Sandi Murovec - Skiing Fundamentals

Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Big Picture Skiing podcast. On today's show, you'll meet Sandy Murawiec. Sandy is a ski coach and has worked with such top-class athletes as Tina Maze, so he has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to high-end ski technique. Some of the things I think you'll enjoy getting out of this episode, uh, I put to Sandy questions like what would be if he had to create his own demo team with people sort of from scratch in a very short period of time, what are the essentials, what are the fundamental things he would teach and coach them. So, it's interesting to hear his ideas and drills and philosophies on that. It's also really interesting to hear his stories working with some of the World Cup athletes and just his message on, you know, coaches need to be clear. So, there's a really good interesting story in there where he talks about working with one of the teams, and he puts the question to all the athletes and coaches about what does it mean to make a particular movement. I think the cue was like hips up and forward, or get your hips up. And so that's really interesting. You'll hear everyone had their own take on it. So his, his, his point here is if you're coaching, you need to be really clear and make sure everyone is on the same page about what a coaching cue means. So, I think that's a fantastic point. I really hope you enjoy this episode. Sandy is very gracious with his time. He also has a book and several apps on the App Store that you can check out by going to Amazon and also on Google Play. And then finally, before we get started, a quick plug for my own website, bigpictureskene.com, We're approaching the next winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Sam, my business partner and I, we've been working on creating more videos, more content on a variety of different things. Sam's been creating info lessons on racing, analysis, the line, how to start, all this sort of stuff, and I've been working on some bump videos, extra exercises, details on the white pass turn, how to ski intermediate bumps and in the fall line. Lots of new stuff coming, we've filmed a bit of content in New Zealand as well, we finally got to get together at Roundhill and had an amazing time skiing that hill, that's a bucket list one for sure, such a great view and wide open perfectly groomed runs. But yes, if you've not checked out bigpictureskiing.com, you can learn skiing online at your own pace from world-class coaches, and find out all the details that we think about and put into our videos. And if you really like that, we also offer online coaching for the season through our Academy program. That's an apply-only thing, and so if you're interested in that and you'd like to get constant feedback, video analysis, join weekly classes and others, and really change and improve your skiing through progressive, gradual, incremental changes, as opposed to like all hit at once, then the Academy is what I think will really get you there. Okay, without further ado, let's get into the episode with Sandy Morawiec.

Welcome, Sandy. Thanks for joining us. Hey, to kick this off, can you give the listeners some background on you as a skier?

Uh, yeah, so first, um, hello to everyone. Of course, um, I'm happy to speak to Down Under again. I just, just before we started, I told you that I used to work in Australia, so it was long ago, but just we are connected and I have some people down there also from my family living in Wollongong. So yeah, let's get back to my story. So I'm coming from Slovenia, which is a small country, as you know, but very sporty oriented. So we are really strong in all kinds of sports, and particularly skiing. So this is kind of a national sport, which means that almost every kid we put on, on the skis. So, and it was the same with me. So I started when I was 3 years old, yeah, and like any others, so we started to compete first, and then I joined the club, and everything went okay until I was injured. I had a crash, injured my ankle, which was kind of, yeah, complicated because it took almost 2 seasons to just to get back in the normal situation. And you know that when you are a kid, 2 seasons means ages. And so I had to decide what to do with my skiing. I was 13 in that time, and I was always technically How to say it? I mean, clear. So kind of a role, if I can say it so, because I was kid anyhow. But that was something I was very focused in. It meant a lot to me. So to know every time what to do, how to do, I don't want to say that I was complicated, you know, but just it was not like— doesn't matter. So, and then after that accident, I just, I was of course first talking to my father, so what to do. He said, so we cannot afford to support you with extra coach because You know, skiing anyhow is very expensive, but so we gonna still support you if you stay in skiing. And at the same time, I was asked like, come on, Muri, stay here, so at least we would like to have you here just to, let's say, somehow demonstrate. But I was of course, not experienced in that channel. And so first, then I decided to go through all the, you know, the Students' Instruction stuff. So I had to join the courses. Of course, first I had to wait that I was 16. I was skiing all the time in the meantime. And then the rest is just normal procedure. It was— I was lucky because I was very, very young, uh, and later that was actually advantage, uh. And so then I finished all the trainers and instructors courses, and then I became a demonstrator, uh, and, um, that's how it started. And I started to work with any kind of, uh, skiers. So on one hand, I was asked by the the racers, uh, and the other I had to gain my experience working with just ordinary skiers. Um, you know how it goes in the business, then somebody sees you and invited you somewhere. If you do it well, then it just grows like a snowball. So, uh, and that's how I ended in Australia. Then I met more people, then I started to shoot for magazines. I don't know, just how it goes. Let's say that you are doing it in quite proper way. And then I became a very strong, that's what I can say, member of Slovenian demonstration team. I was is lately a member of— a 7-time member of the InterSki team. So, and I started to work with the World Cup team in Slovenia, and then once you enter the World Cup, you know, you get into the even bigger story. And, you know, in the World Cup, more or less, you talk about everything in skiing, not just, just techniques, equipment, snow preparation, all kinds of stuff, as mentioned.

And then, so, and then today, like, now, what are you— what's your What's your like usual season like today? Like maybe last season, what did you— what do you end up doing?

How many different roles? What do I do?

Yeah, like do you— in, in this last season, are you mostly coaching a couple of athletes?

Are you— yeah, yeah, yeah. So, uh, momentarily, so I'm— so I, I, I ended my World Cup career with Tina, Tina Maze, back in 2017, 2016-17, and then I had a break because I needed— it's a very tough game. Maybe it looks quite easy from the couch, but it's not really so. It's, I think, more mentally exhausting than physically, but also physically because you have to fly all around. I mean, just, just, just, you cannot sit down just for a minute. So, and then it was a project with Tina actually after then So we promised to make a movie about our trainings. Maybe we can get back to this later. And after then, usually, let's say the script, the book, is the base of the movie, but in this case we just turn it upside down. So we still, while training, we were talking like, wouldn't it be interesting so for people to see how do we train? Because it's kind of a strange question, like what the best skiers are really training.

I mean, they are so good, so yeah, what do they need to do to keep getting better or what?

Yes, exactly. So And, but of course you have to train because not just skiing, any sport, it just goes, goes, goes somewhere. I mean, even when we were talking, let's say 20 years ago, so when the Comming skis came out and after a couple of seasons, we said, that's it. So it couldn't be better. But now if you check the movies, I mean, it's just completely different. I mean, so even the racers, so when you, when you watch the videos, so it's, it's a big difference. So you see, that means that actually it goes year by year and you have to follow it. Um, so, and so you have to work especially over the summer. Uh, and of course, where to gain some time. I mean, I'm talking about skiing the course, uh, how, how to get that hundredth of a second. So you shouldn't underestimate that. So every hundredth of a second could be a huge gap, especially when we talk about big races. So you can be third or fourth, which is completely different. And so we said, so that might be very interesting for the people. So let's try to keep the word and let's make a movie after you finish. And she said, yeah, but you know, it's easy, quite easy to say, and it's much, much more difficult, much harder to do that. Anyone who ever made, actually was making a movie, so that's another killing stuff. And so I was quite busy then, and as I said, 2 years ago, actually after then, then I made a book which is called Vengas, Master, and covers Yeah, literally all skiing, from normal skiers, beginners, and up to the World Cup racers and juniors in between racers. So that was, that was it. And, uh, at the same time, so, uh, this UPS concept which I innovated, and it means using prolonged skis. So it's, uh, it was really designed just to, to, to, to help the people to get all this information faster in a better way, and especially with, with, uh, actually by using the advantages of the new skis, uh, because that's why they were made for. And then we sold this franchise because in the meantime it became franchise. So this is the logo, actually, somewhere here. And that became a franchise for also for merchandising, for all the products now. So it's a brand here in Slovenia. Some people even don't know what does it mean, they just know the brand because we produce all kinds of stuff. So, and then we sold Freshies to Russia and unfortunately now, so it's a shitty situation, so I would like to comment on this now. And I was very happy that China decided among all the others to pick my book to become a base of their complete system. And University of Beijing, they came here.

Wow.

So, and we have done it. I mean, it's printed in a hard copy, and it was issued back in October, but again, unfortunately, it's not yet time. COVID stopped everything, so we are now— I was not there yet, so, and, you know, that's the first push. Until I do not go there, so we cannot start, and after then you need to educate master instructors. You have to set the system. So, so you see, so it's— I've been in skiing a long time.

Yeah, yeah. Hey, so then give— with all this experience, uh, of yours, say a pretend situation. I give you, uh, 6 skiers you know, they, they can ski, and but they've— they're doing their, you know, first or second level instructor certificate, and your job is to turn them into demonstrators for that country, and you've got 4 years. Would you be able to describe what do you think would be, say, some core elements you would do with these people?

Sorry, so they are let's say. So they are already certified instructors, uh, like level 1, most basic, most basic.

So they, you know, they can do a snowplow, do some turns, but they really don't know much. What would you do?

So Interski, 4 years, they were never like racers before, they just became instructors, like ordinary skiers. Okay, um, and here's it—

here's the pressure. And you, and you want to show that your system works so well that at Interski in 4 years' time, people like, oh my God, Sandy produced this team of 6 people, and you know, he had this time, and that was the one coach. And, and so it was really impressive to see where they've come in, in 4 years.

Okay, first of all, this is not— and it would not be a pressure because if skiing is a pressure, then this is not skiing, not as I understand it. So you skiing, so you like it. If you don't like it, so we'll not argue about it. So it's not pressure, it should be fun. The rest is up to me. So if I'm a good instructor, actually, if I'm the one to direct this way, so it's it's up to me. First of all, of course, we know there is not a two person that would be exactly the same. So we have 6 different cases. And one of the biggest mistakes, no matter do we instruct instructors or racers, is that we do trainings on a common way. I mean, everyone has to do the same stuff. Of course you have some basics that everyone should do, but anyhow, so this is a very individual thing and we have to approach it in the same way. One that I should point out, one of, so let's say, illogical issues is that we never take care, or not enough at least, so that they really understand what we are doing. It's the same and even more obvious when we work as trainers with kids. We always somehow I'm not saying that this is an intention, uh, but that's how we do it in the practice. So we are coaches. I'm a coach, you are a racer, so just listen and do it. So, uh, I'm behind this word, so it just feels— so I have to assure myself and everyone that, that, that, that They really do understand what we do. Why? It's a very simple, simple question, actually simple fact. How can you, how can you do something on a perfect level if you don't understand perfectly before? It's impossible. Why? Because even if you do it in a perfect way, but if you don't understand in the same way, that means you were just lucky. It was a lucky coincidence that you do it in a perfect way, because if you don't understand it, it means you just did it. So, and you, you were just waiting for my comment. For the same skiing, I could say it was bad, you would think, okay, it was bad. If I say, wow, it was good, you say, oh, thank you. But but you have no idea. So let's get it back. So if you don't understand it in a good— in a proper way, and that's what we have to do. Yes, uh, that's, that's the first problem.

Can I, can I say— let me say one, one comment there that's really interesting. Just a few days ago, uh, my business partner and I, we interviewed the ex-Norwegian Alpine team coach. So pretty successful coach. He said almost the exact same thing. He said with his athletes, one of the first things he needs to do is take away his role of them relying on him for, was this good, was that right? And so he gets— he actually gets the, the the Norwegian team members to come in on video analysis, and, you know, they, they actually talk to each other about what they're doing and explain it. And I, so I think it's very interesting, same page. And, uh, I'll let you continue.

Yeah, and of course, uh, you need kilometers to, to, to get to all this. Perceptions, unless, I mean, it sounds now, it sounds logical, but again, when you check how do they do it live on the snow, so unfortunately it's, let's say, 80% it goes like this. So I can tell you so many cases. So one I'm not making this up now, just, I will tell you. So 2 years or 3 years ago, I was asked to direct, to run a technical training for our World Cup speed team. So the guys who are skiing GS and Super-G and downhill.

Tom Gellie.

And there's a guy who's top 30 guys in the world, and I was watching him. So all morning he was quite high, I mean, with stretched legs, stretched knees, and okay, I said, okay, maybe he's not warmed up yet enough or whatever. So, but then one round, two rounds, three rounds, so it was more or less the same, and then I stopped him, I mean actually when we were going up with the t-bar, that was in Kaunertal, and I said: "Clemen, tell me just because I don't want to now criticize you just from the first hit, let's say, just tell me first, so why are you skiing so high? I mean, all of a sudden I have you in my mind, I mean, your skiing, previous skiing, so you were never so high. And he said, yeah, I mean, I even don't feel right, but everybody's saying I should ski with high hips. So you see exactly the— that's a typical case.

Totally.

Of course, it's not a wrong, let's say, input or info, like key. Yeah, high hips. But we should take care about how does it sound, how somebody perceives it. Because on the first hit, come on, if I, if I ask audience right here now, I don't know who is listening, but probably we are not just the two of us. If I say high hips, automatically that means I have to stand higher. But no, trainers, they mean that you are not leaning back behind your knees, so you should move hips forward, that you are centrally positioned. That means high hips. But if you don't make it sure that they, they do understand it this way, they will just stand up. Yeah.

World Cup athlete, a World Cup athlete.

And I said, ah, okay, okay, okay. Thanks, thanks, Clement. I don't want to, to, to, to, to, to, to, uh, say like go against, I know, but just please, I'm joining on the start. Let's go to the start. We went to the start and usually you just, you know, you go around, you go around because you, you don't want to wait for, for every racer and it takes too much time. But in that case I said, so I'm going to stop everyone. Please don't. Go yet, wait for the others. So everybody came, the racers and the coaches. It was 4 coaches because, you know, you have more stuff than, and then just, just, just one coach, uh, servicemen, but they are also co-coaches. So I said, guys, sorry. Uh, because I, I, I just stopped the, the, the, the, process, but just, just, I think we have a problem and we have to clear it right now. Otherwise we're just going to do the mess. Actually, it's done already, but yeah, better later than never to solve it. So I'm going to ask a simple question. I don't want that you start all answering at once. So the, and first I would like to to hear the coaches, which was— it could be quite some kind of embarrassing, but that's— if you are honest, just you have to do it. So we are responsible for these guys. And I said, it's a simple question, guys, what do you mean by saying ski with a high hips? Even not two answers were the same from the coaches, even not two. And I said again, don't take it wrong, guys, I'm not now—

yeah, yeah, yeah.

Can you— and, and the racers were watching, like, we have a problem. Again, and now I turned to the racers. The answers from the coaches, they were not the same, but still the intention was actually the same, and then it was delivered in a good way, I mean, but everybody was confused. So I said, guys, you see, That's what is one of the most crucial problems. We don't make ourselves sure that, that, uh, racer understands what we do. And, and the racer doesn't want to say, I don't understand, because it would mean he's stupid, he's not capable to understand it. So he's just, yeah, yeah, cool.

Nodding head.

Exactly. And then somehow he does it. Of course, sooner or later we make it clear, but it takes 2 seasons sometimes. Hey guys, we don't have the time. Actually, it's not fair. So, and then of course we made it clear. So high hips means that you are trying to stay above the center of the skis. Of course, you know, entering a turn, you're a bit forward, blah blah.

So yeah, yeah, yeah.

But in general, so it means— or if I turn it upside down, it does— it means that you don't lean behind your knees. That's, that's it. So, and I said, guys, if you ask me, this is a wrong term, high hips. If you think that somebody is low with his body mass center, then simply say, go higher.

Yes.

If you talk about hips, we have 3 criteriums. Once is just simply say, you are too much backward placed too much back. So try to push yourself forward. That's the first thing, the first, the first criteria. The second is how they are horizontally placed.

So in case people are listening, I'll just say that's probably, uh, like rotational, like bird's eye view.

Yeah, yeah. So I'm going to say rotational alignment. Turn too soon and too much out of the turn. If I do this turn now—

yep, so he's saying like counted, too counted, rotated too soon to the turn.

That's the second criteria, but you have to just describe it. I mean, that's it, that's how it goes. It's not the high, the low. No, when we, when we talk about high, low, it's about your body center, uh, body mass center. That's it. And the third criteria is how far you can place them away from your skis. That's the third, because if you keep your hips above your skis, then you are not racing, then you are traveling.

Yeah.

Uh, that's how it goes. Of course, everybody agreed and said, so from now just use this terminology. So I mean, when you do the scan, when you do the analyze, just say how it goes. Somebody is leaning, somebody's rotating, somebody's too much above the skis, somebody's too, too much behind, sitting too much backward. Just say it directly. It's not— you cannot be solved by, hey, But it was quite okay. But try this to be higher hips. I mean, that's my perception. Sorry. So, uh, and that's, uh, that's one of the cases, but not, not, not the only one. So let's get back to my group of 6 people now.

Yep.

So you see, and so that, that's what I would be very focused actually. Like an early on guess, like early on, hey everybody, do we do snowplow or do we do whatever, yes, or plant, I have to describe it. I mean, not describe it just because of description, but because I have to make it sure that they do understand what are we doing.

Yes.

So, and it's so many things because then people, they are relaxed because they know what are they doing. And of course then the process is much faster. They are not, they are not, they don't, they do not feel frustrated because if you think that you don't understand but you don't dare to ask, it's a frustration. And they are just adding, keeping, and the next thing you cannot even do it because I said, except if you are lucky and somehow you do it but you don't know how. So that's so very much important. Then the next thing is a proper building. So like a house, you cannot start with the roof, and I'm not joking now. So you cannot— again, let's say today's skiing, if I would have, as you said, the 6 people. And we know that we talk about modern skiing, which is based on 2 techniques. Again, I'm talking as I understand skiing and as I say it. That means we have a carving technique, so which is based on overturning ankles, and we have a rotational technique which is based on rotating feet. So that's, that's, that's, that's two things, but rotating feet is not very difficult stuff, but The final skiing is a combination. It's not just carving. That's another proper wrong perception of modern skiing. So everybody thinks, especially ordinary people, that meaning of modern skiing is carving.

Carving everywhere, top to bottom.

No, everywhere, every time, every moment, on every place. So it's not the base— the basic criteria is speed control. That's a good skier. And to keep the speed control, if we know that the terrain is never the same, so it's changing all the time, that the surface of the snow is different, sometimes icy, sometimes blah blah, so, and sometimes it's a narrow narrow place, sometimes it's wide, so sometimes it's crowded, sometimes not crowded. So it means the speed control means are you a good skier or not. So, and that means that if you want to control the speed, you have to combine carving and rotational technique. But how can you combine something that you know first each of one. So if you don't know how to carve properly, you cannot combine it with rotational technique, so, and vice versa. So that's why I would start, of course, with exercising basics of carving, and that's now another, let's say, it could be a trap. So when we talk about learning carving technique, it's first about training ankles. So overturning— without this, there's no carving. Of course, you can do it by leaning, and that's the carving. Actually, some moments of some meters of carving is a consequence, but then after all, you fall. Actually, you don't stand it. And so that means that you start with ankles working, and that's why I said for me it's like building the house. You start with the base and then with the walls and the plate, and again, and the roof comes at the end. So it's very important again.

Can I ask you then, say we're, we're there watching you now do a session on the ankles and carving, do you have a favorite drill you'd like to use for this? What's your favorite?

I mean, it's more, it's more, it's more of them. And, uh, the first, again, it's very important that you, you, you you enable the basic, basic things, issues that they will be then able to do that. So what do I mean? So once one of those is, let's say, your shoulders, your body, so it should stay open into the direction of the next turn. Only by that you enable enough place to your inner ankle to be activated, because the inner ankle is the key. Outside ankle, it's easy, it's quite easy to, to, to activate. But inside ankle, for someone who is not experienced, gives the feeling that you will, that you will injured the ankle almost. So because, yeah, you have to lean inside, you have to twist it, uh, actually twist it. It's in the boot, of course, but still, yes, yes, even your ankle could be twisted in the ski boot. So, um, so that's, that's, that the perception of this move is— I know, and again, that's— you have to feel the skiers. It's not like, ah, it's easy. No, it's not easy. It's easy for me or for you, but it's not, not, not for them. So you have to go step by step. So first of all, there is no inner ankle activation if your shoulders are turned out. No way. You will be always in A position.

Yeah, it actually pulls that inside ankle into pronation when you're trying to roll it out.

Exactly. I'm talking about inexperienced racers. Of course, I can do it, or you can do it with inner ankle even if I'm twisted there, but just So how to help them? Even also when we talk about the kids, I mean, even kids racers. So that's, that's, that's, that's, that's all the same. Uh, why so many are skiing in A position? That's why. And I'm going back to our story because I was pointing out the building of the house. So many times and many instructors and trainers, they start with hips, which is wrong. Sorry, once you activate hips in the same moment, if you are not already— if you did not atomize your simultaneous ankle activation, means that, that once a hip goes across the ankle which was not activated, it locks it. It locks it. It's impossible to activate it after that. So it's always like first ankles and then hips. Before, in skiing, it was first hips and then ankles. What was actually possible because, you know, with the radius of 45 meters. So yeah, inner ski was almost non-active, but, but just, just, just, just leave it there. So, uh, that's, that's why I'm saying first ankles. Ankles, and then we do exercises. So you have many of them. We put the names, different names, in this UPS system. We do not like in conventional manual, so do this progressions like elements. We said this is enough, I mean, it's boring, it's killing the stuff, let's just name it. So, and for us the first one is called a straitjacket. Straight jacket. I have it up here.

Yeah, yeah, okay, that's this one.

So, okay, okay, the really straight jacket would be like this.

So arms crossed, crossed in front, like holding your shoulders like a straight jacket.

Yeah, so you are, as you see, you, uh So the outside arm goes across your body, you grab the inside hip, yeah, and the other arm is just helping you to keep the balance, but this way you are not turning down to the bottom and that enables enough space for this ankle to be activated.

Yeah, okay, so the upper body position by how you place the arms enables you to be able to— it doesn't actively turn the ankle on, you have to still activate it, but it puts you in the right position.

First, yeah, you have to, to make, uh, the conditions, yeah, the right conditions that somebody will be able to, to activate anchor. That's what we were talking before. So yeah, I should be just instructor who is full of himself, like, I mean, it's easy. Yeah, of course it's easy for me. Yeah, but not—

you figured it out.

I mean, I shouldn't, I shouldn't perceive it this way. Of course my demonstration is so clear and everything. I, I'm, I'm sure that some of the guys listening now are playing golf. You know how it's easy when it's golf Instructor comes, he hits every time exactly the same. Say, yeah, come on, give me, give me the club. Come on. You know, the shortest joke about the, the, the golf is, I know playing golf. That's the shortest joke ever. So you, you never know how to play golf. Yeah, but I mean, I was saying how easy does it look. And it's the same when we are in the same position as instructors. Of course it should look easy, otherwise so we are not instruct— good instructors. But it doesn't mean it's easy. So to say roll your ankles, it's just like let's go for a beer. It's not like that.

Yeah, that's right.

Uh, we have to enable it. We have to— we we have to set the right conditions to get the good results. So, and that's why I'm saying, so we have to set the body and first in the correct position, correct for this, for this exercise, actually to get to the, to the goal. Of course, later we're not skiing this way, but my, my, my goal was to make training in a way that they don't need to think too much. They should just play, they should just enjoy, they should have fun. And it's much easier if you have to improvise some, some figures. Like you say straitjacket and it's a straitjacket. In conventional ski school we would do, wow, again, we should do ba ba ba every millimeter, this hand should be placed exactly 20 centimeters away from my push. It's straight jacket, finito, because we are focused down and to the ankles. And that's how you started. And I can tell you, so before you said you would give me 4 years to get someone to become demonstrator, I mean, if they were normal skiers and let's say sportsmen. So it would take one, one, one year.

Yeah, I could see that. Yeah, I could see that. You put the right environment in place.

It's not, it's not, it's not now that we are smartasses here. So it's, it's more, it's more like, so, um How do I perceive it? So, and then you start working on ankles and then you can, you can, uh, do different things. Uh, my idea was to use short skis and we're using 90 centimeters long skis that you just feel like you are on the rollerblades, on the skates. And that was my idea why everyone can learn to skate and rollerblade so fast. Of course, nobody is Olympic champion in 2 days, but every single one can skate and rollerblade in 2 days. At least he's going somewhere. Uh, of course, uh, he doesn't do pirouettes or whatever, but, but just— we don't expect that. But just in skiing, it takes ages just to get to that snowplow, actually to get yourself down to the bottom somehow and you're still full of frustrations. So I said, so what's the key? What's, what's, where's the catch? Where is the, what's the point? I mean, and you know that quite soon after carving skis came out, we start talking like it's very similar to skating and rollerblading. That was for me, it was perfect, perfect fact. And, and with short skis, you just feel somehow familiar with that.

So it's just déjà vu, uh, because, you know, can I, uh, make a comment, Sandy? I, I think it's really interesting when I look at, say, video of people on Snowblades, like really short skis, skiing. They— a lot of them don't make the same mistakes you see when people are on longer skis, don't— like, there's a lot less upper body rotation, their balance is in a better position, right? All those things. So the skis are making it hard, and if you start short, all those things are gone, like eliminated. And then you just are like— I can totally see why then you graduate, graduate.

But you know why? Because equipment simply forces you to do it. And that's the point. On short skis, you don't need to talk about centrally balanced position because there's no other way.

Yeah.

In the short skis, you don't need to talk about the skis control, I mean, in a way of that somebody has to comment all the time because you can feel it straight away if you don't do it in the proper way, skis go like this. And in the exact, it's wrong. In this case, I'm more like supervisor, not a coach or instructor.

Yeah.

And that's what people like. So because you're not just wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. It's, you know, people, they are coming to the lessons just to have fun. They're coming from their jobs and they have their bosses there to saying, already enough stuff it was not okay, and then they don't want to come to holidays or to, at the end of the weekend to have some fun, to listen to another guy saying, "Come on, it's wrong, wrong, wrong." So come on, let's have fun. And the equipment is forcing you in so many proper positions, you cannot ski together. Because in a conventional way of teaching, we have to keep repeating, like, skis apart, don't keep them too much close, too much together. You cannot ski like this with short skis because you simply feel it. And again, this is not a fairy tale story. It's like on the skates, you, you, you take skates on and you get yourself on the ice. Usually you need two friends to hold your hands, and immediately your brain perceives it. Oh, I shouldn't go too much forward. Yes, you should.

Yes.

And I shouldn't go too much backward. And even when they, they, they, they go, they let you go on your own, maybe you fall on your bum, but maybe once, and they said, haha, okay, okay, okay, no, no, no, I shouldn't, I shouldn't joke with this. I mean, I shouldn't wobble around just like that, so I should stay in the middle. And you stay in the middle. You're not a doctor of skating, but just from that moment you are in the middle. And then how it goes, so on the short skis, exactly the same, exactly the same. And, and that's, and that's why I said this is, this is approach, this is for me a proper approach. We shouldn't make the way of teaching more complicated, but, but, but less complicated. And yeah, and let's try to, to help to the people. So how to make it easier but still very correct, maybe even more correct than before. And going back to our angles, it sounds— and even in the ski boot sometimes, of course, if you're not experienced— how, how to activate my inner ankle. But then I'm always saying, hey guys, I will demonstrate, but just don't take it as a very big deal. So tell me, are you good for trekking sometime? Yeah, in autumn when there is a lot of leaves on the ground and it's, it's, it's very humid, it's wet and it's slippery then, and you have to climb a couple of meters, some, some, some sections, whatever. So how do you go? Exactly, exactly the same. Exactly the same. So you see, it's somewhere in here, it's in our natural movement.

A previous experience, definitely, the sidestepping up a slippery slope.

Now when you get— when you have to get focused into it, it's not just by— it's not coming just naturally. So of course then it sounds a bit complicated, uh, and but, but it's actually not so complicated, but that's why you have me. I'm not also saying this is just a piece of cake. Yes, for some, some guys, definitely, but just take it just as a game. That's, that's how we start it. And then, as I said, so sometimes we put the balloons between, between the knees, which means that you have to activate just outside ankle, and automatically knee goes together, of course, simultaneously. But because you have, you have the balloon between your knees, automatically inside knee and ankle goes inside too. That helps a lot at the very beginning, and if it works well, why not? So, and again, it's a show. Again, wow, we can ski with balloons, and it's completely different than what we were expecting, somebody to just again stay in front of us like in the army. So, and that's how it goes. And once you make it, once you know how to activate ankles, then you go on. And maybe one last thing here, while training ankles, many times it happens that because of that, because you are activating ankles, your hips are going out, so which is, which is not correct. Correct. But not correct if we talk about the final scheme. Actually, it depends how do we perceive this uphill turn exercise. If we perceive it as a moment of entering a turn, which actually is, then even hips are actually not out because you're just entering a new turn.

New turn.

And you are turning yourself towards the bottom, actually towards the next turn. So you see, if again, if you make the picture clear, if you describe it, then it's Very simple, and, and that's the first thing. Then another, another, another good trick is actually downhill pivot ski. It's like in the telemark, so it's not exactly the same, but what I'm saying, and I'm very, very strict at the beginning, is that all the time when they do exercises, no matter do they do just individual carving turns, they should keep the bottom ski a bit ahead.

The bottom ski, just like, like the telemark, you said? Yeah, like a telemark.

Just because you can try it back home now even without skis.

Did you know that that's what I, I was, I was an out— I was a telemarker before an alpine skier. So yeah, I'm very familiar with that move.

But why we do it? Because, uh, is it— yeah. —so because unless actually until the outside tip is ahead, then when you activate this ankle, this one goes automatically in because physically it's not possible to do it in a different way. If you do it in the old way, old-fashioned way, which is inside pivot ski, then you, you unactivate, let's say, Actually, you do not activate inner ankle, but you do outside one. Outside. That means A position. That's that, and that's what we want to avoid. So, so you see, that's another one, that's another trick, what, what we call outside pivot scheme. But again, I have to explain them what do we do, and I'm always asking them, please, when you get back home Don't start talking that today we are skiing— I mean today in general, not just this particular day— nowadays we are skiing with outside ski ahead. This is crap! It is just exercising. I want to make the way of your practicing easier without thinking too much. Yes, I should actually say, which would be the same move, open your hips into the turn. But you know that the hips are the most difficult to feel while skiing. It's the most difficult. I'm not talking about leaning inside, but generally you cannot think about it.

Rotation alignment, so, so fast.

You can, you can feel the these ankles because you're grabbing surface with the angles, but the hips are so— especially later with speed, to, to, to, to feel it in every moment. So, so, but I should say to open your hips. Come on, first of all, you're not experienced here, so how should I say it? That would not be fair. Come on, come on. So it's the same move. Yeah, either I, um, open my hips or I keep my outside ski a bit forward. It's the same move, but much easier to do it because you think, aha, it's the key. So if I do this, it's correct. Yes, exactly. Don't ask me why now. I mean, uh, don't start complicate it, just do it and it's a proper way. But of course I, I can explain it in every moment. So that's another thing towards getting the proper, proper work of the ankles. And then of course it's a process, but it's a game, especially with the short skis as we mentioned. And once I'm sure— and that takes, I can tell you, not more than 2 hours— so then I said, okay, now it's done, and now let's get to the hips. Of course it's going to be action. Muri, what's with the knees? Uh, ankles and knees are going together almost in 100%, so it's impossible to activate inner ankle, but what, knee would stay stretched? So it's impossible. So it goes together or not, which doesn't mean for the skis. I, I, I told you before, I can activate my ankles and knees with hips outside or inside, so it's different stuff. So, but again, this is the base of the house, and I do not move from here unless— I mean, until I don't make myself sure that they know to do it. And especially when I work with the young racers, it's the same. And now I'm gonna point out straight one typical, again, mess that we do. With skiers, and coaches, they do it with the racers. The exercise— I don't have it here on the picture, no matter. So, uh, we call it Superman. Yes. So you, you, you place one, one hand, uh, onto your hips, and with the other one, you are either pointing pointing the direction of skiing, or you can keep it aside to keep the balance. It's up to you how you decide, but it's not, it's not the point. The point is which, which arm is placed. Is it, is it the bottom one or uphill one or opposite? And then I was the one, uh, who was starting with this, uh, saying it's, it's a, it's a Superman. And I still remember they were saying at the beginning, because don't forget I made this system back in 2004, now it's almost, almost 20 years, and in that time it was a rocket. I mean, it was— I was talking first about ankles, everybody was saying, "Muri, but we are in the boots." Yeah, and so I was talking about body attack, I mean opening shoulders straight into the next turn, I was talking about outside pivot ski, uh, I was talking about this ankle work in this, in this way. So, so, and can you imagine what was that in, in 2004? So everybody was like, what was going on? But just as I said, so we should go So step by step, and then how do we actually build this house? So, so, uh, and let's get back to the Superman, um, and they were then arguing which Superman is correct, the one that Moody describes or the one which everybody use, like, like you should, you should press push your hip in, push it in with your bottom hand and with the upper, or you are in front of your body or, or aside to keep the balance. So, uh, and then I was just like, again, like the same, listening to them. I said, guys, I'm sorry, but, but it's kind of a sad, sad fact because it means that you do not understand the story Both are correct, both, but it depends what you want to achieve. If you want someone actually force to activate both ankles, especially inner one as we talked before, so you should use a Superman where the bottom hand is a half outside arm.

Outside arm. Yeah, yeah, another—

that turns you into a next turn. And again, take it as a detail of entering a turn. Don't ask me, but then we are rotating. No, we are not, because we are training an enter of a turn. Yeah. And unless— I mean, until they do not do the proper ankle activation don't move up to, to, to hips, uh, hips exercises. And when they know how to use ankles, of course, then we need to start working on hip, on hips. In that case, it's opposite. Now we already know how to activate ankles, but our hips are not yet proper, let's say. Then we can turn it and you can push, you can use it as a help, as an extra push, additional push of your hips. And then how you start to feel them, how do I go a bit inside, it depends on the speed of course, how much, how strong. So, and that's how we do training for the hips. So you see They are both correct, but they have different meanings. But you know what is going on in the practice? Almost everyone, when they go for the technical training— today we are gonna train this clear carved turns— at the very almost the first, second exercise is already this one, and everybody is going down with this, but when you check their knees position, everybody is in A position and they are still pushing them inside, which is even worse. Why? Because if you are not able to activate your inside ankle and then you push yourself inside, then your brain, they say like, "Hey, come on, come on, we're gonna fall!" Which means that automatically that moment you do contra, contra support, contra.

Yeah, I don't know, like get your inside leg under you more, like you don't—

because you want to make yourself sure that you will not fall over, fall over. So it's automatically— that means more I push, more I, I lean contrary with my inside ski, which means that it's even more A position. And then after a couple of trainings, or sometimes after the season or two seasons, They send me, then the race, hey Moody, would you, would you take these 3 guys? Just, we, we cannot move from, from, from, from that point, uh, further. Like, they are still in A. Can you solve this somehow? And usually then it takes again, I swear, I mean, one day. Just first, with the right description, like, hey guys, it's not difficult, it's actually— sorry, even not your fault. Yeah, but if I say let's do that Superman again, you're gonna do it exactly the same way and 400,000 or million times, which is logical. Let's go 2 steps back, forget about your hips. Your problem is actually inside ankle. You know, that's another thing when we are instructors or trainers. It's quite easy to say this is wrong, but it's not the point. The point is to say what to do, what to do to be right. And to say what to do to be right, actually correct, it means that you have to know where the mistake is coming from, because in the point when you see it, that's just a consequence. It started somewhere, and that's the point, that's the case. So, and this A position, of course you can see it from the plane.

Yeah, cool.

From the ship, but Okay, it's not about a position, it's about inside ankle.

Yep, and getting the, the body in the right environment to be able to do it.

Yeah, so, and then that's another level. And yeah, once, once you do that, so once we get, uh, to this carve turns, of course we do it on the flat area, flat terrain. Then we started very soon to combine also rotating feet, like in a natural way. We don't explain too much, but we insert a speed control with that, and that's what we call— first we call them composed turns, we we didn't place any extra name like basic turns or dynamic or blah blah like in conventional ski school. We just call them because you are adding them like Lego blocks, just you compose them one by one. They are actually hooks, not even, not yet turn, the right turns. And once you link them in a more fluid rounded form, then we call them, uh, linked turns. And we have two kind of— so it's linked turns by, by combined technique, which means that the first part, when you have to switch the, the direction, so you are just rotating feet because it's quite easy with, with, with short skis. And then you get yourself back on the edges, and the next, the other part of the turn is made by carving. Uh, and that's how we do then linked turns. But, but with combined technique. And then at the end, we have also lean turns by carving technique. Of course, even in the final skiing, you have some parts of the ski piece that are just properly, uh, steep, let's say, that you can use carving all the way down without any need of of rotating or drifting, but always in any moment you must be able to activate drift as a part of speed control. So that would be that. Oh, maybe one more detail in between, probably it's going to be a question. What, what, what's going on with the power plant?

Uh, pause for a moment, Yuri. I'm gonna just go, I gotta tickle in my throat.

May I talk or should I shut up? Okay, we'll be soon back, straight after this break. Don't go away.

Excuse me, I've had this awful—

that was just a commercial, commercial break.

Exactly. I can— I, I just cut it and and fix it later on. So, so you, you said there was going to be probably a question that you need to cover.

Yeah, I mean, it's always a question. What's, what's, what's about a power plant? Uh, so, uh, I don't use it at the very beginning. I mean, again, not, not as a conventional ski school because I don't think it's very important at the beginning. Maybe even, even, even opposite. So it takes too much focus and coordination, and so you are occupied with more important things in that moment than the pole plant. So first they should know how to make it. Turns, and which again on short skates it's a really easy job. And we use, we use poles more as a practicing tool. So when we do like rope walker, we use them, just place them across. So in, you know, that exercise, then we use them as a— we call that waterman, so carrying the buckets of water. So aside, so you grab them in the middle, so because it forces you to into a right position of your body and hands and so on. So that's why we use them, but later of course we have to insert old plan, which gives you then later the rhythm some more balance and so on. But as I said, at the very beginning, just if we have them, it's more like a tool to keep the balance, but it's not very important part of the ski technique in that moment. And even later, as you know, comparing to the old-fashioned skiing, it's today, it's a bit different than it used to be. So there's no, as we used to call, like, ski school plant. So sometimes it comes, sometimes it does not. Of course, when the corridor is getting more narrow, there is more and more using of pole plant. If I'm more direct, so when you ski short swinging and short turns, or when you go to do deep snow powder and so on, of course you normally plant the pole. But just as I said, today's skiing is about someone to teach first how to, to, to, to, to do, to perform these two basic techniques, rotational and carving, and later to combine them and, and that's much more important, uh, and then the, the power plant comes quite naturally.

Awesome. Hey, Sandy, there is a spectacular photo of you on the internet where you are flying through the air. All right, with your legs out to the side. Yeah, yeah, uh, if you look it up, it was on the Elite Skiing. It was like the COVID photo at one stage. It's a really cool photo, and you can see, you know, some people do this. Can you describe to people— I'm just gonna— if you've got it— why are you getting it?

Wait a second. How do you do this turn?

Yeah, how do you set up—

or how do you set up this photo?

That was, that, that was just the moment. It was not meant to be like, like that. I mean, it was not Done by intention. We were shooting for the, for the book, and on this glacier we used to shoot the photos. It's Mürthal in Austria.

Yeah, so you've got a roller, and I guess you, you're skiing to that, a rollover. You've got— and I guess you're choosing that spot because you wanted the photographer to have blue sky, white snow, and you were on the horizon of the snow. And, um, so actually, before that, for that photo, you were trying— you weren't trying to be in the air, or you were? Were you trying to be on the snow, or were you trying to—

Yeah, yeah, sure. No, I was trying to be on the snow, and then when I was coming across the edge, I was just, uh, it was a speed, just, just enough speed. But it's, you know, it's coincidence of fall, perfect. Things in one moment. So, and, and I'm not very much above the surface. That's just how it looks on the photo.

But, but I guess if you, if you knew how it happened and, and I said, Sandy, I want to get a photo of you again doing that.

Yeah, so you see, if you see my inside hand, it's one fist from the nothing.

It's, it's almost on the snow.

Yeah, so it just looks like— so I was just coming across and, and, uh, I was already leaning inside, I mean, starting to turn, but there was a little bump. Maybe you could see it behind me, just— it just lifted me up a bit. Uh, and I mean, it was just— we were shooting, uh, and it was perfect snow. And when I landed, it was not so nice because I had to— so it was quite speed, so, and, and it would later not be so nice photo, but it was just in the— because he did it with the shooter, you know, and it was right one and said, oh, come on, this one is totally crazy. Yeah. And, uh, yeah, so it's awesome.

That's my— this, this, uh, in the next year I want to get a photo like that. So, uh, because I know it might not be a good, a good, uh, video, but you'll get one frame out of it that looks pretty, pretty impressive like that. So that's cool. Okay, yeah, so to wrap up the podcast now, you've been very generous with your time. Is there anything else you wanted to, uh, to mention? Maybe if people wanted to check out the movie and the book, how can they find those two things?

We could talk, we could talk ages. Uh, I mean, we didn't touch— that was a special story with Tina. Um, so definitely, let's say, I already know peak of my career, probably.

Yeah, I was working with Tina. That was really something.

And you are somehow checking your know-how on the highest level. There's no more question how would it be there. Yes. So, you know, first you are first in your village, then you always ask yourself But what does it mean if I go to the next level and the next level? And when you're first in the town, you want to be first in the country and so on. So the same here. It's quite—

So actually, can I ask you then, what would you say there was like a particular thing that Tina in that time was like, ah, that what we just worked on there, that really helped? Uh, my skin, like she would say. Was there anything like that?

So if I had to say it in really short words, so it was, um, it was probably 3, 3 details, or yeah, yeah, yeah, 3 things. Uh, first one was, uh, what we already mentioned today. First, I said, first, Tina, you should activate ankles and then hips. That was her problem. She was always first starting with the hips and then ankles, and, and that's how you missed the already 2-3 meters. Uh, you should— you could be already on the edges and it could be quite clear. If you don't do it this way, it's some unplanned, unplanned drift, and that's how you lose the time, and especially when it's not very hard snow in the springtime, let's say. So she was losing so much time even by then. Then the next thing was then an inside arm. We named it the arm of glory, which means that you have to keep your inside arm open just almost to the gates. Let's say that we talk about GS. Yes. And just the last moment you move it away, actually use it as a defender, uh, but the rest of the time, so it should be just normally away from your body because that gives you enough balance to keep yourself away from your skis, which, which is the goal of the racers. Because the basic role of the racer, you must know, is that you must carry— actually, you would like to carry your body mass center and the most possible direct way from the start to the bottom, but inside the course, which means you would like to travel your belly button almost straight down if that would be possible. But at the same time, that means that, that you should be away as much as possible from the skis because then you are getting very close to this perfect theoretical, uh, way, let's say. Yes. And to be away from the skis means that you need a lot of, lot of balance. And that's why I need this hand. That's why so many young racers, they have problems because they are starting to prepare the inside arm to protect, okay? Even 5 meters, 6 meters before the gates. But that also means that you don't have any more balance because your inside arm is too close to your body and automatically you stand higher above your, above your skis. And that means traveling, as I mentioned this morning, uh, and it prolongs your turn, your turn. Um, and besides, it turns you out. It turns you out because— Yes. It's a natural move. And that means that your inside ankle is not, uh, so strongly activated anymore. And again, it means prolonging the turn. So it's like domino effect. Uh, and that's, that's, that, that's what she just, uh, says even in the movie. She says this is one of the most crucial— it was the one of the most crucial things for me and completely changed the, the perception of entering the turn. And later I asked her, how do you feel? How you convince yourself to keep it there? Or how you accept it? How you understand it while skiing? I mean, um, yeah, she said, yeah, you know what I did? So because she said, I have somehow to, to, to interact with this information and to, to, to integrate them into my skiing. So I have some pictures about everything, but particularly for this, for this hand, I have it in my mind like I'm a tennis player. When tennis player do the smash hit, always when it's a high ball, with one hand he's pointing the ball and then he smash it. So with this hand keeping away I'm pointing the direction of my, my skin, which means that I need it. I, I, that's how I, when I easily understand it. And that's like, we are again, again, back in that story. If I understand it in the proper, proper way, in extreme way, actually, if I extremely understand it, I will be able also to do it in extreme way. And that's, That's, that's something. I mean, and also our idea, my perception of skiing and everything, and her skiing, they just really gelled.

Yeah. And I guess when she understood what the whole goal was up there, it allowed her some creativity to go to like the tennis thing, which maybe, you know, is her own way of owning the understanding, correct? Like, like for me, maybe I don't play as much tennis, but I go, oh, it's like when I surf a wave or something, and I— right? So, so that, that understanding, first critical point you've said so many times, that allows each person to be individual.

You are all surfers, I guess, or not, I don't know, doesn't matter, wave surfers. So just now Uh, try to, to, to, to call the picture. Uh, how do you go when you do the turn? So your hands are like this. Yeah. So that's, again, that's a natural thing. And again, again, again, again. So when I'm explaining while working to the racers, all normal skiers, I'm all, I'm always saying, hey, it's not my word against your word or or somebody else's word, like, "Yeah, I know, but that one told me that." So I'm not fighting. I will try to explain you in a logical way, and then you decide, am I right or not? Maybe the last thing before we finish. Many times they ask me, "How should we keep the arms? This way apart, this way, this way?" I'm always saying, guys, What do you expect from me? That I'm going to say keep it 68 centimeters apart or what? That would be completely disaster. Actually, that would mean I do not understand skiing. But of course it's a perfect question and I'm going to explain you this way: arms are spread just as much as you need, as you need the dose of, uh, balance. More dose of balance you need, more spread they are, which means more away from the skis you are, more you are like on the edge, you are moving on the edge. Then of course you— and then you need more help with balance. And that's why you have sometimes almost totally spread arms. Yeah. Let's get back to your ordinary life if you don't believe me. Let's say that you walk down the pedestrian against your friend, you are just about to meet him, and you walk. It's 2 meters wide, that high above the road, nothing. So your brains are saying, for this walking, we don't need no extra, extra balance. So your arms goes just normally next to your body. Let's say that we make that, or we would make it, I mean, this pedestrian just half a meter wide, and on every side that would be 5 meters of gap. How would you walk? You would still be so freaky. I think at least you would go, ah, it's 5 meters, I shouldn't let myself fall down. So it would be already like this. Yeah. And Let's go and walk on the slackline. How, how are, where are your arms placed? Like this. So you see more balance, you need more arms, more width arms you need. I mean, so, and again, you see, and somebody who told you, you have to keep them like this. This is, sorry, I wouldn't use the word. It's not, and not because of me, not because again, my word against his, but just try to think in a natural way. And that's again, just the case of explaining skin in every detail. So that's how we started. You see, it's quite natural. I know that skiing is not natural movement or action in general to the mankind, but we should use as much as possible natural move so that we use them in ordinary life, because that's it, that's the meaning. We have to have fun. We shouldn't do some artificial stuff. Uh, and once you do it this way, no matter with racers or ordinary skiers, results are just exceptional. And it goes so much faster than you would never think actually. Uh, and even with the racers, I can tell you that's really from my experience, not from somebody else's. So for the mistakes that they, they were killing themselves actually because of them for years, season 2, 3, many times, really many times we sold them in sometimes one 2, 3 days of training, it's more than enough. Because people, they are not stupid, especially if they are trained. They are sportsmen, so they, they can do somersault, they can do all kinds of things, and then they cannot place the hips. Come on, this is— sorry, I'm not gonna say— this is bullshit. And that's how it works.

Nice. So Sandy, how can people find your book? If they're interested? Yeah, it's on Amazon.

It's, um, the title is called Being a Ski Master. Just type my name, just type my name, Sandy Muresan. Thank you. It appears straight away. Um, and you also have two apps on App Store We don't use Google Play.

Yep. Nice. Yeah, that looks really cool. Sandy, thank you so much for your time. And yeah, all this, it's been really fun chatting. And like you said, we could keep going on and on. So maybe we'll have to do a second catch-up at some point.

I hope to meet you sometime, maybe on live, if I get back to to, to, to Oz. Yeah, yeah.

Or if I'm over in, in Europe, my goal is to ski many of the major ski areas in the world, you know, in my lifetime. That's, that's what I'd like to do.

So if you're in Europe, call me anytime, no problem. Excellent. Here each other is, so, um, in the wintertime I'm Of course, very busy, but no matter. So you are always welcome. Thank you. And again, so hello and bye to everyone. Thanks for watching.

I think, I think you gave some really good insights. And I mean, whether they're interested in it for their own skiing or if they're an instructor or a coach, I think there's some really good messages that, uh, that people will take away.

So thank you. Thank you very much.

This episode is sponsored by Carv, the digital ski coach, and one of the updates I've really enjoyed this season is the addition of separate SkiIQs for moguls and short turns. In the past, Carv scoring was mainly built around carving metrics, which meant everything was viewed through that lens, but Carv have gone deep on that research and completely separated what makes a great short turn or mogul turn different from a carved turn. To give you an idea of how accurate it's become, the person at the top of the Carve leaderboard right now isn't a carving specialist, it's Olympic mogul skier Matt Graham. So the best SkiIQ in the world at the moment is coming from someone who lives and breathes bumps. And to be honest, my own highest SkiIQ is also in the moguls, which makes sense because that's my favorite type of skiing. What's really exciting this year is the addition of turn tempo, so basically your turns per minute. It's such a simple external output that's incredibly fun to play with. So good skiing isn't just about edge similarity or parallel skis, it's about how you interact with the terrain and whether you can change your tempo on demand. So seeing numbers like my quickest tempo of 117 turns per minute in the bumps gives you something concrete to compare, refine, and work towards. I've been working with Carv since 2020, and every year I'm genuinely impressed with how much the product evolves. They keep expanding what you can measure, and they're covering more and more of the turn types that skiers actually use all over the mountain. So if you're interested in tracking not just your carving but every turn you make on the snow, check out Carv. And a big thanks to the team for supporting this episode.