Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

Okay, what the hell. The rest of the poasts on this NG
are total crap. This seems to be the only skiing related
post so I'll bite.

IMO we need to know BOTH terms. Inside/outside ski has
a TURN as its reference. Uphill/downhill ski has the fall
line as its reference. At times they are both the same and
at times they are not. Sometimes Uphill/downhill ski has
no reference at all to a turn as in a traverse. Sometimes
the uphill ski and the outside ski are the same, as at
the beginning of a turn. Sometimes downhill ski and the
outside ski are the same, as at the end of a turn but
before you initiate the next turn.

I know, it's all very complicated, but with mileage, it
all becomes automatic and the words recede into
nothingness.


Both terminologies have utility, but when you're talking about turns (as
opposed to traversing, sideslipping, etc.) inside/outside is less
confusing than uphill/downhill.

When linking turns, both skis alternate between uphill/downhill and
between inside/outside. The uphill/downhill transition occurs when the
skis cross the fall line, the inside/outside transition happens when the
skier initiates the next turn.

The thing is, to cross the fall line, the skier doesn't have to do
anything really, just continue what he was doing a moment ago. In
contrast, initiating a new turn requires that the skier do something.
(crossover, crossunder, weight transfer, whatever...) The essence of
turn initiation is switching skis, where inside becomes outside; the
rest of the turn is basically just finishing what you started. So, it
makes sense to think about it turn by turn : the outside ski is the
outside ski for the entire turn, when you start the next turn, the other
ski will become the outside ski.

In contrast, having the names change (from uphill to downhill) in the
middle of a turn is confusing to beginners.

My $.02.

If I'm teaching, which I'm not. I would be careful to be clear that
inside/outside references are part of a turn or thinking about a
turn.

Uphill/downhill is a reference that I probably wouldn't get into
except to say "go downhill" until the student got onto terrain
where it becomes important. By that time, I think, the student
would have the inside/outside concept pretty well internalized.