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Ski Your Best
This section is for skiers who can ski flats and gentle hills, and are looking to increase efficiency and explore farther down the trail.
GOAL
You will be able to ski rolling terrain and explore trails farther from the club house. You will become faster and more efficient.
You will get there by working on:
Balance - Land on a flat ski and balance there to extend your glide.
Coordination - Move in a smooth and rhythmic fashion as you pole with your arms and push equally with both legs.
Propulsion - Load your poles with your body weight as you flex your upper body.
Change direction - With your skis comfortably making a wedge shape on the snow, turn your legs & skis independently from your upper body.
Getting stronger and smoother! You will be able to feel a smooth gliding sensation as you skate along flat and low rolling trails in your One Skate and Double Pole. A growing sense of confidence is emerging as you descend gentle hills, using a wedge to turn right or left.
One Skate
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Start on false flat terrain.
Encourage complete weight transfer from ski to ski. Skier is balanced on glide ski. Track balance, Double Double
Skier glides while balanced on one ski. Double tap
When the new glide ski lands, the skier is already balanced over it.
As the recovery leg moves forward, ensure the foot of the recovery leg stays behind the knee. The skier will land in a position of balance; the athletic posture/ready position.
Get comfortable coming up and forward to plant the poles. Lean against partner or the wall for forward sensation.
COORDINATION
Continue using false flat terrain with a track, then progress to no track.
The poles plant before the skier starts to transfer their weight to the new glide ski. Track Balance
Shorten stride length and raise tempo (can use slight uphill). Vary the terrain; slight down/up. Stop the hands at the hips.
PROPULSION
Use the following tasks to incorporate skier self discovery and decision-making. Start out using your choice of the following tasks on the flat. Once skiers are familiar with the task, incorporate skier self-discovery and decision making. Try them on gentle inclines, and gentle descents. Let the skier explore how they can adjust their muscle use, power, stride length, or tempo/pace to travel the same distance.
Increase leg flexion for more power. Skate in a low position (w/o poles) like a speedskater.
Feel the engagement of big muscles first then small ones afterwards. Upper body, lower body & core work together to load the poles. Synchro Ski
As poles hit snow, elbows are flexed and slightly ahead of the core with stable shoulders.
Set up an agility course to focus on the compression and extension aspects of one skate movement. Elf to Giant
PRO TIPS
Emphasize a “ground up” focus. Help your skier start by focusing on their feet. Adding key joints like ankles and knees will significantly increase balance.
Select appropriate terrain. Better to err by selecting easier terrain and ensure success than making it too difficult.
Anticipate different paces of progress
Evaluate their timing. Focus on what the arms and legs are doing. Are they coming up tall? COM remains on glide ski until hands reach the hips.
Encourage all incremental successes for each skier.
Diagonal Skate
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Warm up on false flat terrain using the slight upslope to complete the following tasks:
Herringbone up with no poles. Promote arms swinging freely from the shoulder, in a back to front rhythm. Uphill Marching
Promote the recovery ski returning underneath the body with one foot landing beside the other.
Promote an upright upper body, facing the direction of travel. Head up, chin up, and chest up, while the lower body (ankles, knees, hips) are flexed.
COORDINATION
Continuing on false flat terrain, use the slight upslope to introduce an opposite poling action to the legs with the following points:
The pole basket contacts the snow slightly in advance of the opposite ski.
Foot continues to move forward and up the hill.
Poling action is straight front to back.
PROPULSION
As skiers progress, challenge them by increasing the level of incline while incorporating the following points:
Both arms and legs contribute to propulsion.
Emphasize a shorter step and shorter poling cycle as terrain steepens.
Remind skiers to keep breathing deeply and regularly. Have them fill “the lower half of their lungs”. Deep Breathing
PRO TIPS
Be mindful of fitness levels. Diagonal Skate is a climbing gear used for hills. Watch for overexertion and/or fatigue.
Teach Diagonal Skate in conjunction with other manoeuvres as the terrain presents itself.
Watch for skiers whose poles may be too short. This can lead to lack of propulsion and negatively affect timing.
Remember to be progressive with increasing the incline of terrain. The steepness threshold is when the skier no longer has any forward momentum as they climb.
Offset Skate
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Warm up on terrain that is a false flat or has a gentle incline. Using the incline, complete the following tasks:
Herringbone holding poles together and in front like a tray of drinks. Focus on poles remaining level. Promote an active lower body, stepping from ski to ski while the upper body faces forward. Carry the Tray
With no poles, have skiers clap their hands to one side of their body at eye level as their ski contacts the snow. Try both sides. Hand Clap
Have skiers focus on both pole baskets and foot making contact at the same time. Three Point Landing
COORDINATION
Building on the warm up tasks in the Balance section above, continue to focus on coordinating the upper and lower body. Try the following adaptations:
Vary the terrain - the amount of glide will determine tempo.
Switch it up! - switch poling from one side to the other using an odd number (e.g every 3-5-7 strides).
PROPULSION
Select terrain that allows ski glide to be maintained throughout each cycle while using following tasks:
Big to small - focus on using the large muscle groups when poles and skis first contact the snow.
Focus on maintaining forward momentum and glide. Edge the ski by rolling the foot, ankle and knee to grip/slice the snow rather than chop and stop. Slice, don’t chop!
Re-centering - important to have skiers recentre themselves (COM aligned with BOS) to allow for a strong starting position from which to pole/push.
PRO TIPS
Reflect on where Offset Skate is best used (e.g. climbing hills, as a “transition gear” from one speed to another, on cold snow with minimal glide, handling fatigue).
Remember to be progressive with increasing the incline of terrain. The steepness threshold is when the skier no longer has forward momentum as they climb.
Half Braking Wedge
LESSON PROGRESSION IDEAS
BALANCE
Warm up on flat terrain then move to a gentle slope as you complete the following tasks:
On flat terrain, skiers place their weight on one ski while turning their other leg from the hip socket, resulting in the tip of their ski moving inward and the tail of their ski moving outward, forming a ½ wedge. Try both sides.
Next, from a straight run on a gentle slope, have skiers repeat the same movements, letting in the ½ wedge ski brush across the snow. Try both sides.
Next, have skiers brake with the ½ wedge ski. Try both sides.
Back on flat terrain and in the tracks, practice balancing before stepping out. Double pole to create a modest glide. While gliding, lift one foot to balance, and then the other. Repeat.
COORDINATION
For description purposes - imagine the track is set on the right hand side of the trail. Adapt the instructions to your real-world terrain.
Using a track set on flat terrain, place one ski in the right track and the ½ wedge ski outside of the left track. Try both sides.
Pole, pole, stop! - On flat terrain, have skiers double pole in the track then use a ½ wedge to stop. Skiers determine how fast they wish to go and how quickly they wish to stop.
Go, go, stop! – On a gentle slope, skier descends and stops using a 1/2 breaking wedge on a command from the instructor. As skill increases, encourage skiers to move faster before stopping. Variation: Go, go, slow. Skier uses a 1/2 breaking wedge to slow and manage speed on straight runs and around corners.
DIRECTION CHANGE
Key points to remember when the track changes from straight to moving around a corner:
The ski in the track will experience additional pressure going through the corner.
The 1/2 wedge ski will require more turning effort with the entire leg.
Keep the ski tips even.
Vary the terrain. Change the slope and try different corners.
PRO TIPS
Start on straight, flat terrain. Be safe and progressive with increasing speed and changing the arc of the track.
Ensure shoulders/torso remains level and facing the direction of travel.
To improve stepping out of the track, introduce the classic lane change.
This is practiced with 2 or more tracks (see video). Complete weight transfer from ski to ski is essential for success.
As the skier moves back into a track, ensure the ski is placed at an angle to safely cover both tracks.
Start from a stand still and on the flats. The ski angle decreases as skier comfort and speed increase.
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