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RAVEN SKI CLUB
F.A.Q's.
Q How Does a Ski Work?
A Though it may seem hard to believe at times,
a ski is designed to turn. The turning characteristics of a ski have been
developed over the past 100 years, and have been influenced mostly by the
technology of the materials for constructing the ski and boots, rather than any
dramatic hangs in technique. In fact, changes in ski technique have always been
a result of new ski technology! For example, emphasis on the lower body (avalement,
etc.) over the upper body (Rude?) came about as a result of metal and fibreglass
and buckle boots. The athletic technique of the American Teaching System that
emphasises even more focus on the lower body and early edging is a result of
light-weight composite skis and plastic boots that deliver more of the skiers
movements directly to the ski. Now that shaped skis have hit the market with
their exaggerated sidecut, we are starting to see changes in the technique that
is most effective with these skis. And why is this important? Read on!
The turning components of a ski are: its sidecut, camber, torsion, and flex
pattern.
Sidecut: Lay your ski on the floor and if you look at it from above, note
that it is widest at the tip, narrowest in the middle, and it gets wider again
at the tail.
Camber: With your ski still on the floor, note that the middle of the ski
is up off the floor. Push down on the ski and note how much pressure that it
takes to get the entire base of the ski to touch the floor.
Torsion: (Use gloves for this test!) Now hold the ski vertically and
grasp the ski below the tip with one hand and grip the ski with the other hand
several inches below your other hand. Twist the ski with your hands twisting in
opposite directions. Can you feel it twist? You might not at first, so try
again. Torsion flex is very hard to feel.
Flex Pattern: Continue to hold the ski upright. Grasp the ski just below
the tip with one hand and put your other hand on the top surface of the ski just
where your boot would go between the toe and heel pieces of the binding. Now
press down with that hand. The ski will start to bend. How far can you make it
bend? (Don't worry you can't hurt the ski!)
Now repeat this with your "flexing" hand now halfway towards the tip
of the ski. Harder? Good. Now repeat towards the tail. Really hard, huh? Very
good.
OK, what did we learn? The ski flexes differently in different places. And it
twists! It also has an hourglass shape (the sidecut). Why? To explain, we'll end
up combining some of the turning characteristics we just experimented with.
Let's take the ski and put it back on the floor, where we looked for the sidecut,
preferably on a rug so we can see the pattern the edge will make. Tip the ski up
45 degrees on its edge and flex it so the middle of the ski is now touching the
floor (hard, huh?). Look at the mark in the rug. An arc! The ski has a built in
turn! Think what might happen if you could push the ski into something softer
than the rug (like snow!). An even sharper arc! You do this on the hill by
bending your knee forward (this "unlocks" your knee) and then moving
it to the inside of a new turn so the ski tips up on its side. Your weight
flexes the ski. The ski will cut a turn down and then across the hill. Try this
sometime with a gentle slope and lots of runout (this is called a (gravity
turn"). OK, so that is what the sidecut is for. What about camber, torsion,
and flex? Camber helps control how hard the ski pushes its tip and tail into the
snow. If there was no camber, the ski wouldn't track very well because when you
stood on the ski, the middle would sag down into the snow. The tip and tail
wouldn't have as much pressure into the snow, so they wouldn't be able to
"help" the ski track along its edge when you tipped it up on edge when
you turn. The ski would feel like a wet noodle.
Torsion helps the ski "hold" on hard snow by resisting the tendency
for gravity to twist the ski when you have it up on edge in a turn. A ski that
is torsionally stiff will feel very solid on hard snow. However, there is a dark
side. And that has to do with the overall flex pattern.
The overall flex pattern controls how the ski will flex when you lean forward or
back in your boots. The tip of the ski is softer so that the ski will cut a
sharper arc with less pressure at the start of the turn. This helps get the turn
started. Now torsional flex helps at this point. This is the dark side. A
torsionally stiff ski (one that holds well on hard snow) is also hard to start a
turn with (it resists flexing right?). Making a ski that holds well and is easy
to turn is the holy grail of ski manufacturing. More on this when we talk about
shaped skis.
Overall flex also controls how well the ski exits a turn. At this point in the
turn you have picked up some speed and then crossed the fall line (you changed
direction). This equals big-time centrifugal force. The ski has to deal with
this. That's why the tail is stiffer than the tip. A very stiff ski will soak up
that force like a sponge and if you're not careful, throw it back at you when
you start the next turn.
So to summarise: the ski makes the turn. You just put it in position and then
reap the rewards. You first tip the turning ski (the new outside ski which is
the current uphill ski and will become the next downhill ski - still with me?)
up on edge. You do this by pushing your knee forward and to the inside of the
new turn. A bonus: by pushing your knee forward you have also flexed the tip of
the ski creating a nice arc that is perfect for getting your turn started. If
you keep the middle of your body driving downhill toward the middle of the new
turn, you keep your balance against the building centrifugal forces as the turn
starts to develop by putting more weight (pressure = more flex = more arc) on
the turning, outside ski. Careful! This might really arc the ski and if you are
moving fast, may overflex the ski. This would force the ski to lose it's grip on
the snow and skid, releasing all its flex (goodbye turn). You can manage all
this pressure by continuing to flex your ankles, knees, and hips to absorb that
extra energy. Stay balanced on the turning ski and ride out the turn. Now use
all that energy you have captured in your hips, knees, and ankles and use it to
start the next turn: simply start to stand up in the direction of the next turn.
This will push the ski into the snow, flexing it into a new arc and a new turn.
Smile and repeat as needed.
Q Where do I buy equipment and clothing?
A Before dashing out to the nearest ski shop and spending lots of hard earned on equipment recommended by the shop assistant (who probably hasn’t raced in his life) ask within the club for second hand gear. We find that because our younger racers grow so quickly they often out grow good equipment ski’s especially. The most important equipment are Boots and helmets these may be worth buying new but our coaches are available to help and advise. There are always Raven Ski suits coming up for sale. For older racers be aware of ski’s with base wear out! For the younger racers its not to critical because they don’t carry the body weight so less friction and the ski bases are normally OK.
Q What are the differences in the start licence
A ESC issue a start license (once you have registered with them ) for starting races under the British jurisdiction. (Plastic, UK snow (Scottish) and UK Championships on snow abroad), but not FIS races (races held under the jurisdiction of the world governing body) To gain a FIS license a certain standard has to be reached and of course its more expensive, a full license costs £160 after August 2000. FIS racing should be your goal but only when you are ready.
Q What are seedpionts and how are they calculated?
A Look upon seedpoints as a way of comparing your performance with that of other racers. The best plastic racer on the ESC list will have 0 points. Seedpoints are calculated as follows :-
RACE POINTS.
Every time you race you will get a Racepoint. This is a direct comparison between your time and that of the winner of the race. The race winner has a 0 racepoint.
Racepoint = your time / winners time –1 * a constant.
The constant (usually in slalom 570,580 or 590 – it changes occasionally between seasons ) is merely to obtain a suitable spread of points between racers.
e.g. 1. Your time =18secs / Winners time = 12 secs. –1 *580 = a racepoint of 290.
However not all races are of the same standard. A Club National race is unlikely to have the same standard of entry as the European Championships. Therefore each race has a Race Penalty Point that reflects its standard.
RACE PENALTY POINT.
The Race Penalty Point formula is ( S + T – N ) / 10.
Where T = sum of the seedpoints of the 5 best seeded starters.
S = sum of the seedpoints of the 5 best seeded racers in the first 10 finishers.
And N = sum of the race points, in the race in question, of those 5 finishers used in S.
e.g. 2. T could be 2+2.4+3.6+4.3+7.7 =20.
S could be 2+3.6+4.3+7.7+12.4 =30. (i.e. the racer with 2.4 seedpoints did not finish.)
N could be 0+0.2+1.8+2.3+3.7 = 8.
Therefore 20 + 30 – 8 = 42 / 10 = a race penalty point of 4.2.
Peter Heath, the National Seeder, does adjust race penalty points on occasions. He never allows a negative race penalty point. A race such as the European Championships will have a minimum race penalty point of 0, although this point could often be greater than 0. Grand Prix races usually have a minimum race penalty point of 5, while for Club National races the minimum point is usually 10. Last year‘s Raven Club National race was of an excellent standard and had a race penalty point of 10, although many other Club Nationals were of a lower standard and consequently had a much greater race penalty point.
It might appear from this that it is always better to enter races of a higher standard, and this is probably true for good racers with low seedpoints. However those in their earlier days of racing might get better point in a Club National, where although the race penalty point is greater the race points will be lower, because the winner will be less quick than a Grand Prix winner.
RESULT.
The Result you obtain from a race is YOUR RACE POINT + THE RACE PENALTY POINT.
In the examples above this would be 290 + 4.2 = 294.2
SEEDPOINT.
Your Seedpoint will be either the average of the best 2 Results in a season, but not using 2 from the same venue. Or the best result in a season + 20% (10 points minimum load ). Or last year’s end of season point + 20% ( 10 points minimum load ).
At the end of a season an expert racer could have won 2 of the better races and have a seedpoint of 0. If this is not the case then the points will usually be zero adjusted at the end of the season. i.e. if the best racer has 2.1 points then his\her points will be reduced to 0, and all other racers points will also be reduced by 2.1.
For snow races the system is very similar.
At FIS. standard the 0 pointed racer for Giant Slalom might well be Hermann Maier. The constants for working out race points are different for each discipline, but their purpose is still to obtain a suitable spread of race points. For example in Giant Slalom the constant is usually 810 or 820.
BASS. points are usually related to F.I.S. points and are not therefore themselves zero adjusted.
Male and female points are now calculated totally independently from each other in both plastic and snow races. I hope this is clear ?
Brian Morris. 3-11-00.
Q What does it mean to be a "registered racer" ? When should my child register? How do you become a registered racer? What are the different types of registration/licences available?
A A racer has to be registered with our governing body (English Ski Council) if they wish to race in national races (Club National, Grand Prix, English, British or Alpine races) For a new racer just beginning, it is not essential to become registered if you only intend at first to compete in the Raven winter series , Rossendale summer series, Schools races or NESA Championships. These races are out side ESC jurisdiction, The racers coach will tell you when he thinks your ready for registering. Once registered ESC will send you a race folder with all relevant information on the current race season and start licence. Once you take part in a registered race seed points will be awarded for completion of a race but that’s another story. Registration also includes third party insurance which is always worthwhile. Current registration fees are around £35 per year , Pauline has the registration forms.
There is also an international registration with FIS (the overall world governing body) for International snow racing . These races are organised by FIS and a certain standard has to be achieved before you can apply for an International Start Licence and of course comes with a hefty fee.
Q How do you find out where and when the snow races take place?
A If you are a registered racer you will receive a race calendar in November. For non registered or if you have lost the race calendar there are various web sites BSSF or ESC and of course our web site (the BSSF and ESC sites are on Ravens web site links page) The BSSF telephone No is 0131 445 7676
Q What are all these abbreviations?
A I am constantly asked about the abbreviations and terms I use when talking about the in's and out's of skiing So I am going to give explanations as many of them as I can remember.
We will start at the top, FIS. Federation international de Ski, responsible for the international competitive side of our sport World Cups, World Championships, etc. BSSF, British Ski & Snowboard Federation. Made up of the home nations ruling bodies and is responsible for the running of the British teams. ESC, English Ski Council. Responsible for the day to day running of all aspects of our sport in this country. SNSC, Scottish National Ski Council. SCOW, Ski Council Of Wales. NISC, Northern Ireland Ski Council are all national bodies like ESC.
NESA, North of England Ski Association, is one of nine regional bodies in England, responsible for the grass roots development of our sport. NESA is itself made up of representatives of the clubs in the region Two members of NESA represent the region at ESC. the NESA region covers clubs from Middlesbrough up to the Scottish border and west to Carlisle and Keswick
ARC, Alpine Race Committee, covers alpine and plastic racing. ROTP, Race Organisation Technical Panel, speaks for it's self I think. TD, Technical Delegate, looks after the rules at races for ESC, BASI, British Association of Ski Instructors. CL Club instructor. ASSI Artificial Ski Slope Instructor. The BASS Seed List, British Alpine Seeding System (for snow). A list of points earned in races and gives an indication of performance. ESC Seed List, as for BASS but on plastic. Ranking List, an annual ranked list of performers in the GP Series (Grand Prix Series).
Some common abbreviations from racing DNS, did not start. DQS, disqualified. DNF, did not finish. STAMPING, This is when a racer steps on to the turning slalom pole instead of going around it. STRADDLE This is when one of a racers ski’s goes on the wrong side of a slalom pole. WIPE OUT, Means wipe out.
I hope you haven't found this OTT (over the top)
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