Do any of the following quotes sound familiar?A: "I have problems controlling my speed especially on steeps".
B: "I can turn one way better than the other".
C: "My inside ski sometimes gets in the way or catches".
D: "I struggle in bumps and off-piste"
If I now list some of the more common ski faults I come across whilst teaching, perhaps it will help to find some solutions to the problem/s:
Fore/aft balance - how 'centered' you are on your skis. The ski centre, or 'sweet spot' as I like to call it, usually corresponds to the middle of the arch of the foot. If we balance over this point (so that we are neither too far back or forward on the skis) the skis can perform efficiently. Your skiing posture, movements (or lack of!), core stability and natural balance can all affect your fore/aft balance, not to mention the variations in terrain and snow condtions. All the above quotes can be related to fore/aft balance faults.
Lateral balance - how you distribute your weight between the two skis. We usually need to maintain more pressure against the 'outside' ski in a curve (ie. the ski on the downhill side towards the end of a turn) than the 'inside' ski. As we also need to tilt the ski onto its inside edge, we need to be able to lean the legs towards the inside of the turn. If we lean too much, or lean the whole body (motorbike style) the majority of pressure will end up on the inside ski, making the outside ski light and therefore prohibiting it from steering around the curve. All the above quotes can be related to lateral balance faults.
Over-rotation of skis - pivoting too much. Think of smooth 'steered' arcs in the snow which use a blend of pressure, edge and rotation to make the skis grip. If we are unable to tilt (edge) the skis sufficiently, or our legs don't bend and stretch effectively, we may be forced to 'pivot' the skis around the corner - probably resulting in a skiddy turn which lacks shape and control of line. Try to 'press and tilt' instead of rotating the feet at the start of the turn to help increase the grip. Quotes B, C & D can be related to over-rotation faults.
Over-edging the skis - carving too much. With modern ski technology it's a lot easier to 'carve' our turns and leave clean 'sliced' tracks in the snow. However, to be a versatile all-mountain skier you need to be able to 'slide' and 'scrape' your skis as well as 'slice'. This may mean that you need to trade in some of the edging movement for some foot/leg turning. Learning to skid the skis again will help to make you more manoeuvrable on steeps and in bumps. Quotes A, B & D can be related to over-edging faults.
