Pick A Focus And Improve Your Skiing Skills

Good mogul and powder skiing requires good skiing fundamentals.  And, the best way to develop good fundamentals is to periodically work on improving your basic skiing skills. 

On the first couple of runs each day it is a good idea to start out by focusing on one or more key skills.  Examples of specific skills you can focus on include:

1. Hand Position: hands wider than elbows and elbows in front of your spine.

2. Stance: tall stance with flexing at the ankles (remember, bending your knees will put you in the back seat - bending the knee should only be a byproduct of flexing the ankles).

3. Commitment: making an active commitment at the initiation of each turn - this requires moving your center of mass over your skis - in the direction of the turn - in order to release the uphill edges of your skis (a requirement to begin the next turn).

4. Eyes: your eyes are a valuable resource because you will ski to where your eyes are looking.  For each turn, pick a target in the snow where you plan to initiate your next turn. Focus your eyes on that spot throughout the turn. Practice this skill on groomed runs - think of it as skiing virtual moguls.

5. Speed Control: When your skis are perpendicular, or more, to the fall line you will slow down. Make rounded C-shape turns where you are controlling your speed by the shape of the turn - and steering your skis up the hill.

6. Patient Turn Initiation: Are you rushing your turns - or are you being patient and willing to let gravity initiate your turns?  Practice patience by making slow motion turns.  extend tall and forward into the direction of the next turn and WAIT patiently for gravity to send you into the turn.  The slower you initiate your turn, the greater the likelihood that you will stay in balance throughout your turn.

Print this tip out and put in in the pocket of your skiing jacket.  Pull it out and practice one of the above skills each day.  You will become a better skier if you do.