Customer Reviews

Breakthrough On Skis I, Expert Skiing Simplified [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This has got to be the best instructional skiing video I have yet seen--I've seen maybe 6 instructional videos already. My brother, an intermediate skier who introduced me to skiing, watched it with me and loved it as he learned many things also. The one hour video is well organized. Lito claims to have self-taught himself to ski before starting to teach others, but this bit of knowledge does not in any way diminish his credibility or the instructions he provides. I have compared his methods against other more "professional" instructions and found his to be equivalent to the others in combination. But the way he organizes and explains his techniques separates this video from the rest because his instructions are more readily absorbable, make the emphasis with far less repetition, and are maybe even more poetic. Some people sell videos but can't teach. In my opinion, Lito is a master instructor. He does have two other skiing DVD's in this series that I have not yet seen that might cover more advanced techniques such as the latest craze of two-footed skiing. This skill though is geared more toward the professional racers or for the super duper skiers who want the versatility for expert-level all terrain skiing. That would not be me when considering skill, athleticism, equipment (money) and time, which would perhaps be the same for more than 95+% of skiers out there. If you really want that, you might want to look at "Anyone Can Be An Expert Skier 2". The skills Lito teaches have been around for a century, so it's tried and true and definitely not outdated. For meer mortals who just love to ski and want to do better, start with the wedge (or snow plow) and then go to a very knowledgeable skiing friend or turn to this video or do both. You would not need to watch 6 or more videos like I did to find the right one.

I first came upon this video in a rental house in Lake Tahoe and it literally changed the way everyone in the house skied. We were a group that ranged from experienced beginners to advanced skiers, and everyone found something in this video that made them a better skier, but the ones who really experienced the big breakthroughs were the intermeditaes who really learned how to carve turns.

I have taken this video on a number of group trips since and the reaction has always been the same. For some reason, in this video Ledo is able to explain the moves and feelings of proper skiing better than I have ever seen or heard it done before.

Put the video on each morning before heading out, and try one of his techniques each day. You can't help but improve with this video.

Great video, excellent compliment to the book. Lito really has a method for teaching you the skills to become an excellent skier. He can tell/show you more than one way to learn each skill, and they really pay off. His book and videos are easily worth their price which combined is less than one ski lesson!!! All this from someone who thought they could always be an intermediate who can now ski the back bowls at Vail.

I have taken many ski lessons and encountered scores of Ski instructors. There are few who can measure up to Lito. There are two major fallacies I find in most instructors:

1) Overloading the students with too much theory which will either totally go over their heads or confuse them to the point where they get too anxious to apply all that was said and cause them to stiffen up. For example I had an instructor who asked me to remember 3 things at once. I fell down attempting to remember all that as I skiied. The body simply cannot absorb that much info at once.

2) Taking students through drills without explaining the purpose. I generally forget them almost as quickly as I learned them.

In direct contrast, Lito appropriately walks us through each aspect of the parallel turn with increasing difficulty without overwhelming the student. He focuses on only ONE thing at a time and explains them in such a simplistic manner that almost anyone can understand. Not only does he tell you HOW, but he explains clearly WHY as well by showing examples of what would happen if you don't do it.

Even after skiing for 14 years and being able to competently ski difficult slopes, I was very pleasantly surprised that there's still something to learn from Lito

I've just gotten started skiing this year (2005) and I am skiing at an intermediate level. I've taken no lessons, but have watched a few instructional videos on the subject. Mostly, other videos give you long lists of steps and instructions to follow and good luck trying to remember them all and in order when you're out on the snow. This video, on the other hand, manages to instill a sense of the way the moves should 'feel'. Instead of movements, angles, weights and arcs, Lito talks about how the turns feel under your foot. He demonstrates simple techniques from every angle in slow and stop motion video and the sheer beauty of the movements and the mountain scenes keep you from getting bored while the lessons sink in. This video is so enjoyable that my wife even watched it with me and she hates to ski! I'm ordering his book and his other DVD's right away... can't wait for next winter!

The video may be a little bit dated (you may notice Lito does not ride the "shaped" skis in this), but he demonstrates skills that are 100% relevant. 5 stars definitely.

This is a direct response to the reviewer below who seems to believe that the new skis of today have changed skiing techniques. Nothing can be further from the truth.

That is one of the biggest MISCONCEPTIONS. Yes, shaped skis do make carved turns easier and Yes, fat skis will indeed help you stay afloat on the powder with much less effort, However, you still have to know how to carve a turn and you will still have to know how to shift your weight properly in the powder.

There is nothing you can buy that will save you from learning the timeless ski fundamentals which is what this video is all about. I have yet to see another video that can do a better job.

Lito explains how experts ski. He explains that expert skiing is not hard it is just different from the way most of us learned to ski. The video shows examples of intermediate skiers and expert skiers. The difference is very obvious once Lito has demonstrated the expert method. He uses slow motion, stopped frames, many repetitions along with salient exercises to teach your body to feel and do the correct movements. All during the video Lito's voice is explaining exactly what you are seeing and how to do it.

I purchased the Video with the hope it could get me up and going on the hills after a 32 years hiatus. The Video does not explain anything about carving skis or plastic boots. Lito explains how to ski or more specifically how to make turns when you want. The steeper the slope the better this method works.

The first half of the first time down a green run after the 32 year break was shear panic (What am I doing up here?). I had in preparation watched the Video numerous times completely and purchased new skis and boots. Lito does not recommend watching the complete video- he says do a section at a time and concentrate on the lesson in that section. Half way down the hill it began to click, I concentrated on what Lito said to do-Voila! I was making left and right parallel turns. Not the best turns on the slope but I was in control. I got down the hill the first time without a crash. My son and I skied 5 hours that first day. I dropped once. Only problem was how to get back up-those new boots that go to your knees- UGH. I had to remove a ski to get up.

I mention my son, eight, because I got him to watch the video too. After five skiing trips we are skiing all the blues. This is my son's first year on skis. He skis parallel and no poles. A commitment to my son to take him skiing got me up on the slopes again but Lito is getting me down. I honestly feel that I ski better now than I ever did so long ago. Some may say it is the new skis and boots but I believe it is the knowing "the most well kept secret of skiing" that Lito revels.

This video lacks nothing. The photography is absolutely superb with many closeups and slow motion shots of carved turns. The terms are clearly defined when first used. There is very little of the filler fluff that is typical of these instructional videos. Here you get what you pay for - a full length course with no wasted time watching bad photography of skiers. I recommend this video to anyone wanting to learn ski theory and technique from an expert instructor.

This video ranks up there as one of the best training videos I have seen in a while. My skiing improved quite dramatically because viewing this video repeatedly before skiing really ingrained some of the subtleties that can make or break turns in any situation. The instruction is clear and is organized very well so that you can view the video as a series of lessons. I would view the whole video and then repeatedly focus on each chapter of the video and then ski at a local resort. By the way, don't waste your money on the third in the series of these videos. The techniques spelled out in this video and the second apply to the shaped skiis. The third video is a rehash of what you learn in I & II.