V-1 pitfalls on roller skis

This month we'll look at optimizing your roller skiing so that the transition to snow is seamless. Surprisingly, we'll see that the faster skates used on the flats and slight uphills do not pose much of a roller ski technique problem. But the uphill V-1 is another matter.

This may seem strange at first because faster skates (the V-2 and Open Field) require more balance than the V-1. This is because their glide phase is longer. For both of these faster skates, some time is spent in pure glide, with the ski starting under the body flat to the road/snow. This extended glide phase allows enough time for the non-skating leg to swing directly under the body.

During V-2 and Open Field, skate off occurs naturally when the glide ski begins to slow down. At that time, the skater rises slightly on the glide leg, in anticipation of skating to the other ski. This slight rise promotes more effortless power for the skate off to the other ski.

While these faster skates do not pose a huge technique problem, learning to stay balanced and relaxed during the glide phase can be a hurdle for many skiers. The key here is to make sure the entire body transfers sideways, including the shoulders, to the new gliding ski.

Once that happens, mastering balance while gliding becomes much easier. And once mastered, a true state of relaxation allows some recovery in each stroke as the off-leg swings under the body like a pendulum.

As the hills get steeper, many strong skiers continue to use the V-2. But sooner or later, all mere mortals, even world champions, must revert to the V-1. That is when some bad habits can developed on roller skis.

Here's why. As the hill steepens and glide is shortened, the feet no longer have time to swing under the body. So the feet are at least hip wide when the ski is planted on the snow. Now let's see how this change affects novices differently from strong experienced skaters.

Almost all beginning skaters have one initial hurdle to clear, and that is complete weight transfer. Without complete weight transfer, it is impossible to skate off with efficient power. In fact, incomplete weight transfer also makes it impossible to relax as one's weight is never completely on one ski. So failure to transfer your weight completely from ski to ski means a weak and tiring motion.

But what does this have to do with the novice's V-1? Because the feet have to be wider on the steeper hills, it becomes much more difficult for the beginning skater to completely transfer their weight over the new gliding ski. Failure to completely transfer weight over to the new gliding ski results in straddling the snow in the "man before the invention of the toilet seat" skating posture, which is ugly looking and extremely inefficient.

Therefore, the number one goal for the non-expert is to completely transfer weight from side to side during the V-1 while keeping the feet at least as wide as the shoulders. Again, as with faster skates, the key here is to make sure the entire body transfers sideways to the new gliding ski, not just the lower body.

I recommend a lot to skating without poles up steep hills until this feeling of complete relaxed weight transfer is ingrained and second nature. In fact, I recommend interspersing no pole skating with the V-1 even for the expert skiers. It not only reinforces complete weight transfer, but it is an excellent way to develop leg power.

And now the pitfall expert roller skier confront when using the V-1 up steeper hills. Because of the characteristics of shorter roller skis, it is possible for the strongest skiers to swing their skis well under the body on steep inclines, something they would not be able to do on snow. Roller skis allow a more positive skate-off and have slightly different gliding characteristics than snow, so the added rolling momentum of roller skis allow strong skaters to develop some poor habits without realizing it.

Now I'll admit, that after several days on snow, swinging the feet too far under the body during the V-1 will stop. Snow has a way of self-correcting that flaw as the accomplished skier will subconsciously adjust to keep from bogging down on the steep uphills. But why not train more specifically on roller skis so the same muscles are recruited and the transfer to snow is relatively seamless?

Now to the unique glide phase of the V-1. Unlike the faster skates, glide and skate-off during the V-1 melds into one motion. The moment the ski hits the ground, on the weak or strong side, the other ski/leg swings forward. The phrase "dynamic legs" seems to strike a chord with a lot of skiers.

If this swing forward is delayed, the skier slows down (because of the steeper incline) and momentum is lost. So the efficient V-1 skater is always gliding and skating off at the same time, unlike during the faster skates where a definite glide phase on a fairly flat ski preludes skate-off.

Now to poling. I have found that concentrating on pole plant can not only help time the V-1, it will put the body in an aggressive forward posture so the force generated will be directed down the trail, rather than up in the air. The secret is to plant the poles slightly before the strong side ski hits the ground. This forces just the right amount of forward lean and encourages the use the poles for power instead of as crutches for balance.

One little tip here: It also helps immensely to plant the poles in a syncopated manner; a closely timed 1/2 rhythm. This means the weakside pole is planted a fraction of a second before the strong side pole. This accomplishes two things. First, it encourages forward lean. Second, it puts the body in position so that the natural rotation due to poling forces occurs without conscious effort. When done properly, the body momentarily faces the strong-side ski, then the syncopated pole plant naturally starts rotating the body to face the weak-side ski, all subconsciously.

Finally, I firmly believe that because our snow season can be so brief, if you are a serious skier, you should hone your technique and maximize conditioning before it snows. And that means roller skiing. Then when snow finally covers the trails, you'll be ready to enjoy it to the fullest.