Skibike lessons - Yeah riding is counter-intuitive at first

by G. Kunkel

I really think everyone should have a Type 2 skibike lesson from a qualified trained professional when first jumping on-board.  It's just too easy to get going too fast out of control on a Type 2.  And when I mean trained qualified professional, I mean someone with a PSIA background.  I've seen too many quacks out there teaching carving a bike right off the bat.

Riding a Type 2 is not like riding a bicycle - at first.  It's more like motocross or downhill mountain biking.  It's nothing like cross-country mountain biking.

Terrain used for learning is important.  All the basics should be taught on nearly flat green runs until the basics are learned.  Over-terraining novices is easy to do.  Do not move on to blue runs until they learn the basics of slowing down and stopping.  If they still need to put feet down to stop - they do not get it.  Do not pass go.

Learning to stop and slow down is learned just the way skiers do.  Learn to skid the skis to slow down.  It's easier said than done.  Most people want to ride a skibike like a bicycle and lean into the hill.  That gets the skis on a carve - which is a disaster for a beginner.  The handlebars need to be tilted downhill while traversing to achieve the skid.

If an instructor introduces carving right off the bat - they are an unqualified idiot.  Putting students on a blue slope only confirms they are an idiot.

After learning skidded traverses comes skidded turns.  Again, one needs to unlearn leaning uphill.  One must learn to keep the skibike skis barely on edge on the snow.  It requires tilting the handlebars downhill throughout the turning motion.

One also needs to look where one is going - not down at the snow.  Look up and across the slope when performing skidded traverses.  It's really important.

These skills must be learned before advancing to new terrain.  Afterwards, advance to a harder green slopes.  If one must put their foot or feet down to stop, go back to the easy green.  You are not ready to advance.  Using a foot to stop can lead to a torn ACL.

Knowing how to skid your skis is important at even higher skill levels.  Say one is flying down a run and suddenly it's a giant ice patch.   Get off the edges and skid.  Same holds true in the moguls - get off the high edge angle.  Skiers understand this.

If one does not feel comfortable riding on steep blue or black runs, it's probably because one never learned to skid their skis in the first place.  Step back and learn.

If one needs a professional skibike lesson from trained professional skibike instructors, contact the Ski + Ride School at Winter Park Resort.   Type 2 skibike lessons are cheaper than a hospital bill.  Lessons are suited for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.



© 2018 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.Google