Wedge Turn
Skill Building
GOAL
You will be mobile on your skis, travelling farther down the trails to see what is around the next bend! You will glide more easily over rolling terrain, leaving the club house behind.
You will get there by working on:
Balance - Use an athletic stance as you transfer weight from ski to ski. Your kick ski returns back underneath your body, allowing more continuous forward motion.
Coordination - Move your arms and legs in a smooth and continuous rhythm. Coordinate the downward pressure to increase grip.
Propel forward - Gain forward momentum through your poles by flexing your upper body. Start engaging core strength.
Change direction - Use a wedge to turn left or right, with your legs and skis turning independently of your upper body.
You will get stronger and smoother! You will feel a smooth gliding sensation as you ski along flat and low rolling trails using diagonal stride. You will find your core muscles, and engage them to provide forward power when you double pole. You will have a growing sense of confidence as you descend gentle hills and use a wedge to turn right or left.
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.