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RistoLevel 3 – Novice Course Skier
You can ski all six buoys at 15 off, and you've started practicing the course with gates, but you're still skiing at slower speeds (30 mph or less). Your focus now is on increasing your speed as well as getting more accustomed to skiing the gates.
Name: Chris Lownsbury
Skills: “I just started skiing the course last year,” he says. Chris has progressed considerably in a short time frame and is currently able to run 15 off at 34 miles per hour.
Working On: Chris needs to integrate the gates into his run and keep a balanced stance on his ski. He favors his back foot in the turns.
Coach's Take: “He tends to let his arms get away from his body in his leverage position, and he leans back too far,” says Jason Seels. “He needs to work on getting his hips close to the handle.”
Tip: Add the Gates
Right around level three, it's time to start integrating the gates into your runs in the course. Before then, you're just getting used to the course in general and the mechanics of swerving your way around the buoys. When you're ready to add the gates into the mix, concentrate on pulling out with enough speed and angle to generate adequate width before you turn in for the gates. A good indicator of whether you're pulling out to an adequate width is that — at a minimum — you're in line with the 2, 4, 6 buoy line (or a little wider). And don't stress too much on making the gates during your initial attempts. “You want to at least be close,” says Jason Seels, “maybe just missing them.”
