Finding the Love Spot
Eva and I are skiing bumps in Portillo, Chile (above, pre-helmets and pre-COVID-19). In this picture, we are each in a different phase of CM Anatomy of a Turn. CM explains turns in three phases, top third, middle third, and bottom third. Eva is in my tracks approaching the all-important phase one (the top) of the turn. I love this picture as it clearly depicts Eva in a flexed, spring-loaded, catlike position and I'm extended, enjoying the magic of the Love Spot.
Skiers who find the Love Spot™ can effortlessly balance on either foot, edge either ski at will, and confidently steer their skis with intention. Unfortunately, none of these options are available for most skiers who step, stem, or hop. These unfortunate souls are relegated to groomed runs because they know they feel like monkeys and look like clowns in the bumps. CM graduates own the Love Spot™, clearing their path to ski the whole mountain with intention.
Definition:
Love Spot™: 1) a fleeting, edgeless moment experienced by all great skiers who do not step, stem, or hop into a turn;
CM's instructional DVD, Finding the Love Spot
This “Ah Ha” Love Spot™ does not come naturally, because human beings instinctively resist free-falling. When we were gorillas, we did not like slipping. We would immediately dig our claws in the mud and advance only when we could secure each claw, one at a time! Like kids first learning to ice skate, this instinctive move (the pizza pie) also dominates everyone when learning to ski. Committed skiers often get over this primal habit on the groomers, but the stem instinct raises its ugly head again in the bumps. We call this instinctive stem habit the "skiers' flu". CM replaces this "flu-like" habit of stemming with a more efficient release to the Love Spot™. Once the releasing habit takes over, our skiers embrace skiing the whole mountain and the magic of dancing with gravity.
For more about the first third of the turn, see the CM Fundamentals Guide.
