Ski technique: a complete guide to flying on the slopes
How do you maintain the correct posture, jump turn or wedeln? When learning to ski, you have to follow a logical order from the easiest to the most complex. This is the order we are going to follow in this short theoretical course.
With the onset of winter, if you are a fan of the skiIf you have not yet decided to give it a try, now is the right time to do so. And if you haven't yet decided to give it a try, now is the right time to do so. However, if you find yourself in the latter case, before you start, you should get a good skiing technique to be able to fly on the slopes.
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How to stand on skis on a slope?
Therefore, the first step is to learn how to stay on skis when standing on a slope. Posture is based on two aspects: a correct body angle and a correct ski edge. As you may be a beginner, we will tell you that it is called edging when you stick the edges of your skis into the snow.
To achieve the latter, you must position them perpendicular to the incline of the slope. And, in order not to fall, you must push your hips towards the top of the mountain while leaning your upper trunk downwards. This is the best way to get the edges to stick to the snow.
The first few times you do it, you will feel a little scared, as you see that you are leaning towards the slope. However, this position is the least dangerous, as it allows you to edge the skis, which act as a brake. In fact, once you gain experience in this sport, you will adopt this position naturally and involuntarily.
What is the correct position on skis?
The right position is with your knees slightly bent and leaning forward a little. Also, your head should be facing forward and your skis should be slightly apart, about the width of your hips. Finally, the skis themselves should be flat on the snow. It won't be easy the first few times you try it, but the sooner you get used to it, the better. Otherwise, you'll get used to having your knees too close together and your skis too crooked.
But the key to getting the correct position on skis is on the hip. Depending on how you position it, you can make better use of your legs. Until recently, it was recommended to lean backwards, but this has proved to be wrong. In this way, the centre of gravity falls behind the feet and the hip itself acts as a kind of ballast. The ideal hip position is slightly backwards, but in such a way that your centre of gravity is just above your feet. This distributes the weight better and makes skiing easier.
In fact, it is recommended to practise this posture dry in order to adapt well to it. If you succeed, your learning will be easier and you will not adopt bad habits at the beginning that will be more difficult to rectify later on.
And the wrong one? Bad habits
The upright posture on skis is more inclined than the normal posture of our everyday life. Therefore, as a beginner, you will tend to lean the central part of your body backwards, so that you look like you are sitting on a non-existent chair. This is the hip problem we have explained. At the same time, you will bring your upper body and arms forward and look towards the skis.
It is normal that you tend to do all this at the beginning, but, as we said, these are bad habits that you should eradicate as soon as possible.
The ski wedge
The so-called wedge is an essential technique for anyone starting out in snow sports, since it is the one that allows for speed control, braking and turning. If you are not familiar with these concepts, we will tell you that, broadly speaking, it consists of placing the skis in a V-shape, so that the tips (or front part of the skis) are very close together and the tails are separated.
In order to practice the wedge, it is essential to have a proper skiing position, i.e. trunk relaxed, hands in front of you and skis backwards. That said, to do it, you must bend your knees and bring them together inwards; in addition, you must move your ankles in such a way that you can put pressure on the boot.
On the other hand, braking should not be abrupt. Therefore, to initiate braking, you must place the skis on their inner edges and distribute your weight equally between them. The more pressure you exert on the inner edges, the harder the braking will be.
Likewise, by means of the wedge, you control the speed. When you open it, the speed increases, and when you close it, it decreases. So, if you feel that you're going too fast on a descent, all you have to do is progressively close the wedge on your skis.
The fundamental turn or basic turn in skiing
Another basic aspect that you must learn in order to ski is the turning technique. There are two fundamental elements that you must take into account: angle and inclination. It is so essential to handle them that, if you manage it, you will be on your way to being a good skier. Both are used in different moments of the turn and complement each other to achieve the same goal, which is to provide direction to the outside ski. Let's talk about them.
The inclination
This refers to how vertical or less vertical your body is when turning. To make it more plastic, in an aggressive turn, you would lean down to almost touch the snow with your hand on the side you are turning to. However, in an open, low-speed turn like the basic one in question, your body should be almost upright, i.e. much more vertical.
In short, the camber serves to counteract the centrifugal force that pushes you towards the outside of the turn. It therefore has to do with the radius of the turn you want to make and the speed you are going. The larger the former and the smaller the latter, the more upright you should be. As we are talking about the basic turn for beginners, this is the one you are interested in knowing for the moment. You will have time to practice others when you are more experienced.
The angle
This refers to the lateral curvature that you must make with your body (in the form of a comma) to adjust the incline. It is related to your own speed, but also to the slope and helps you to make the most of your support and control your trajectory.
As we explained, with both elements you can regulate the beginning and the end of the turn. The inclination allows you to find the edge of the outer ski quickly and, in this way, to give it the right direction as soon as possible. Angulation or angle is useful at the end of the turn, when the outer ski needs to be supported to straighten your trajectory. This last element is gradual, that is, you should apply it progressively depending on your needs according to the circumstances of each turn. Precisely, the more gradual you make your angles, the more elegant your skiing will be.
The idea for learning is to practice both elements separately until you have mastered them well. It will help you control them and, most importantly, to know how to combine them.
How to ski diagonals correctly
Although it may seem too complex for someone who is just starting out in skiing, the diagonal is basic for a beginner. This is because, when faced with a steep and wide slope, will allow you to control the speed and descend without haste.. By means of the basic turn that we have explained and the diagonals, you will be able to defend yourself when going down those long slopes. The first one will help you to link the second ones and, by means of both, you will have the speed you want when doing it.
To make a diagonal, you have to place the skis at an angle to the line of maximum slope and, at the same time, both skis parallel to each other. The one at the bottom rubs against the snow, while the one at the top helps you keep your balance. In order for the first one to rub against the snowy surface correctly, you have to put your weight on it. To achieve this, your hips and knees must be bent towards the mountain (or top), while your upper torso is bent towards the valley.
Beginner skiers often make the mistake of adopting this stance incorrectly, resulting in poor control of speed and direction. In other cases, they do it incompletely, for example by leaning their upper body towards the mountain. As a result, they skid or fall. It is therefore important that you learn to do them well.
Keep in mind that the angle of the diagonal with the slope will allow you to control your speed and direction. Thus, a very steep diagonal will give you more speed and you will cover more distance. On the other hand, if you make it almost parallel to the slope, you will go slower and make less progress. On the other hand, the diagonal should be adapted to the type of snow. If you are in soft snow, you have to edge less and distribute your weight between the two skis. On the other hand, if the snow is hard, the technique is to increase your edging and lean more.
Finally, diagonals are of little use if you don't know how to stop. To do this, you must place your skis perpendicular to the line of maximum slope. Then you make a wedge with both skis, the lower one with its spatula facing the mountain. When you press down with this one, you will notice that you turn until you are at the maximum slope. At this point, you pick up the ski facing uphill and place both skis parallel and across the line of maximum slope.
Ski jump turn
With this technique we are making progress in your preparation to become a good skier, as it already requires a certain amount of experience. It will also be very useful when you are on soft snow and steep slopes. In other words, when no other type of turn is recommended. It consists of turning when the skis are not touching the snow.
To do this, you follow the steps below. First of all, you prepare yourself with a gentle diagonal, bending your body and sticking the pole in front of the boot that is closest to the valley. Then you initiate the turn by pushing off with both legs and performing the ski jump. Next, you lean on the pole, rotate your whole body and then your legs in the direction you want to turn. Finally, you stretch your legs and bend them to cushion your landing on the snow. Once you have completed the jump turn, you must quickly approach the final position of the turn to strengthen your footing.
The secret of this technique lies in good coordination of movements, support and momentum when jumping. To train it, it is best to start on slopes with moderate gradients that do not allow for too much speed. This way, you will be able to control the process at all times.
Stem Christianity
This is the name given to a turn on moderate slopes. It is therefore the next step after the basic turn. It is done in three steps. First, you start the turn from diagonal, then you wedge to the maximum slope line (the most difficult part, as you have to shift your weight) and, finally, you pick up the ski and exit parallel to the maximum slope line.
The schuss or direct descent
It is the technique used to go straight down the line of maximum slope. This is done by placing the skis parallel to each other and flat on the surface. You must distribute your weight on both skis simultaneously and aim for the maximum slope without turning or braking. To descend at high speed, you must adopt an upright and aerodynamic posture, with your legs apart. On the other hand, to descend at moderate speed, you should bend your knees, thus lowering your body's centre of gravity. And when it's time to stop, you simply stand up and open your arms so that the wind resistance stops you.
The skiing tour
It consists of turn 180 degrees in slope and static position and will help you to get out of tricky situations. To do it, you have to stick the upper pole and, at the same time, raise the ski of the opposite side by the tail so that it is at the level of the spatula of the other ski. Then you place the spatula of the ski on which you carry your weight downwards. Next, you rotate your body so that the support pole is on the side of the mount or above. And finally, you rest your weight on the ski on the valley side and place it parallel to the other one.
The dipsy doodle
This is the name given to the technique of making several short parallel turns on steep slopes and on deep, soft snow. It requires a lot of skill and agility, as it is done by combining jumps and slalom turns with skis parallel to each other. It is therefore not suitable for beginners.
Rotational bending turns by skiing
These are parallel turns made by bending your legs. In addition, you have to lean your trunk, thighs and knees towards the inside of the turn and help yourself by sticking the pole on that side in such a way that you are propelled in the direction you want to go. This is a very useful technique when only a small part of the skis are in contact with the snow, as it allows for more comfortable turns.
The wedeln
This is the name given to the succession of short turns. These are parallel turns, but with a very short radius and made in a continuous and rhythmic sequence. It requires extensive knowledge of skiing and good training, as it is very difficult because you will always be on the line of maximum slope.
How to skid ski
It is essential that you know how to drift on skis because it helps you to getting out of complicated situations on which it is difficult to turn. To do this, you have to master ski edging very well. When the skis are flat, they glide over the snow, while edging makes them grip the snow. To skid, you edge and then pull your knees out into the valley and place your skis parallel and flat. To brake, you edge again.
How to improve ski riding technique
When sliding on snow, you run the risk of losing control of your skis. It's as if the skis were carrying you. That's why you need to master this technique. And there are two interesting exercises for this.
The first consists of performing the entire final part of a turn on the outside ski, raising the inside ski a little and crossing it. The second is based on mastering the counter-rotation.
In conclusion, if you want to have a good skiing technique it is essential that you practice a lot. But you also need to know all the movements we have explained. Skiing is beautiful and fun, but if you don't do it well, it can be dangerous.
