Winter Sports

Some skiers can do these perfect lines on the snow without skidding. It is no special secret to reach this goal. The two most important ingredients are Inclination and Angulation. Balance, practice and perseverance are the keys for success. First let’s explain the term Inclination and Angulation. 

The Inclination in skiing is when your body banking inside of the turn to put the ski on edges. Your legs are used as a lever to get the maximum of angle between the ski and the snow. Unfortunately the inclination is not enough to hold you in balance. You need speed and Angulation.

Use this drill to develop your inclination skills. Without your poles try to reach the ground in the inside of the the turn. To get the best of it your legs should be straight at the middle of the turn and be pretty close to the ground in a full extension. Bending your knees to go closer to the ground doesn’t make you incline. This exercise need to be done with speed. By going faster it will be easier to go closer to the snow. Do it progressively. Don’t forget it’s an exercise not the way to ski. You want to get the feeling that you almost fall inside the turn. You can add some variation to the drill by keeping your pole straight with your arms, keep your body straight like a cross and do the same thing.

The Angulation is the use of all the joints from the ankles to the hips to keep your upper body in balance over the outside ski during the turn. The previous exercise makes you incline without to have a perfect balance.Only speed can hold you from falling in that case. The flexibility of your joints give your body  the ”C” shape position and keep you in balance over your outside ski.

Now you can retry the exercise of inclination by using a variation. Imagine that you have a wall in the outside of the turn and you want to reach it. That will keep your upper body perpendicular with the slope and keep your balance at the right place.

Another exercise that you can try on a easy slope to carve your turn. Face the hill, put your outside ski on the snow with a big angle using your leg , ankle and your knee really far inside. At the beginning the position look like the snowplow position with a lot of edging. Let the ski slide on the edge without any effort, no pivoting or skidding. The ski will turn by itself. It is easier to get that feeling with a slalom ski with a small radius. To see if you do the exercise properly, once you have done your turn you should see a perfect line in the snow behind. Increase the angle of the ski on the snow to get a sharper turn.

To get the best of this article ask a ski instructor to show you exercises to reach your goal. With the right image and support during your practice you will get result faster and better.

Ski instructor since 1996 , Sunshine Village banff, Tremblant Quebec, Crested Butte Colorado, Sahoro Japan, Coronet Peak Queenstown and Whistler Blackcomb are the major mountains where Bob had shared is passion for skiing with his guests. For any question or request for any article contact me.

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