Ski Technique
The physical movements elite skiers use to carve turns are described in these eight Learning Modules.
Imagine performing the movements so they flow seamlessly together, creating a continuous and evolving turn.
Videos, pictures, and explanations of each movement can be accessed by clicking the ‘Learn Here’ buttons.
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Athletic Stance
Start with an Athletic Stance.
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Flex the Outside Ankle
Flex your outside ankle towards your big toe and feel pressure under the ball of your foot. Stand on your outside ski.
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Move Forward
Move your core over your feet and down the hill. Feel pressure increase against your outside ski.
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Roll the Inside Leg
Roll your inside leg away from your outside leg.
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Stack, Separate, Press
Stack your outside leg and core keeping your shoulders level to the snow by separating just below the shoulders, and press your foot against the outside ski.
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Shorten the Inside Leg
Shorten your inside leg to increase edge angle and pressure on your outside ski.
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Release and Level the Hips
Release pressure against your outside ski once your skis are moving towards the next turn and level your hips.
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Pole Plant and Touch
Plant or touch your outside pole on the snow and return to the Athletic Stance, ready to start your next turn.
Do not ‘Drop Your Hip’!
Avoid separating at the waist and dropping your hip toward the snow. This action breaks the stacking of the core and outside leg, shifts pressure onto the inside ski, and reduces pressure on the outside ski, limiting its ability to carve, bend and accelerate.
Dropping the hip also increases the risk of injury—racers who use this technique are often injured, sometimes seriously, when skiing on racecourses with steep, icy, or rough conditions.
Where in the turn these movements are performed is shown below.
Photo by Ron LeMaster/Graphics by ARM
The illusion of Dropping the Hip
While it may seem that Mikaela Shiffrin is separating at the waist to ‘drop her inside hip to the snow’ in the image below, this is merely an illusion.
In reality, she is moving forward and inside the turn, stacking her core and outside leg, and shortening her inside leg to create a higher edge angle and increased pressure on the outside ski.
As a natural consequence of these movements, her hip moves lower to the snow rather than as a deliberate action.
Shiffrin/Image M. Kappeler/DPA PA/Alamy
Videos
Watch World Cup racer Dave Ryding for an excellent demonstration of these movements. Look for each component of the Technique including returning to the Athletic Stance between turns, moving the body forward and not up and stacking the body over the outside ski.
Video by Filip Chwistek, Ski World Videos
Focus on the movements of the racer in the following video as he rips some awesome turns!
Video by Shred.Riders
Key Takeaways
Learning the physical movements used by elite skiers to carve turns can enhance both your skiing skills and your safety.
The specific physical movements include maintaining an athletic stance, flexing the outside ankle towards the big toe to feel pressure under the ball of the foot, moving the body forward, rolling the inside leg, stacking the outside leg and core, shortening the inside leg, releasing pressure against the outside ski between turns, levelling the hips and planting or touching the pole to the snow.
Suggested Learning Modules
Go to Race to experience how World Cup skiers apply this technique in the racecourse.
To learn how words were selected to describe technique, tap on ‘Word Choice’.
Edge Angle and Pressure
Review the four movements described above to create edge angle and apply pressure on the outside ski.
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.