Flex the Outside Ankle
Image by TT News Agency/Alamy
Overview
Learn about ‘Ankle Flexion’.
Movement 2: To start a turn, flex your outside ankle towards your big toe, feel pressure on the ball of your foot and stand on the outside ski.
This description is the second of eight modules included in the Ski Technique module, describing how elite skiers and racers carve turns.
Both ankles should be lightly flexed forward at all times so your shins are leaning against the tongues or cuffs of both boots. This movement is known as ‘Ankle Flexion’.
Shiffrin Flexing Both Ankles Forward
Image by TT News Agency/Alamy/Graphics by ARM
Start a new turn by flexing your outside ankle toward your big toe and feel pressure under the ball of your foot. This action will tip the new outside ski onto its edge enough to apply pressure to the front of the ski, causing it to begin carving.
Right Foot Applying Pressure Against the Outside Ski
Image by Arm
Stand on the outside leg with the bones aligned and stacked on top of each other, allowing the new outside ski to start carving a turn as demonstrated by Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway.
Watch a few turns of Henrik Kristoffersen in this video. Observe how his new outside leg is stacked, while his outside knee remains stable and does not tip inward.
Video by Filip Chwistek.
With ‘shaped’ skis, tipping the outside knee inward to create edge angle is unnecessary. This action reduces pressure against the outside ski and increases the risk of knee injury as demonstrated in the Learning Module, Reduce Risk of Injury.
Ankle flexion is demonstrated in the following video. Also observe the stacked outside leg of these skiers, with their thighs and shins aligned.
Video by Sean Warman
Keep your ski tips level to maintain Ankle Flexion by ensuring your feet are directly below your body.
Watch about 2 and half minutes of this video until Deb Armstrong starts talking about the Transition between turns.
Video by Ski Strong
Outside Leg Video
Tom Gellie’s video below compares the ski technique of two skiers; Warren and Casey.
Warren in the upper frame starts his turns standing on the outside ski with a stacked outside leg.
Casey in the lower frame tips his outside knee inwards to start the turn.
Tom Gellie explains how Warren is able to start the turn with more power stacking the outside leg. You may want to watch this video more than once as it focuses on subtle but very important differences between these two skiers.
Video by Big Picture Skiing
How to flex ankles along with some helpful drills is demonstrated by Warren Smith in his video.
Video by ‘In the Snow’
Key Takeaways
Ankle flexion plays a crucial role in skiing and involves flexing the ankles forward so that the shins lean against the tongues or cuffs of both boots.
To start a new turn, focus on flexing the outside ankle toward the big toe, feeling pressure under the ball of the foot.
Keeping the outside leg stacked by standing on the outside ski will avoid the knee tipping inward,. This action will reduce the risk of knee pain and injury.
Suggested Learning Modules
Go to Ski Technique 3 Forward Movement
Return to Ski Technique
Important Message: Skiing and ski racing involve inherent risks. It’s essential to ski responsibly and stay within your skill level and personal comfort limits.