Interski report
	Ant Hill General Feedback “Snow sports for all” - the theme of the 2007 Pyeongchang Interski Congress in South Korea. This phrase is entirely reflective of the fun filled, major learning experience which I was privileged to be involved in, in January this year – taking home a wealth of knowledge for anybody interested in snow sports.  After several hours of traveling, seemingly tired and exhausted, I found myself in my sleeping quarters with nothing more than a bedside table and cupboard. The bed you may ask? I opened the cupboard to find two ‘blankets’, but still no bed. Upon examination, one ‘blanket’ seemed ever so slightly thicker than the other. This puzzled me. It was later made apparent that this so called ‘blanket’ was not an implement for insulation and warmth, but rather my cradle for the night. So, tired as I was, I made my bed, pulled the ‘blanket’ out of the cupboard and sought ultra-comfortable refuge on the marble-like Korean floor. A wonderful night’s sleep was had by all – or not. The anticipation of a good nights sleep was soon overlooked as the days and nights ahead were full of entertainment. I never found the bed. There were many highlights of my time away, particularly the ultra-cool ‘beginner’ tips and tricks from the Japanese, the professional skier analysis from the Austrians, the spectacular demos from the Koreans, and the local flavor of Korean Vodka. The Resort and its staff made us all feel very welcome. The entire congress was a major success. Country Report – Austria Keynote Lecture - Carving: Learning – Applying – Perfecting In 1956 the Austrians began to photograph racers and begin to show the different movements in ski racing and skiing. They used these photos as tools to teach skiing in Austria’s ski schools. However, to there dismay in 1974, Franz Hoppichler realised that the general public could not emulate the technique of the photographed races. As a result, ski instructing needed a new focus. In 1980 ‘swinging’ was the new word – the core concept of the 80s skiing in Austria. At present Austria is still looking at the best skiers in the world to establish there curriculum and movement patterns. Over the past years Austrian skiing is focusing on speed, line and gliding. The development of the carving ski and development of the sidecut and radius of shorter skis the Austrian developed a carving routine. To determine what they really mean by carving we need to look at the biomechanics of carving. The Austrian system looks at three things in regards to carving: Side cut, edging angle and steepness. The Austrians wanted more than just a definition. To do this, they took to the field with 3D kinematics. A 3D view for computer use measured and calibrated data by video and sensors. Some examples of the information that is collected are: knee angles, edge angles, and pressure from the foot to the ski. One of the key findings was that during a world cup racers carved turn the pressure on the ski from both feet was relatively even.  All the technical data aside, carving has become the center of teaching material; they are no longer limited to the racing carving. From beginner to the advanced, this is the basis for the new snow sports Austria. The new carving system is split into three tiers, basic level carving, parallel steering of skies – carving with different radii, and expert skiing - fine tune racing carving.  Carving, in the new Austrian snowsports system is: “controlled carved turns at all levels”.  In a practical sense the system uses carving as follows: In a Snow plough a quarter of the turn is carved – learning. From a snow plough into a medium turn half the turn is carved – applying. At an expert level in either short or long turns nearly all the turn is carved – perfecting.  From a visual perspective a carved turn is when the tail follows the tip. Keeping this in mind, a basic position is a must, width of track is vital, and parallel leg tilting needs to happen. In conclusion, carving has already taken off however, the Austrian’s have managed to break it down and apply it at ALL levels. This I believe is a key to success and would help a skier advance through levels more quickly. In the workshop, the theme continued in the same vein as the key note lecture. In brief, we looked at teaching and improving carving to the upper levels. The key concepts were: edge angles are created by the body, then hip, then knee. We then moved to an exercise on the flat and walking in our ski boots feeling the foot, hence feeling slight edge changes when we pretend to walk whilst in motion on our skis; then we took to the steeps and concentrated on a straighter outside leg to hold the carve longer and stronger. The workshop was up tempo and moved quickly with a lot of skiing which was great!  I was really impressed with all the Austrians presentations. However, I must express that their contributions to other countries were some what lacking. Country Report – Poland The shortest Keynote Lecture - The challenges of Interski in a Global communication This lecture was from a former member of the Interski Public Relations Committee. Whilst he is the President of polish ski instructors association, it came across as a bit of a gibe at Interski, particularly as the Public Relations Committee has recently been shut down. The lectures main emphasis was on ‘bringing Interski amongst the people”. This was also the main goal of the public relations committee which was stopped prior to Korea.  The key points within the lecture were: A congress is most expensive way to distribute information Move away from technical component of ski instructors Brand Interski as a festival Following the opinions outlined there was much criticism of Interski. “Interski should work harder on involving more instructors not just the teams at the actual Interski. Support new associations and new skiing countries.” The lecture was a bit of a shambles, not really looking at “snowsports for all”. The workshop was interesting. We looked at three slalom exercises: Hand clapping short turns Double pole plant Double pole plant each side in a short turn. It was interesting but didn’t hold much depth. Their knowledge is some what basic. The Polish way is different to ours and I suggest you have a look at their DVD of their skiing skills and systems. In my opinion it seems to focus a lot on over extending knee movements and using the tail of there skis. Overall, Interski was an amazing time for me. I learnt and mastered many interesting key concepts in such a small space time. I am so pleased to have had the privilege to participate and I look forward to putting what I have learnt into practice, through my ski teaching and coaching. I would also like to personally thank all the team members involved and especially our coach. Australian snow sport instruction is really on the map! I’m looking forward to everything that lies ahead within the APSI team. To read more reports click here.