PNW Concrete Pow

Everyone is different, that is the truth.  The videos I posted (green line/blue line) were the best advice/instruction/etc. I have ever seen for me, and perhaps for people of my cognitive preference; cognitive preferences (preferred ways of learning) differ markedly among people; I don't pretend to know which learning style "most folks" have (although, in my research on cognitive preferences for my M.S., a lot of statistics on relative frequencies of preferences were available in the peer-reviewed literature); perhaps you do, since you are/have been an instructor.

I agree with listening to advice only from an instructor,  but I would add a qualified by a PSIA instructor (since they have had to document their abilities to get a certification);  some "professional"  but non-PSIA instructors I have had made it worse.  A good instructor should be able to differentiate among cognitive preferences and tailor his/her instruction to that person's  best learning format (I have seen some good PSIA instructors do that as well as using a palette of techniques that address a variety of cognitive preferences when teaching a group).

Hey bro - didn't want to dis your video in any way shape or form, sorry. It was more of a highlight of how difficult it can be for a student to understand "strange" terminolgy. I came across the same thing recently in a Ski mag lesson from ostensibly Daron Rahlves, who said "now tanding tall, push your skis away from you". All I could pictures was a person standing tall and trying to figure out how they could then touch their skis with their hands to "push" them. LOL!!!!!

Now of course he was referencing moving the skis in a lateral, or sideways motion, but that is SO not clear to most folks.

Yes, those congnitive differences do make a huge difference, really cool to see how it worked for you. And yes, I too like watching videos. I spent hours watching a PSIA video from the 80s of two dudes synchro skiing and it made a difference in my skiing.

A number of folks have recommended vids and there is absolutely a great place for them in learning.

Great question on what learning styles. Man they are so all over the place. The key, really, is to be able to identify which one style is the best early on and then capitalize on it. Usually I accomplish that just simply by talking to the student on the 1st chair ride up. What other sports they have learned? Tell me about your school experience? Do you like being told, seeing, listening and so on??

Once discovered, and sometmes the student doesn't know, so you need to be patient, then real learning can usually occur. With one more key factor considered, fear.

With fear, almost nothing can be learned (other then to RUN!!). So a really good instructor removes fear from the learning equation. Sometimes that means going to very easy terrain to learn the movement pattern(s) that is needed for higher up on the hill.

I am big believer that with these two items accomplished, a lot can be learned!!

Get some Pontoons. What I did. Some old schoolers think using them is cheating. Sounds like we have similar skill levels so I'll see how it works this season. Or go to Idaho where the powder is......... powder.

In my own personal experience an instructor clinic day I spent with a PSIA Level III instructor really helped my skiing. The clinic had an 8:1 ratio, so not a lot of direct personal attention, but he gave us all several fundamentals to work on. After that I spent a couple of afternoons on easy blue groomed terrain drilling on those fundamental skills and then headed for a run that had had always kicked my ass. I skied it in complete control for the first time. I was able to pass my PSIA Level I later that year.

Some of those video links above are pretty funny -- crazy level of technical blah blah blah. Much better I suppose to do all that in YouTube that on the hill though.

For a life-long pursuit, try snowboarding. It'll make some conditions that are work on skis a real treat.

It's no wonder the sport took off in the PNW.

Brian,

I first started backcountry skiing in 2009.  Each year's resulted in sufficient incremental improvements to keep me motivated to become a better and more confident skier.

If you're still reading tips from non-professionals...  here are three things which helped me:
1) Frequent lift-served off-piste skiing while wearing a backpack weighted equal to one worn during a backcountry tour.

2) Rocker tip skis with 95mm waist (Atomic Drifter).  I got my start on Atomic Kailas (88 waist) which were fine for most PNW conditions except powder.  With better skills I would have been able to overcome their non-Rocker tips from nose-diving thus heading in opposite directions.

3) Pick the right tours for your ability.  Skiing, like all athletic pursuits, is a head game.  Build your confidence by skiing routes that offer challenges yet don't beat you up and/or frighten you.  My first season, before signing up for an outing, I was assured a tour east of Crystal Mountain was 'intermediate'.  It turned out to be expert-like.  While I came out of it unscathed, it scared the crap out of me and shook my confidence.

Recently, after hearing how frequently I'd been backcountry skiing, one of my alpine scrambling buddies commented, "you must be getting good".  I replied, "it's not that I'm good why I ski a lot." 

Ski the lifts.

Mileage, mileage, mileage.

Ski groomed and ungroomed runs.

Work on rhythmic turns--not just one turn at a time.

Watch skiers who are better than you and try to emulate them.

Become an instructor. It's a great way to really learn about technique.