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July 1stーthe long-awaited day when bicycles are once again allowed on
the Nagano side road to Mt. Norikura.
At 6:00 a.m., the gate at Sanbondaki Parking Area opened, and I rolled out. About 50 minutes later, my e-bike had me at the foot of the snowfield.
There still seems to be plenty of snow this yearーeven compared with last
season, which was exceptionally snowy. Better yet, there are four mogul
lines running down the roadside snowfield. That's always good to see.
I got my gear on and headed straight for the first run.
The early-morning snow was just rightーnot too hard, not too soft. For
the first run, I focused on one thing only: staying in the B-tele icon
position, skiing the line without stopping.
"Yep... this works."
Once that was confirmed, it was time for the next challenge.
Today's goal was to keep the pressure against the snow as even as possible throughout the entire run.
Extend the legs to brake. Then shorten them to absorb the pressure. Cross over. Wait a brief moment before dropping onto the backside. Rotate, extend the legs again, and brake.
Through that whole sequence, I wanted to keep brushing the snow with the same gentle pressure all the way down.
Smooth... smooth... smooth...
If I wanted to ski slowly, then slowly from top to bottom. If I wanted speed, then fast all the way.
The speed could changeーbut the pressure should stay as flat and even as
possible.
This is an image that's much easier to realize with a free heel than with alpine gear.
Because the heel isn't fixed, there's much greater freedom of movement in the vertical axis. The heel lifts, allowing the knee to move farther forward. Because the knee can move forward, the hips don't have to drop back. And when the hips stay centered, there's no need to throw the upper body forward.
The result is a natural stance with relaxed shoulders, allowing the upper body and legs to rotate smoothly around one common axis.
If you can rotate quickly when you need to, then skiing slowly becomes easy too.
So the idea is to glide quietly down the moguls, almost as if you're licking the contours of the snow.
That's one of the pleasures of skiing with a free heel.
If there's one place where the beauty of free-heel skiing really shines
in the backcountry, where the snow has depth, I think it's in that soft
touchーand in the quietness.
Anyway, with six or seven runs under my belt, I was more than satisfied.
Just as the first busload of skiers arrived, I headed back down. I was back at the parking lot by 8:40 a.m.
It's about 130 km from my home to this parking lot.
If it were any closer, I'd probably be here every day. (Haha.)
By the way, the fastest way to develop B-tele is still skiing moguls.
"I understand the theoryーbut I can't quite make it happen."
If that sounds like you, feel free to get in touch.
I don't teach lessons in the moguls themselves, but I'd be happy to help you organize what to look for on the terrain, demonstrate the movements, and film your skiing.
Let's pick a sunny day and head to the mountains.
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