill with nice and loose hips/legs moving slaloms, and there's a time where a more locked in torso with the legs just rides the ski shape, rolling powerful carves down and across the fall line. It's all in the technique choice for the terrain you face.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Correct, depends on the situation, terrain, speed, turn shape.

[@lauragatehouse7935]

Would be interested to hear more on not needing the zipper down the hill. I do carve but I also stem my legs slightly which is really annoying when you watch it back. I need to round out the turn more .

[@lawrenceyoo1044]

Hi Deb. Wish I could be there with you! When you are getting ready for next turn, the pressure on my uphill ski is primarily on pinky toe. Correct? I keep this pressure on until this ski becomes my downhill ski. I was taunght as a newbie to not focus too much on uphill ski but now understand importance of driving uphill/inside leg as well.

[@aldonlobo5121]

Hey Deb! What are your thoughts on doing runs with loosely buckled/ unbuckled skis to help with flexion on green runs?

[@beniii5932]

I’m a u14 in Burke Mountain academy and I am trying to learn to clean carve my turns more in slalom but in gs I also struggle entering knolls in a clean carved turn have any suggestions

[@Osnosis]

Earlier weight transfer to the new outside ski is the big move.

[@ytcgking]

Is edging only a focus for groomed run carving? I been told that I am forcing my turn too much and not using/trusting my ski when I am skiing the steep. It's a even bigger issue in powder because I keep trying to do a hockey stop to slow down and that throw me off balance a lot. I always thought I don't have to care about edging in mogul or powder, but now is quite confused when being told I am not using the ski to turn. Are "using the ski" and edging the same thing?

[@billtanch8273]

Use the terrain. Turn up the hill to slow down. Hockey stops in powder? Amazing.

[@scott.e.wiseman]

I love what Deb says about carving the top of the turn! Even in a more smeared turn with active rotary, I coach my students to create a “micro edge” in the top of the turn. It works wonders! From there you have a platform, skis start to deflect and steering can be added for incredible control. Great stuff here, as always! ❤

[@ytcgking]

@billtanch8273 sometimes there's not that much room to turn up the hill and when things get very steep in some double blacks i resolve to what i feel the safest which is almost from one hockey stop to another, but this only works in harder pack and i don't think it's the right way to ski

[@ytcgking]

@scott.e.wiseman are you talking about starting the switching of outside ski earlier in the turn? I am taught to lean into the next turn to pole plant which probably create an early edging on the uphill ski to let it become the new outside ski. Is that what you are referring to?

[@scott.e.wiseman]

Yes, when you tip the skis on edge early in the turn, earlier pressure to the outside ski is the result.

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Cow tipping is animal cruelty.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

There you are!!! Ha!!!!!

[@jackieonassis7438]

I appreciate Deb's passion, just turned off by all they philosophical focus and apparent struggle to find unusual descriptors and big words to describe things that are rather simple.