Votes:
All of us want to ski with more control, but it can be difficult to know how to improve. We've created a run-down of a few of the ways Carv will help your skiing.
For most of us, improving our skiing has meant relying on inaccurate, difficult to access or subjective feedback. We're used to learning from
- our friends’ or instructor’s comments,
- a video camera or smartphone (ahem... those videos of a tiny dot skiing towards you),
- a stopwatch (for racers),
- youtube videos.
With Carv in your boots, you’ll unlock a new range of coaching tools and get a level of feedback that has only been accessible to elite skiers - until now.
What can Carv actually measure?
We’ve worked with a number of instructors from a range of ski federations to create metrics based upon 4 fundamental skiing skills:
Edging,
Balance,
Rotation,
Pressure.
Carv will identify common mistakes made by the majority of skiers on the mountain - no matter if you're an intermediate or an instructor.
These include:
Edging
Balance
Rotation
Pressure
Edging
Smoother Edging (Beginner/ Intermediate)
While developing parallel skiing, many beginner and intermediate skiers struggle to achieve smooth turns and use a lot of energy on the mountain. Sounds familiar?
This common issue is caused by pushing the feet - skidding out the tail of the skis to turn. Your turns will be Z-shaped not C-shaped, and you will find yourself losing control in tough terrain (as well as exhausting your legs).
What Carv shows you:
Carv's motion sensors can tell with a high degree of accuracy how smoothly you are rolling your skis into and out of each turn. As you learn to smoothly roll your skis into each turn, your Edge Smoothness score will rise. Carv’s Carving Training mode has been designed help you to develop this important skill.
We've pulled out a comparison from Carv's raw data (below) to show two skiers. Notice how the expert (top graph - Ski:IQ 159) has a much smoother application of roll (edging) and pressure.
Carv will notice this in your own skiing and give you coaching advice to help you improve.
Carv will look for how smoothly you are engaging your edging.
Christian Aigner explains how you can make C-shaped turns and ski with more flow in this video on our YouTube channel:
Earlier Edging (Advanced)
For more advanced skiers, it can be difficult to topple early enough in the turn to engage the sidecut of the ski all the way through the turn. Developing early edging will help you find the grip and directional control that makes high-performance skiing look and feel so good.
What Carv shows you:
New this season, Carv shows you exactly how early you are rolling your skis onto their edges each turn. Great edging is all about rolling the ski over so you can engage the sidecut as you build up that outside ski pressure in the carve. Carv will tell if maximum edge angle of your turns is early or late in the turn.
Racers, in particular, will be aiming to score well in this metric.
Balance
Skier leaning too far back
Forward Stance (Beginner/ Intermediate)
The most common balance issue for beginner and intermediate skiers is leaning too far back. With little pressure on the front half of the skis, you will struggle to make the ski turn when and where you want.
What Carv shows you:
Carv uses 36 pressure sensors in each boot to identify your center of balance, 25 times a second. It will tell you if you are moving forward as you start your turn. If you are too far backwards at the start of the turn, Carv will let give you tips and advice to help you fix it. Moving into an athletic stance will give you more control over your turns and take your skiing to the next level.
Foot Roll (Advanced)
At an advanced level, balance becomes a more dynamic problem. Your balance operates laterally (side to side) as well as fore and aft.
A hallmark of advanced skiing is the ability to direct pressure to the inside of the 'tripod' of the foot as you roll it over. This foot roll ensures you are stable against the outside ski as you increase your edge angle - leading to efficient skiing.
What Carv shows you:
Carv can identify how your foot's center of pressure moves laterally as you move through the turn - identifying if you have a stable base in your turns. This is data that has been unavailable to skiers until now, and Carv uses it to guide you with tips to help you improve.
Improve your balance with Carv
The Carv app has many features designed to help you improve your balance and fine-tune your skiing. Carv's interactive drills will take your skiing to the next level with turn-by-turn audio feedback, to help you get the most from your time on the slope.
- Develop your balance with Balance Training, and move through 20 levels of assessment.
- Use the Fore:aft ratio monitor to pinpoint your weight distribution.
- Tear it up in Free ski mode for audio feedback at the end of your runs.
Rotation
Skier struggles to keep skis parallel
Rotational Control (Beginner/ Intermediate)
Do you struggle to maintain rotational control of your skis and keep them parallel throughout the turn? When not parallel, the skis will move apart or converge into a snowplough, inhibiting your centred balance and reducing your ability to control the skis.
What Carv shows you:
With the Parallel Index metric, Carv shows you exactly how parallel your skis are throughout each run, so you can track your improvements. Improve your parallel index by transferring pressure to the outside ski more smoothly at the beginning of the turn. Your skis will turn more in parallel, and you’ll see your score approach the Target Zone of 60.
Pressure
Skier struggles to put pressure on outside ski
Outside Ski Pressure (Intermediate)
One of the foundations of skiing is learning to balance against your outside ski. A common issue for many intermediates is using the inside ski as a ‘crutch’, because, let's face it - learning to ski can sometimes be scary.
Learning to trust your outside ski unlocks the potential for exciting carving skiing and will help you to build control on icy terrain.
What Carv shows you:
A score of 100 represents all of your pressure on the outside ski, however, most skiers will be aiming to have between 60% and 85% of their pressure on the outside ski depending on the terrain and turn type.
It can be very difficult to know what the right outside ski pressure should feel like. Until now, skiers have had to develop numerous drills to help them learn this feeling. The good news is, Carv will tell you the exact pressure ratio you’re getting whenever you open your app.
What's the perfect amount of outside ski pressure, and how do you know when you've got there?
Turn Symmetry (Advanced)
Many advanced skiers have a dominant side when they ski, even if they are not aware of it themselves. This means that they achieve higher sustained edge angles in one turning direction, and struggle to ski with flow and control.
What Carv shows you:
Carv’s Turn Comparison: Pressure metric shows you which side is stronger, and by exactly how much, allowing you to track your symmetry as you improve. Try keeping pressure through the outside ski as soon as you begin each turn, to emphasise the pressure on the outside ski on your weaker side. Doing this successfully will push you towards the central Pro Zone, of between 45 and 55.
How many of these common skiing mistakes do you make?
If you really want to find your next breakthrough and improve your skiing, maybe it’s time for a digital ski coach.
