SKI TIPS is a series of drills and tips intended to help skiers of all ability levels improve their skiing and have more fun on the mountain.  While these drills are largely targeted toward beginning and intermediate skiers with the intent of working up to perfecting parallel turns, I found while working as a ski instructor that doing drills and practicing skills that I already knew was actually quite helpful to my own skiing.  As a result, experienced skiers may also benefit from giving these a try.  And, they can be fun when done as a group.

In addition to some basics, these tips and drills focus primarily on the three basic skills used in skiing:

EDGING

Edging relates to whether the edge of the ski bites into the snow or skids sideways.  When a ski is flat on the snow it can slide to the side, making it easy to steer in a turn.  A ski that is on its edge bites into the snow and does not skid or turn easily, helping to hold the skier in position on the hill.

ROTATION

Rotation refers to the ski rotating around the boot, and is the means by which the skis are steered in turning. 

PRESSSURE

Pressure relates to how weight is applied to the skis and how changes in pressure affect turning and stability.  Pressure can be further broken down into 1) pressure between the skis – shifting from one ski to the other, 2) pressure along the ski – shifting weight forward and back along the length of the skis, and 3) vertical pressure – moving up or down to weight or lighten the skis. 

All of these skills are applied together to produce consistent turns and allow the skier to handle all of the conditions that they encounter on the hill.  I encourage all skiers to work toward perfecting round, carved, C shaped parallel turns, and brushing up on these basic skills should help in that regard.  In fact, these drills culminate in just this result.  But, the most important thing of all is to get out on the mountain and HAVE FUN!  Honing your skills will help achieve that goal.

The tips provided are divided into six sections.  You can access the separate sections using the menu above or you can select an individual tip from the menu on the right.

BASICS

                Get In Shape
                The best complimentary sport – New for 2020
                Equipment – New for 2020
                Stance
                Stance – perpendicular to skis – NEW for 2020
                Stance – sore calf muscles
                Teaching kids
                Poles

SAFETY

                Helmets
                Self-arrest
                The Club pole flag
                Tree wells – NEW for 2020
                Tree skiing – NEW for 2020

EDGING

                Side slip
                Railroad tracks
                Straight traverse
                Garlands

ROTATION

                Rotation and counter rotation
                Hockey stops

PRESSURE

                Unweighting
                Fore and aft
                Ski to ski
                Bicycle turns

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

                Stork turns
                Skating
                360s
                Parallel turns
                Finish your turns to control speed
                Carved turns
                Skiing on ice
                Skiing bumps (& Tiny Turns drill)
                Skiing powder
                Traffic cop

I hope that these tips prove to be helpful and fun!  I look forward to seeing you on the mountain.  And now, let’s all get out there and have some fun!

Basics

Safety

Edging

Rotation

Pressure

Putting It Together