Learning Dual Boards from PC | Skiing Bible Book Notes and Discussion Part 1

Introduction

JSKI officially became a recognized member of SAJ in 2019, and is also the first SAJ recognized group led by Chinese people.

The SAJ system stands for the Ski Association of Japan, which is the highest national organization for ski skill certification in Japan; even Olympic athletes must pass SAJ certification to qualify for competition. SAJ is the only ski skill certification organization in Japan that covers both snowboarding and alpine skiing.

For a long time, JSKI was obsessed with snowboarding, but this year we also want to be good friends with alpine skiing.

Learning Dual Boards from PC | Skiing Bible Book Notes and Discussion Part 1

After the unfinished “FIRST 8” series, JSKI will regularly reprint technical articles from the well-known Zhihu author PCPCPPC. PC is an amateur ski enthusiast who is obsessed with technology and proficient in various ski systems, both snowboarding and alpine. Therefore, the articles he writes are closer to our daily skiing experiences.

If you find his articles good, feel free to click the title bar below to follow his public account and learn more about non-elite skiing skills.

About PCPCPPC:

Programmer, freelance translator, serial entrepreneur. In summer, he shares the joy of horseback travel, and in winter, he unleashes curiosity on the snowy mountains, enjoying capturing light and shadow with the simplest equipment.

I have always looked down on books with titles like “Bible”; I always feel that there can’t be such a magical book that dares to call itself that. Is there really some secret content that others don’t have? Or is it really about practicing some divine skill?!

Amazon 4.5-star rating, a book about skiing techniques, biomechanics, and physical analysis

Author Ron LeMaster lives in Colorado, USA, has degrees in physics and computer science, and is an advisor to the US national ski team

This arrogant mindset made me dismiss “The Skiing Bible” when I first heard about it last ski season. Until a few weeks ago, I saw someone sharing the English PDF version (English title Ultimate Skiing) in a skiing group. I opened it and couldn’t take my eyes off for two hours, stunned — how can someone write a skiing book like this? Naturally, I quickly ordered a Chinese version. For those who haven’t bought it yet, here comes pure hard advertising, let’s see what makes this book so special:

#1 Everything is Physics

1.1 History of Snowboards

Almost all coaches will ask us if we know the principle of snowboard turning in the first lesson (whether snowboarding or alpine skiing). Besides the body actively causing rotation, deeply understanding the role of edge cutting is always an important part of training. Without this book, I would never have known that the design of alpine ski edges is borrowed from snowboarding.

Inspired by snowboarding, alpine skis have evolved to designs with noticeable waistlines. Of course, this type of edged snowboard has long been colloquially referred to as “big head boards”; I actually dislike this term because I don’t think they have a big head! It would be more fitting to call them “narrow waist boards”. (All images in this article are sourced from the original book)

1.2 The Authoritative View on Carving and Skidding

“Carving is superior to skidding; we must do everything possible to eliminate skidding and only use the edges!” This viewpoint is not only prevalent domestically. Let’s see what the author says:

“In turns, the more skidding, the lower the turning efficiency, and the speed and momentum of the skier decrease faster. But besides being easier to execute, skidding is also a way to control speed, which is why many people rely on this action to turn. Even though everyone rides on modern boards designed for carving, it doesn’t mean skidding is a bad action; even top skiers often use it. However, since the popularity of big head boards, skidding has received some negative evaluations, but purposeful and skillful skidding is as important a technique as carving.”

Indeed, purposeful and skillful skidding is an important technique; many beginners only skid, and many “experts” become obsessed with not using edges, which are all issues.This part is in Chapter 3 of the book, “Types of Turns” in the first section.

Learning Dual Boards from PC | Skiing Bible Book Notes and Discussion Part 1

This is the illustration of the second section of Chapter 3, “Carving Turns”

Almost all action illustrations in the book are this kind of “animated image”

1.3 The Physical Reasons for Edge Weighting

Edge weighting is a common topic, but there are still many coaches who do not understand the reasons. Some good coaches will use the method of “what happens if you don’t weight the inside foot” to explain it. This book, of course, does not do that. After laying the groundwork for 20 pages, explaining what a “platform” is and how to cut snow most efficiently and stably, on page 21, the author finally starts to employ force analysis methods, telling you that this is how to maximize the cutting force of the snowboard. From then on, there is no need for doubt.

Of course, while the edges can perform better, only weighting the edges is also problematic. The book contains many wonderful “animated images” showcasing top skiers’ movements, and sometimes they also use the inside foot.

Additionally, the “platform” is one of the most important concepts for technical advancement. In level two and above coaching training, we often hear this term. This book explains this term in detail, telling everyone that the platform is not an illusory concept, but a real and objective physical phenomenon.

#2 Reading Difficulty

This book is certainly progressive in the technical composition of skiing, but the physical foundations and specialized background knowledge of skiing assume that the reader already has a certain level of understanding. If you are a pure enthusiast and not a science student, you may find it just entertaining.

I had no problem understanding this book, but I read it very slowly; I needed to think repeatedly to understand each page. My background can serve as a reference for everyone: I am a science underachiever, with about 60 days of skiing experience on alpine skis, have participated in the PSIA Level 1 and PSIA Freestyle Level 1 training and exams, and have also attended an introductory course for New Zealand Level 3, which makes me a typical amateur who skis too little and has theoretical knowledge that surpasses my skiing.

When you already have a complete theoretical framework, this book can help you fill in every detail. If you are completely clueless, it’s not that the book’s knowledge structure is poorly organized, but the overwhelming amount of knowledge points can easily leave one dazed.

Autumn has arrived; winter can’t be far behind?

This is clearly not a book suitable for beginners; I recommend it for those who have skied quite a bit, at least have attended a coach training session or have self-studied relevant skiing theories.

#3 Translation Quality

Most of the time while reading this book, I didn’t need to refer to the original text for comparison; the occasional need for comparison arose when checking some specialized terms. Because I have participated in a lot of training in New Zealand in recent years, the terminology used in the American and New Zealand systems for the same matters can differ, and translating it into Chinese makes it even harder to match up. I hope that China can soon develop its own technical and coaching systems and introduce a series of standard translations.

For example, there are some terms that everyone mentions daily but are not easy to match up, like edge sliding and drifting, which in English are skidding (搓雪) and oversteering (过度转向, describing the board turning faster than normal due to the body’s active rotation intervention, which is basically the action of those small turns everyone refers to).

Another term translated as pivot corresponds to pivot in English, which is a typical term in the PSIA system, used to describe the action of rotating the snowboard by turning the legs.

There are some minor oversights, such as the Chinese version of Figure 1.3 missing the center of gravity mark; also, in p34 and Figure 3.5, the book introduces an advanced technique about how the structure of the snowboard affects its bending performance. The original text states that when the center of gravity leans towards the tail, it makes it go straighter, which should mean that when the center of gravity leans towards the tail, the tail structure will help the board exit the turn, rather than make the “snowboard become straight.”

However, these minor issues do not detract from the overall quality; overall, I think the translation is excellent. From the preface, it is clear that the translator is also a super skiing enthusiast who has put in a great deal of effort into the translation.

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