Technical Skills for Alpine Skiing [Paperback]

Technical Skills for Alpine Skiing contains numerous exercises that teach and refine skiing skills in a very progressive manner beginning with wedge turns and building to expert skiing. Hundreds of photographs, including multiple-image composites, enhance a clear and descriptive text that is concise and easy to understand. The photographs of talented young demonstrators and of the author, combined with the text, make this book as accessible to skiers of all ages and levels of expertise.

The book covers in depth: technique, "directed free-skiing", wedge turns, beginning parallel turns, dynamic parallel turns and step turns. Specific areas of development include balancing exercises, skill development, ski pole action, turn shape, terrain/snow conditions and perceptual skills.

A detailed table of contents allows the reader to assess skiers' strengths and weaknesses and to derive a listing of exercises to meet individual needs efficiently. The glossary makes sense of the words common to the language of skiing. An appendix provides pertinent information concerning appropriate ski equipment for young skiers. It discusses, among other things, the correct sizing of ski boots, skis and poles.

True narratives precede each chapter. They relate experiences that had a deep effect on the author's development as a teacher and as a person. There were two major influences on her work: an extraordinary wealth of personal experience, and her ability to listen to children and to visualize skiing through their eyes.

Technical Skills for Alpine Skiing is a favored book among ski instructors and coaches nationwide.

Much of the material for this book originated from my experiences with these young racers. It all began with the pieces of paper that filled my jacket pockets. These well-used papers were covered with exercise lines and specific drills aimed at overcoming individual weaknesses or building overall skills. Revising my plans and creating new directions, I saved the previous ones, and filled the pages of numerous notebooks. These notes became the basis for Technical Skills for Alpine Skiing.

In organizing my notes and shaping the book, I had several objectives in mind. Most important of all, I wanted to include take-to-the-snow information based on the development of well-rounded skiing skills. Since superb performance can only grow from a strong base, I realized that I needed to organize the exercises in a progression, building from wedge turns in order to reach a high level of expertise. The book is, therefore, organized for systematic use so that specific information is readily available. I have always envisioned it as a resource book; a book comprised of pages well used and worn, that captures the essence of my old notebooks.

Although my old notebooks are filled entirely with written text, the words evoke, for me, very clear images derived from my actual experiences. Only a photo-filled book could represent my work effectively. The photographs are of young demonstrators "turning" the pages into a picture book that can be shared with all young skiers.

After finishing the text, I felt the book was still incomplete. The technical words were there, but the heart of my old notebooks was missing. This could only be expressed by sharing some of my experiences. The true stories preceding each chapter relate experiences that had a deep effect on my development as an instructor, a coach and as a person.

This book is dedicated to all of the kids who have skied into my life.