In this blog, I will provide you with the best Ski Technique tips on how to take on:
Powder, Crud, Moguls and Pistes.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all Ski Technique when it comes to the various types of ski conditions, as your method and sometimes your equipment selection is dependent upon what kind of elements you’re working with at the time.
Whether you’re just beginning to dip your toes into the world of skiing, or you’re hoping to polish up your already sharp skills, it’s always useful to seek out experienced insight.
While there is no shortage of ski advice out there, much of it can be quite generic. To help you get the most out of your next ski trip, here are some detailed tips for every condition.
POWDER
The best thing to do on a powder day is to get a pair of fat powder skis. No, it isn’t a sales pitch; it is a fact, and today’s fat skis are made to keep you afloat like a pair of water skis on top of the water.
Yes, you will still get into the powder plenty deep, but you won’t find yourself getting hung up.
When you are skiing in the powder, focus on keeping your feet close together so that your platform (your skis, that is) is as wide/large as it can possibly be.
You also need to focus on rhythm. This involves your movement up and down, and you can use the rebound at the bottom of your turn to help spring you down and forward into your next turn.
DO NOT spring up, as this will put you on your heels. Spring forward and down the mountain.
Lastly, use your poles, and reach down the hill and plant your pole. Every good turn begins with a solid pole plant.
CRUD
The most difficult of all conditions to ski is the crud. It is the hardest because every turn is a new condition, and it’s completely uneven and unpredictable.
You’ll run into chopped-up powder, man-made snow, and moguls, as well as snow that has piled up from being skied on where the moisture has compacted. While it isn’t hard, it isn’t powder, and it makes for an extremely inconsistent texture.
That being said, you can better navigate this condition by thinking of pushing your knee caps to the tips of your skis at all times. This will keep you in an athletic stance and on the balls of your feet.
Try to look ahead, and make your turns where you think the snow is best, specifically on a powder mound or in a trough of a mogul where snow collects. The more you can look ahead and ski the terrain with the best snow, the better and more efficiently you will ski.
I also like to seek out the sides of the runs or the outside third where skiers are less likely to have skied. It is also a huge help to ski on a waist of 88 mm and higher which will give you more freedom to manoeuvre your skis while the CRUD grabs at you.
MOGULS
Before you start down a mogul field, stop at the top of your run, and pick the line that you are going to ski. Choose wisely, as you want to ensure that you can hit all of the troughs (bottom of the moguls) and control your speed.
A good line will be straight ahead of you. Think of it as rolling a ball down the hill, and imagine that it is going to follow the line of the troughs and not the tops of the moguls.
Control your speed! If you start going too fast, stop, look again at your line to ski, and start over.
Skiing in the moguls takes discipline, and being good at mogul skiing is all about line choice and speed control.
The troughs also help you to check your speed, and a novice mogul skier should have their skis checking speed in every trough with the skis going as much across the fall line as possible.
For some of the better skiers out there, imagine pushing your skis down and into the trough and absorbing the tops of the moguls.
Pistes
If you want to learn how to carve like a pro, you have to start on the flats. Bend your knees to your ski tips so that you are on the balls of your feet and you are engaging the tip or shovel of the ski.
Keep your knees and ankles parallel to one another. To start your turn, think of rolling your outside ankle bone on your inside ski and out towards the snow (as if you are trying to be bowlegged).
If you do this, the other leg, knee, and ankle have to follow. Practice this on the catwalks or flat runs, and graduate to steeper terrain.
You have to remember to move forward and downhill into your next new turn, or otherwise, your movement will be too lateral.
This lateral movement will not allow you to get on the balls of your feet and balance into the new turn.
It’s great if you can focus on the pole plant, but on the flats, try and feel the skis and the carving sensation. Then progress with dynamic body movement, which will include your pole plant.
You can learn more ways to get Ski Fit with our 30second fitness videos or professional Ski Biomechanics advice from Warren Smith Ski Acadamy.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these tips help you prepare for various conditions with more confidence. Remember to use the correct skies for the current conditions. Further advice can be found with Fleischer Sport.
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