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Ski Your Best
This section is for skiers who want to enjoy the grace and efficiency of more fluid whole-body movement, have fun, and reach new frontiers over more adventurous terrain.
GOAL
You are skiing further with what feels like less effort along the flats. You are now starting to explore more rolling terrain.
You will get there by working on:
Balance - A forward, relaxed stance, generates a fluid continuous motion.
Coordination - Adapt tempo and position to terrain to manage momentum.
Propulsion - Increase leg and arm range of motion to transmit more power to skis and poles.
Change direction - When turning or stepping, your balance moves to the outside ski and you use your edges to grip.
Oh the places you will go! You can now confidently ski low rolling terrain of your choosing with more ease and strength. Trails that may once have looked daunting are now within your range.
Two Skate
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Warm up on flat terrain with no track, progressing to a slight downslope to promote glide while completing the following tasks:
Without gliding, with flexed ankle/knee/hip, step laterally, moving COM from the inside edge of one ski to the other ski. Bend & Extend
From a stationary position, extend from an edged ski onto a flat ski when making a small hop focused on using the ankle joint. Hopscotch
Free skate without poles on a slight downhill incline while tapping recovery foot against the glide foot. Ankle-to-Instep Touch
COORDINATION
Move to false flat terrain using the downslope to promote gliding while completing the following tasks:
While on a gliding ski, bring both arms forward into a high hands ready position. As arms swing backwards and hands pass hips, skier extends onto new glide ski. Repeat, moving from one ski to the other. Palms Up
Once glide is achieved through bending and extending legs from one ski to another, reintroduce poles. Coordinate one arm push for every two leg pushes (pole → skate → skate → pole).
PROPULSION
Continue to use a slight downslope to promote gliding Two Skate. With both arms and legs coordinated and a clear “recovery side” apparent, start to increase the load on the poling side using the following tasks:
From a hands high position while on a gliding ski, encourage an obvious softening of the skier's ankle, knee and hip joint at once resulting in what feels like a dropping sensation onto their pole basket. Begin from a stationary position first. Down Elevator
Once it's obvious poles are actively being loaded, reintegrate this skill into the flow of one arm push for two leg pushes (pole → skate → skate → pole).
PRO TIPS
Select appropriate terrain. Providing enough glide opportunities is important without becoming too fast or too steep.
Assess and develop skier abilities from the snow up, starting with how the ski lands on the snow.
Ensure skiers are able to bend and extend their legs from a balanced position (with strong alignment of the COM and BOS).
Be patient and have fun. Two Skate has an asymmetrical rhythm that may be challenging for some skiers to readily capture.
Practice Two Skate on each side, so recovery can occur on either side.
Step Turn
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Warm up on a gentle incline as you complete the following tasks:
Have skiers side step up and back down an incline, promoting the use of ski edges to grip the snow. Promote an active lower body, stepping from ski to ski while the upper body faces forward maintaining level shoulders. Repeat facing the opposite direction.
Without poles, have skiers move onto flat terrain and use active stepping from one ski to another as they move in a large circle. Focus on the inside ski pointing to where in the circle they wish to travel next. Once the inside ski is placed, the outside ski is stepped to match. Try both directions.
COORDINATION
Continue to focus on coordinating a stable upper body and active lower body. Try the following adaptations:
Circles - vary the size of the step or how quickly you step with your inside ski to make both large and small circles.
Switch it up! - on a flat trail or gentle decline, take a few steps to the left and then switch to take a few steps to the right. Switch the direction you are stepping on an odd number of strides (e.g every 3-5-7 strides).
DIRECTION CHANGE
Select terrain that allows skiers to glide at a modest speed using following tasks:
Step through an easy shallow turn. Have skiers step their inside ski tip away from the outside ski (toward the inside), and step the outside ski parallel. Stepping is continuous through the turn. The skier moves COM to balance over each ski while stepping. The upper body remains stable. Try both directions.
Have the skier lead the turning effort with the lower body while the upper body remains stable and faces the outside of the turn. Side 5
Vary the task: increase the slope and/or decrease the radius of the arc. If space allows, have skiers step in a figure “S” or figure “8”.
PRO TIPS
Edge grip is essential for step turns. Spend time learning to roll lower leg joints over the inside and outside ski edges.
Take a “snow up” approach in skier assessment, with focus on the foot and lower leg.
Ensure shoulders remain level to the horizon with a quiet upper body to maintain balance.
Be safe and progressive with increasing speed and changing the arc of the turn.
Wedge Turn
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Start on a gentle hill with a track, preferably concave. Have skiers warm up with the following tasks:
Straight run while balancing on one ski and lifting the other just off the surface.
Moving out of the track, have the skier create a wedge, then release into a straight run. Repeat multiple times. Hourglass
While in a wedge, have the skier place one hand over the other on the outside of one knee. With or without poles. Try to align their chin over the hand placed on the outside knee. Discuss the effect of weight transfer from one side to the other while in a wedge. Hands on Knee
COORDINATION
Start on flat terrain with no track. Have skiers progress with the following tasks:
While standing on one ski, have skiers lift and turn their other ski inward 90 degrees, emphasizing turning effort from the hip joint. Switch sides.
Have skiers take small steps in a circle, both ways, while maintaining a small wedge. Emphasize leading the turning effort with their lower body.
DIRECTION CHANGE
As a terrain tactic to encourage turning both legs while in a wedge, use a gentle downslope with convex profile / small roll-over feature. By reducing both ski tip and tail contact on the snow, the following tasks are easier to initiate and complete:
Starting in the fall-line, increase the turning effort to travel farther across the fall-line each time. The skier allows their COM to transfer toward the outside ski through the turn by placing one hand on top of the other on the outside of the knee. Do this on both sides. Hands on Knee, Fan Opening
As progress becomes more apparent, have skiers make a letter “C” shaped turn on the snow. J-turns, C-turns
Link both ‘C’ turns together into a series of ‘S’ turns.
PRO TIPS
Increase both the slope angle and turn shape in unison to maintain speed and glide. Too fast or too slow is problematic. Terrain and turn shape are very important at this time.
Use convex terrain features to help with turn initiation.
Transitional Wedge Turn
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
The success of a Transitional Wedge is directly linked to how well a skier is first able to carry out a wedge turn using a slightly narrower wedge and moderately increasing their speed.
Confirm the skier’s abilities. In an area with a gentle slope, and long run-out, have skiers complete a series of single narrow wedge turns. Choose terrain so skiers are comfortable using a little more speed and can glide to a stop while maintaining a narrow wedge. Ideally do this on a small loop trail so skiers can also ski/climb to warm up.
BALANCE
Warm up as you complete the following task sequence on both sides:
Stand across a gentle slope with skis in a narrow wedge. Have skiers feel their weight and balance against the outside ski.
Next, still standing in a narrow wedge, have skiers turn their inside leg, turning their inside ski tip away from their outside ski, so both skis become parallel. The inside ski should feel light with little weight on it.
Now standing with parallel skis, have skiers feel being balanced on both parallel edges.
Repeat this sequence facing the other direction.
COORDINATION
Focus on coordinating the upper and lower body movements. Try the following adaptation:
Pizza to French Fries - On a gentle slope, have skiers make a gradual turn starting with a slightly smaller wedge (pizza), then turn the inside ski tip away from the outside ski until skis are parallel (french fries) and they come to a stop.
DIRECTION CHANGE
Starting from a wedge, have the skier turn both legs while on a gentle downslope, ideally with a convex profile / small roll-over feature. Using a convex feature, the ski tips and tails are off the snow, making it easier to turn. This helps the matching phase of the inside ski to the outside in a transitional wedge.
Using the gentle roll over in the middle of the turn, have skiers focus on turning their inside ski tip away from their outside ski in order to match their skis on parallel edges. Pivot Point
To assist with the ski matching phase after the fall line, encourage skiers to use a flexing motion as their skis match.
Once skis are matched, encourage skiers to continue to turn both skis to complete their turn. J-turns, C-turns
From a flexed position on their skis, skiers then re-centre themselves by standing up (extending) into a wedge to start their new turn. Think a long leg (extended) to start the turn and a shorter leg (flexed) once the skis are parallel. Try turning both ways.
PRO TIPS
If possible, include a gentle roll over features to help to facilitate matching the skis.
Remember to be progressive when increasing the speed and arc of the turn.
Speed is your friend. Speed helps facilitate the matching process.
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