No matter if youre just starting out or tackling black diamond runs, theres always room to get better at skiing. Improving your skills isnt just for beginnersexperienced skiers constantly work on refining their control, speed, and style.
Take Red Bull skier Bobby Brown, for example. Hes always pushing himself to elevate freestyle skiing to the next level. Brown even created Red Bull Cascade, a unique competition that challenges skiers across all styles. What I think has been missing from competitions is showcasing a variety of styles in one event, Brown explains. We want to give riders the chance to show their skills, whether its technical tricks or creative lines using natural features on the mountain.
If youre ready to take your skiing to the next level, check out the tips below for practical ways to master the basics and beyond!
Master the Basics First
Proper Stance and Balance
Good skiing starts with a solid stanceits the key to staying in control, flexible, and stable on the slopes. Keep your knees slightly bent and your skis about hip-width apart. Let your arms rest to the sides with elbows bent. If youre skiing straight, balance your weight evenly on both skis. But when turning, shift your weight to match the direction. On easy slopes, a slight lean helps you stay centered and in control. As you tackle steeper terrain, your stance will naturally adjust.
Being flexible is also essential. Your stance should change as you navigate different angles and directions, helping you respond quickly to bumps or uneven snow. A relaxed but stable position is your best friend here.
Skiing Posture
Skiing posture, often called the athletic stance, is all about coordination between your upper and lower body. Keep your ankles, knees, and hips slightly bent. Your arms should be forward and slightly out to the sides, and your stance should be comfortably wide.
As you ski, your upper body should face downhill while your legs and skis follow the terrain. Align your shoulders with your toes and your hips with your heels. Avoid standing completely uprightyour knees should stay bent, and your ankles should flex naturally inside your boots.
For stability, keep your feet hip-width apart on groomed trails. When skiing on powder or bumps, bring your feet a bit closer together. Your center of mass, typically around your abdomen, shifts slightly when you lean into turns or extend your arms. This shift helps maintain balance and control, no matter the conditions.
Focus on Edging and Carving
How to Improve Edge Control
Edge control is all about pressing the edges of your skis into the snow for smoother, more precise turns. Mastering this skill helps you stay in control at faster speeds and gives you better grip on icy terrain.
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Start practicing by shifting your upper body to face downhill along the fall linethats the path a ball would take if it rolled straight down the slope. Angle your knees and ankles downhill so your skis face across the fall line, sitting horizontally. Hold this position for a moment, then tip both your knees and ankles uphill. This movement shifts the pressure to your ski edges, bringing you to a stop.
Try practicing this technique on groomed slopes with a gentle incline before tackling steeper runs. Keep repeating the motions: press into your skis, align them parallel, tip them uphill, and stop. With practice, youll gain confidence and control over your edging technique.
Practice Turns and Transitions
Linking Turns
Smoothly connecting your turns is key to controlling your speed and keeping a steady flow down the slope. Instead of stopping or hesitating between turns, aim to link them seamlessly. This not only helps maintain momentum but also keeps your descent controlled and fluid.
A great way to practice this is by mastering S-turns. These turns help you control speed while keeping your movements continuous. To create an S-turn, guide your skis downhill, then curve them back across the slope without completely crossing the fall line. Keep repeating this motion to carve a smooth, flowing S as you ski.
The shape and size of your turns depend on your skis sidecuts. Skis with a shallow sidecut create wider turns (over 20 meters), while deeper sidecuts allow for tighter turns (1015 meters). If your linked turns are too sharp, they might look more like a Z than an S.
Pro Tip: Look ahead at where youre going, not down at your skis. Keeping your eyes on the slope ahead helps guide your body naturally into each turn.
Weight Shifting
Proper weight shifting makes your turns feel more natural and controlled. As you start a turn, lead with your outside ski and gradually shift your weight onto it for stability. As you transition into the next turn, shift your weight smoothly to the new outside ski. This transfer helps your skis grip the snow and keeps your movements steady.
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Remember, the key word here is smooth. Avoid rushing the weight shift, as it can cause your skis to skid. Instead, ease into the transfer. You can flex or push off the foot carrying your weight to naturally land on the new outside ski. This technique helps keep your turns fluid and in control.
Develop Speed Control
Using Turn Shape for Speed Management
Your turn shape plays a big role in managing your speed on the slopes. Different terrains also influence how fast or slow you can ski and how you navigate your turns. In addition to the S-turn, there are other turn shapes like the J-turn and C-turn that are useful for controlling your speed.
J-turn: Start by pointing your skis straight down the fall line. Then, push off the fall line and turn your skis back to slow down or stop. This is great for trying out new slopes or when skiing at slower speeds.
C-turn: Position your skis across the fall line and draw a C shape with them. This helps you maintain your speed without coming to a full stop, making it ideal for steeper slopes.
If youre comfortable with these basic turns, try experimenting with tighter ones. Tighter turns allow you to maintain or even build speed. Always adjust your turns to suit the terrain, as each skiing experience is unique.
Handling Steeper Slopes
Steeper slopes demand more precision. Try using techniques like side-slipping to control your speed. This involves using your ski edges to slide diagonally down the slope without making a sharp turn. Its especially useful for navigating challenging sections.
Here are some tips for handling steeper slopes:
- Dont lean back; instead, maintain a balanced, centered position.
- Make rounded turns rather than sharp, jagged ones.
- Aim for consistent speed. Avoid starting slow and picking up speed, as this can lead to a loss of control.
- Stay focused while skiing. Dont get distracted by your surroundings, no matter how beautiful they may be.
- Check the terrain before you start. Scan ahead for any potential obstacles, giving yourself plenty of time to react.
- Keep your shoulders aligned with the slope and your body centered over your skis.
Also Read: What are the Benefits of Skiing Lessons for Adults?
Strengthen Your Body for Skiing
Leg and Core Strength
Skiing requires strong legs to maintain stability and endurance. Strengthening exercises like squats, lunges, and hip thrusts can help build the power you need. To prevent sore legs, focus on strengthening your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Try single-leg Romanian deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, floor jacks, and step-ups. Resistance band exercises, such as lateral stepping, clamshells, and standing kickbacks, are also great for strengthening your legs. These exercises not only build strength but also improve your control and balance while skiing down different slopes.
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For proper turns, abdominal strength is crucial. Core exercises like planks and Russian twists can help improve your balance and control. These exercises will enable you to make smoother turns and stay steady on uneven terrain, especially when you need to move side to side. You can add a twisting movement to your plank workout to further stabilize and strengthen your core for skiing. Other abdominal workouts, such as bicycle crunches, reverse jack-knifes, and mountain climbers, are also beneficial.
Flexibility and Balance
Flexibility is important for reducing injury risk and improving your range of motion on the slopes. Regular stretching of your hamstrings, quads, and hips can enhance your flexibility, allowing for more mobility and resilience.
Balance drills are key to staying centered and stable, especially on varied terrain. Focusing on core and hip strength along with flexibility will help you control your skis. Practice balance exercises with resistance bands to improve your balance.
The hip clock exercise is excellent for improving coordination and preparing you for uneven slopes or balancing on one ski. To do it, stand on one slightly bent leg, then lift and extend the other leg to the 12 oclock position in front of you, and bring it back to the center. For the left leg, repeat this movement in the three and six oclock positions for five to eight repetitions. Then, switch to the right leg and repeat for the 12, nine, and six oclock positions for the same number of reps.
Take Lessons or Practice with a Coach: Whats Best for You?
For beginners, group lessons offer a supportive environment to learn the basics with general feedback that suits new skiers. Group lessons are not only educational but also a sociable experience. You can meet other skiers and potentially plan your own trips together. Theyre more affordable too, compared to private one-on-one sessions.
As skiers progress, private lessons can offer tailored feedback and customized drills focused on specific skills. Having a coach who can pinpoint areas for improvement is a game-changer, especially for intermediate and advanced skiers. In a private lesson, the coachs attention is entirely on you. Theres no group setting to split the focus its just you and the coach.
If theres a specific skill you want to learn or if you need to adjust the lesson plans, private lessons provide the flexibility to do so. For quick learners, private lessons allow them to move at their own pace without waiting for others, as they would in a group setting. These lessons also build confidence for shy skiers, giving them the freedom to learn and make mistakes without worrying about falling behind.