Part of what made this season so fun for me was that I got to share what I know about good skiing with a lot of people in the club. Sometimes it was in a formal lesson and sometimes I just opened my mouth while skiing with a group. Either way, I think I shared some good information that was helpful. This is a summary of the concepts that I talked about. Feel free to copy, ask questions, or comment as needed.
The first fundamental in the American ski instructor system is this:
Control the relationship of the Center of Mass to the base of support to direct pressure along the length of the skis.
There are different levels of skill with this fundamental, which is first for a reason.
Level 1: shins must make contact with the tongue of the boot.
Level 2: push/drive both knees toward the ski tips
Level 3: push knees to the left or right of the ski tips depending on which way you are turning.
Level 4: use the lower leg like a lever or gear shifter to move/drive the downhill knee toward the
tip.
Level 5: at the very end of the turn, push your feet forward about an inch or two. Both skis will release flat. This
makes it easy to start the next turn.
Application:
- Use the number system to figure out how much forward pressure you need to make shin/boot tongue contact. Green slope: 5-10; Blue 10-15; Black 15-20; powder and crud add 5 to the number; bumps add 7-10. This is actually the fifth fundamental: Regulate the magnitude of pressure created through ski/snow interaction.
- Opposite but the same: Settle onto the heels on icy, slippery slopes. This gives the tail of the ski some weight so that it tracks better through the turn. Think of it as a negative number. Instead of a positive 10-15 forward, it’s a -3 or -5 that we can feel on the back of our boot. But it’s not being in the backseat, which is all wrong.
- Fix chatter by sliding the outside/downhill ski forward.
The second fundamental:
Control pressure from ski to ski and direct pressure toward the outside ski.
Some of you have heard me say this a lot: “outside ski to outside ski!”
Level 1: squeeze the outside/downhill foot to strengthen the entire leg.
Level 2: shorten the inside leg.
Level 3: lift the tail of the uphill ski. This motion puts max weight on the downhill ski.
Stance
Ideally, we always maintain an athletic stance when we ski. Mostly, however, we don't. That athletic stance distinguishes an average skier from a really good one. An athletic stance allows us to be better balanced and have a greater range of rotary motion in our legs. It especially assists us in executing the first fundamental.
How wide apart we keep our legs is also a function of stance. The distance between our feet and legs varies depending on the type of slope we are on. A groomed slope requires a stance where our feet and legs are hip width apart. This distance is the most efficient for applying our edges.
In powder, crud, bumps, or tracked up snow, we want to keep our feet closer together so we are less likely to have a ski getting misdirected by the terrain. You should be able to feel the fabric of your ski pants if your feet are close together.
On an icy slope, you want a stance wider than your hips. This gives your skis an extra edging boost.
Base of support
About a decade ago, I trained with Canadian ski instructors and this is their first fundamental. Does the skier use their feet and skis with confidence and unity, or do their skis and feet wobble, shake, vibrate or do different things? Does one leg take charge and the other just follow? Do you feel as if you lose control and gain speed when you make a turn on your weak side?
Feet need to work as a unit doing the same thing 99% of the time. Use the j turn to develop simultaneous skills such as balance and edging.
I’m raising the issue of bone structure symmetry here but it can just as well be in the next section. If our left femur, tibia and fibula aligns differently from our right, then each leg tracks through the snow differently relative to our Center of Mass. This difference often creates the issues mentioned above. So if you pronate or supinate, you might want to consider getting this alignment corrected so that you have more leg symmetry.
Body and strength symmetry
Most of us are right-handed, but some of us are left-handed. That same asymmetry exists with our legs. We might be right or left-legged, which, by the way, can be different from our handedness. This tendency for preference translates into a strong leg that wants to take charge and a weak leg that struggles to keep up. This gives us a strong turn and a weak turn.
We are also more flexible or mobile on one side compared to the other. And the left side of our core may be stronger than our right. All of this leads to the importance of identifying which side works better and which side might need more attention and self-coaching.
And then there’s our joint issues. If we favor one knee or hip, that compromises our ability to have two turns that are symmetrical. And some body part probably ends up hurting.
For example, I have a lazy right foot. If I’m not paying attention to it while I’m skiing, my left turn gets a bit sloppy. When I make a left turn, my right foot tends to slip down the hill and its left edge engages later than the left edge on my left foot. So my right ski skids out a bit. To correct, I have to self-coach my right foot to work properly if I want to keep my edging clean.
Speed control
Turn ski tips uphill.
Use your uphill pinky to do that.
Pull your uphill foot back to make the skis twist.
Keep skis on the snow. When your skis come off the snow, gravity will misdirect them and they will pick up speed because they no longer have the snow to provide resistance. Keep your body from launching upward by skiing with your head under the spiky roof.