Ski Tuition Evening With Bill Mcgann - Friday 14th December

by Anne Stevenson

Well at long last the secret of flowing down a slope in the style of Pat Ashworth, Alan Brown and John Lymer has been revealed to me! All you have to do is raise your big toe!

This is how Bill introduced a smoother initiation of a turn: we went on to projecting our upper body towards the turn and then tilting the lower ski onto its outside foot edge (you do this by pushing the knee outwards), whereupon the other ski will follow and become the turning ski unhampered by the inside ski.

If this sounds complicated, go out and try it - it took us an hour to put together the first two bits, and then another 40 minutes to add the third ingredient. The effect was magical! We all felt lighter on our feet, turning was effortless, and we were "flowing down the slope". Well, sometimes! Any new technique needs miles under the skis before it becomes part of us as I demonstrated only too clearly by an ignominious wipeout on the last run down! Oh well, if you never fall over you are not extending yourself.

It was a freezing cold evening, the slope was fast and uncrowded, Christmas lights and stars glimmered all around, and all five of us agreed it was one of the best tuition evenings ever. Why don't more members take advantage of these evenings, one of the best perks of membership?

See you at Rossendale January 11th, February 15th, and March 8th.