The first basic skiing competency is a centred and mobile stance. This means that your balance is in the centre of the ski and that you are able to use your ankles, knees and hips effectively throughout your turns and to adapt to changes in the terrain. Another way to understand this is to imagine yourself standing on top of your skis without wearing ski boots. Without the stability offered by the ski boot you wouldn’t be able to lean back because there would be nothing to support you. The same is true for leaning forward.
At the mountain you only have to open your eyes and look around you to realize that most people could do with improvement through improving their stance. The predominant scenario is that people ‘hang off the back of their boots’ so that their balance is too far back.
A centred and mobile stance enables you to make more effective and smoother turns and also to adapt to terrain changes. So improving this competency is a great way to improve your skiing. You might feel that you are an advanced skier and beyond this basic competency. Everyone can make improvements here. If your stance and balance are virtually perfect on blue terrain you should take yourself into more challenging terrain and reassess. Somewhere you are sure to find room for improvement.
A way for you to feel ‘where ’ you are standing on your skis is to focus on the sensations inside your boots. Do this first while stationary. If you feel the most pressure underneath your heels and at the back of your calves your balance is too far back. If you feel the most pressure underneath the ball of your foot and on your shin you are too far forward. Aim for an even pressure through the arches of your feet as well as the contact of your shin on the front of the boot. Now, do this while skiing on terrain where you feel comfortable.
A great exercise for developing a centred and mobile stance is ‘hopping’. In this exercise you perform small hops first whilst stationary and then while you are skiing. Before you start hopping, feel for that centred stance through the sensations in your boots. Now use your ankles, knees and hips to perform small hops. Focus on feeling the even pressure throughout your arches and the contact of your shins on the tongues of the boots every time that you bounce. An important thing to mention here is that your shin will lose contact with the boot temporarily during the up movement of the hop and make firm contact again as you come down. Notice what happens to your skis. If the tips of your skis lift more than the tails you are still a little too far back and if the tails lift more than the tips you are leaning too far forward. If you are truly centred the whole ski will lift evenly. Once you’ve achieved this even lift of the ski while stationary, progress to performing the exercise while skiing gentle terrain and see if you can continue hopping throughout your turns. When you feel that you’ve made some improvements in the exercise you can take the hopping out and feel for the same sensations inside your boots. Go between the exercise and ‘regular’ skiing every now and again to reinforce the sensations. Now, just ski and enjoy the improvements that you have made! A progression would be to take the whole process into terrain that is a little more challenging for you.
It’s very useful to use exercises such as this one while skiing on your own. Remember that ski instructors are trained in helping you to improve your skiing and a combination of ski improvement through lessons and by training on your own will yield the best results.
Happy ski improvement!
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