The Sky's the Limit

[Music] One of the strongest forces within nature is the force generated by a turning motion. The human body has the ability to generate and sustain this turning motion with a minimum of effort. [Music] In skiing, this is called turning power. The basic turn is a natural movement of the lower body. Modern skiing techniques are based upon this turning motion. This man is Cliff Taylor, originator of the graduated length method of ski instruction. Cliff's GLM method is based on the body's natural turning power and his basic exercises, one of which he is demonstrating here. Cliff Taylor's 30 years of ski designing, demonstration, and instruction has perfected this method in its application to every level and aspect of skiing. And with a little help from his friends, Cliff will show you how to apply the GLM method to the various aspects of advanced skiing. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Located in the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee offers a unique and practical facility for training in all facets of the GLM ski method. At the Gatlinburg Ski Area, accessible by a beautiful two-mile tram ride over the Smokies, a large area of Monsanto Astroturf snowcape surface has been installed. This unique, durable material allows yearround skiing and training. Cliff Taylor uses this fine area as a summer training facility for his GLM training programs. Gatlinburg's comfortable accommodations and weatherproof ski surface make it ideal for concentrated training. Cliff's GLM method consists of a series of basic exercises. These exercises practiced on any surface prepares the skier for all aspects of the sport. This simple basic exercise allows you to develop proper rhythmic turns, edge control, proper body position and balance for controlling the skis. Foot turns, small degree turns are made by moving just the feet. Knee turns or larger turns turn with your knees. Hip turns. By turning the entire lower body, combining feet, knees, and hips, you increase the degree of your turn up to 90°. Practicing a rhythmic one, two, cha chaacha count allows you to vary the degree of the turns without interrupting your motion. Turning exercises for improving balance are right foot only, left foot only, alternate ski. Combinations of these are used to perform the required movements for freestyle and other advanced ski techniques. >> Just finished the basic parallel turning power exercises for general recreation skiing. The person I'm skiing with is Billy Peterson, one of the world's top freestyle coaches. Now that you're familiar with Cliff Taylor's GLM exercises and turning power, I'd like to show you how they apply to freestyle skiing. Freestyle skiing is divided into three disciplines: ballet, moguls, and aerials. Ballet skiing is a series of moves performed on one or two skis. The majority of the steps are performed on the uphill and inside ski. This is the opposite technique of recreational skiing or racing. This allows freedom of motion for the dance-like routines that comprise ballet. In coaching freestyle techniques, I use Cliff's GLM approach. I use short skis and all the natural turning power exercises adjusting the student ski size to fit the various categories of ballet jumping and moguls. Kathy, David, and I will demonstrate for you the basic exercises that apply to both world champion and beginning freestyle skier. If you use these exercises with qualified instruction, you too can have fun and enjoy freestyle skiing. For ballet, the student and I start on 4-foot skis. By side slipping on the uphill ski, the student learns to control the outside edge. The body should be directly over and in line with the center of the ski to allow natural turning power. Confidence is built by traversing both forward and backwards on the uphill ski outside edge. 50% of ballet requires skiing backwards. Therefore, additional confidence must be built by skiing backwards within the fall line, which is straight down the hill. Combining side slip with backward skiing results in the basic two ski 360° spin. This basic exercise is first learned in steps, then learned in a continuous move. To learn a one ski spin, combine side slip with one ski turns into a one ski spin. Either foot may be used. Doing a series of one ski spins, it is important to maintain a smooth edge change from inside to outside and back again to inside edge. A crossover is a simple cross of the downhill ski over the uphill ski with a weight transfer to the new downhill ski. The royal position is the outside leg held in a position high and behind the body. The head remains up with the shoulders back. From a traverse, begin your crossover. And as the free leg swings out, assume the royal position and turn on the inside edge. This becomes the first combination move, a crossover to Royal Christy. Tip, drag, spin. Shift weight to the uphill ski. Drag your downhill tip to initiate the spin. When in the full backwards position, apply weight to both skis and complete spin. The javelin position is the downhill ski held at a 90° angle to the balance ski. Javelin spin. The body makes a 360° spin while held in the javelin position. Head held up, shoulder square with back straight. Royal spin. This move is a 360° spin while maintaining a royal position. Kick spin. To initiate, start with one ski tip drag spin. As you come through the fall line, the free leg is kicked high. This gives you momentum for the next spin and provides flare to the move. Perfecting the individual moves leads you into a variety of combinations that will become your own personalized routine. [Music] Ski design is an accessory to natural turning power. Proper parallel turning forces, rhythm, and balance can be applied to any ski design or length. To help learn advanced techniques, Elon skis are designed in different lengths with varying amounts of torsion flex, body flex, side cut, taper, and width patterns. The 100 cm ski is the key to the total parallel because its smallness allows the student total sensitivity and freedom of body motion. Later, the student can transfer to graduated length and then the final length he prefers. Modern bindings are designed to convey the maximum amount of turning power from the body to the ski, but they should flex and release under overstress conditions. The absence of a toe piece on the modern Spademan bindings allows the ski a more natural flex pattern for beginning and advanced skiing. It allows for a safer release because of the multi- unrestricted release ability to further aid turning power. Boots must also have a flex pattern. Several models of Reichley boots are produced for different aspects of skiing. For freestyle skiing, the boots should have a rigid lower shell with a highly flexible upper boot. For powder and recreational skiing, the most popular design is a fairly rigid lower shell and a medium flex upper shell. Racing demands a boot that is rigid overall for better control and quickness at higher speeds. The new design in Miller ski poles allows maximum control through grip contour and molded fit while offering optimum safety release. [Music] The spectacular vista of Mount Hood, Oregon, and the natural setting of Bowman's yearround resort creates a striking setting for our continued training program on snow. Here at Mount Hood Meadows, Cliff and Billy, students in tow, will be joined by area manager Renee Farwig. Cliff and Billy will continue their instructions and demonstrations. Renee will join them for some advanced racing advice. As in other forms of skiing, jumping requires a learning process. This learning is a graduated ski and jump size method. The beginning jumper should start on a jump two to three feet high and use the 120 cm GLM ski. The small ski assures ease of control while building confidence. Then graduate to a medium size 4ft high jump and use the 150 cm GLM ski. Jumping distance increases with jump height. Competition ability is perfected on standard jumps 5 to 6 feet high. Ski should be 170 to 190 cm in length. The ski length and jump size allows for maximum amount of air to perform aerial acrobatics. Body position dictates your balance and control in the air. Body position is established during the inrun approach. Proper position on approach is weight on the balls of feet, ankles and knees flexed forward, weight equal on both skis in a slight crouch position. As you move towards the takeoff lip, the hips and hands rise forward and up on waiting to create the lift momentum needed for height. This position is maintained in the air for balance. Body position at the takeoff is the same for every size jump. The landing technique requires that knees and ankles absorb the shock with weight returning to balls of feet and the body reassuming a slight crouch. For an ideal jump, inr run and landing position should be identical. By using the proper graduated jump height and proper graduated ski length, jumping can be a very safe and exciting aspect of skiing. As in other aspects of freestyle, once the basics are learned, you may add your own personalized acrobatics. [Music] Even the most intense training sessions must be broken up with a little fun. So, with a beautiful Oregon day, perfect spring conditions, and a mighty volcano at their backs, and Renee to guide them, it's Ski the Meadows Free Form style. [Music] To successfully ski the moguls, the student must be able to utilize all the Cliff Taylor GLM basic exercises. [Music] Combining up on waiting and down on waiting with the basic foot and knee turns prepares the skier for the quick turns of mogul skiing. [Music] To successfully ski a mogul field, turns must be made in the valleys and on the tops of the moguls. Starting on shorter skis makes it easier to learn the proper line and mogul techniques. [Music] Powder skiing is one of the most free feeling aspects of skiing. Proper learning techniques in powder skiing requires maximum natural turning power and the graduated ski length method because of the added resistance of powder snow. Powder skiing is a series of knee turns with the pressure on the heels but not sitting back. Turning is accomplished by banking the skis against the deep snow with weight evenly balanced on both skis. down and up unweighting with knee turns are the perfect exercises to perfect the technique. Even the world's top racers utilize the basic GLM exercise. However, racing requires a more exacting execution of these basic exercises. [Music] Unweing helps initiate an early turn to hold a high line and maximum speed. Sliding turns result in time loss. Thus, to maximize carved turns, you must exaggerate the knee turn. A rapid weight transfer on alternate ski will affect proper carved turns to increase holding ability. As you have seen, natural turning power is the key to all stages of ski technique. You can learn this natural turning motion through graduated length skis and proper instruction. Then become a part of nature and the wonder of creation. Ski the outer limits of the sport like this giant glacier on the west side of Mount Hood. Here above the tree line and across the lava covered snow fields, the true exhilaration of skiing combines with a unique free form experience of life. This giant glacier at the top of the world gives any skier the chance to prove to himself that through GLM and the advanced ski techniques, the sky's is the limit. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. [Music] [Music]