To kick or not to Kick.

I'm thinking of double poling a 10 km race  It has a hill with 2 stretches of 10-20 yards of herringbone that I cannot double pole  We have to do it 3 times.. There are more climbs , but gradual( Masters Nationals in Sun Valley). I have no problems making it up them.  What skis should I use. Ihave a pair of klisterskis besides my cold skis or is it better to use a skating ski. And which boots. About the poles I read in your last skipost

Thanks for your answer

G

Racing without kick wax is the exception and not the norm.

The only way to know for sure if going without wax is a good choice is to test it. As it is a 3.3 km loop you could do a good test with kick wax, and one set with no kick wax. Classic skis are very fast in the classic ski tracks and are generally used. Skate skis are only chosen if there are a lot of turns in the course and you need the skate skis stability and control. You could use a Skiathlon or Skating boot for better control as you will not need the toe flexion to get kick.  

But I would be happy to help you get great kicking classic skis on race day and I think you would prefer to classic the race and not double pole. I hope this helps. see you there.

Andy G

PSIA instructor Tip For SkiPost

Body Language....... read it!

by Ross Matlock 

I've often heard statistics stating that over 90% of all communication is non verbal. Reading body language is not an exact science, yet we do it every day when communicating with the people around us.  We can break down the segments of the body and focus on them in order to better understand reading body language, but in winter many of these body parts are covered up.

Take for example, the eyes. When eyes look left and right, up or down, roll back or widen, they give us clues as to what people are thinking.  More often than not, eyes in a skiing context are covered or hidden, preventing observable differences.  There is one body part, however, that we as instructors can focus on to give us insights and clues as to people's thoughts and feelings, without verbal communication - and that is the head.

In general terms the head plays a big roll in body language reading.  Even though it may be covered by a hat, or helmet it tends to be an indicator for the whole body. Due to the flexible nature of the neck, the head has many subtle positions that can be observed. We will look at three main head movements instructors should focus on, when working with staff or students.

The first observable head movement is fast head nodding.  We seem to understand the slow nodding of the head to be associated with attentive listening, but watch for the fast head nodding.  This can be read as being a "hurry up" signal, or one of impatience.  Often combined with hand gestures, it's a sign that perhaps you need to wind it up and that it's time to move on.

The head tilted to one side is another head movement we can observe and read.  In general, it is a non-threatening, submissive gesture signaling a moment of thoughtfulness.  Trust is also linked to the head tilt to one side and lends itself to the thought that someone is, 'sizing up the comment,' or situation.  In this case, we may want to give these folks a little more time to process the information we've just given.

When the head is tilted downwards, it is often a sign of criticism, or that of disappointment.  Sometimes this is one of the easiest head movements to observe when teaching and often indicates a level of distrust, or disapproval.  In a lesson or clinic situation, it often means we need to take a different approach, or try something new.

As I have stated, this is not an exact science but if statistics hold true, we need to pay attention to the non-verbal cues our student or fellow instructors give us.  Good instructors have the ability to read body language and make adjustments on the fly. If body language indicates others peoples feelings towards you, then we also have to be mindful of what our body language reveals to other people about our feelings. 

Race Day Waxing Suggestions

You can do it alone.

This week we are going to help you help yourself, because selecting wax is not as difficult as we often make it out to be.

Download our tech manual here.

Go to pages 20-30.

Decide of you have new, old,  or coarse snow.

Determine he likel temp.

Read the recipe and wax your skis.

If you have any more questions please email