cygnusx1 Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Any skiiers here? I have been skiing since the age of three, I am four now. J/K I am 38 now and skiing is more natural to me than walking is. I found myself relating skiing to driving. Picking lines in a car is similar to picking them while on skis. On skis, you can shift your weight around to "understeer" and "oversteer" just like in a car. On skiis you get immediate feedback as to proper line choice, weight transfer, corner entry, and edge behavior. I always had an easier time picking lines on the roads than my friends who were not skiiers. I seem to be very in tune with the behavior if the car during a curve and a during a transition. Last night I couldnt sleep so I started trying to relate my skiing experience with my driving. Any other skiiers think there is any validity to this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennysgreen280zt Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I snowboard, but I think it would relate the same. I also think that my days of playing on the quad when I was a kid have helped me understand weigh shift and car control more so than people who just jump into a car. I still dont 'understand' it all obviously, but I think it helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
283VZ Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I also think that my days of playing on the quad when I was a kid have helped me understand weigh shift and car control more so than people who just jump into a car. I still dont 'understand' it all obviously, but I think it helped. I agree,I started on three wheelers then moved to quads. My first car was a 260z, it felt so natural to countersteer the first time I got it loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjhines Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Skiing, Biking, or any mode of transport that gets you to stop using your feet in a walking manner all use the same skill sets... Driving is no different... just a lot faster and harder to judge speeds and distances... and the inconvenient fact that cars have to stay on the very limited road surface to maintain traction... The skills developed for turning in, the fastest line through a turn, apexing, and tracking out are all a regular part of any type of transport that does not use a walking type of locomotion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 You are very correct by relating skiing to driving. In one of my racing books, The Technique of Motor Racing, by the famous Piero Taruffi. There is a small section where he relates his skiing experiences with his racing career. He highly recommends that and bob-sledding also. Great book I might add, I highly recommend it. He recommends it not because it teaches you where to hit an apex or things like that, it does help, but the main purpose is the mental aspect of it. I myself LOVE skiing and am a hardcore skiier and I completely understand how you relate it to driving. As you probably know, while skiing you can go as fast as you possibly want without falling. It is ALL mental. If I ever fall, it is only because I said to myself, "Oh crap I'm going to fast." or "Oh I really gotta slow down for the next turn/hill." Taruffi says that this same mentality should be applied to racing. To always be confident you can make the next turn and never panic if you come in too hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katman Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Teo Fabi was a downhill skier before he took up car racing because "cars were faster". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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