To the untrained eye, skiing appears as a fast and sudden moving sport. That’s a big part of the appeal and attraction of the sport for most people. Unfortunately, skiers also usually attempt to imitate what they see. Good skiers often make what seem like quick, jerky movements and those learning the sport try to…
It took me almost 5 years to learn how to ski. From never ever to acquiring the skills and confidence to ski any natural terrain on a mountain and more importantly having fun doing it. This include steeps, ice, bumps, powder, crud, trees and any of those combined. So here’s the thought. Knowing what I…
In skiing there is talk of a ‘Basic Position’. It is essentially a basic athletic stance + angulation and is referred to as a strong desirable position. The basic athletic stance is flexed ankles, knees and hips. Angulation is creating angles with our body by moving our knees and hips. When you’re traversing, you’re pretty much…
Edging is the skill of tilting the ski onto an angle against the snow. This skill when combined with the other skills (balance, twisting, etc) results in multiple effects. On its own, I like to simplify edging as giving skiers a grip on the snow. When we have a firm grip on the ground, other…
A round turn shape is the canvas where all ski movements are painted on. It’s tough to perform the movements correctly if you’re not skiing in a rounded turn shape. It’s like the path a race car takes in a racecourse. That path is the framework so to speak. Deviate from that path and you’ve…
Part 1 of speed control showed us what’s wrong. Now lets find out how to do what’s right. This topic usually gets a bit techie. Its the nature of the concept unfortunately. Lots of physics and that kinda stuff involved. This is my simplified version of it all. The shape of a turn manages a…
Speed control is usually the first lesson I find myself having to teach. Most skiers have little understanding of efficient speed control when it comes to steeper terrain. In fact there is a large percentage of skiers out there who have very little speed control at all. They put a few turns in until they…
turnshape 