Let's just compare the difference between the two sequences I described in Part 1. The first turn will make a large capital S on the snow and the skis, because they are on their edges for most of the turn, will give excellent snow holding and control. In the second sequence I have rushed round coming to the fall line in a near standing position and the skis for the most part remain flat with little edging.You will find to begin with that you may be sliding more on the soles of the skis than carving on the edges, but as you learn to angulate more, and apply more pressure to the lower ski, it will start to bite.
There is obviously a section of the turn as the skis come into the fall line and pass it when they are flat on the snow transferring from one edge to the other. This is the part of the turn when it is most difficult to maintain a nicely rounded S. You should make a positive effort to let the skis come round smoothly even while they are sliding flat on the snow. Incidentally, it is virtually impossible to carve a turn 100% with no sliding, but should you feel like a challenge perhaps you could be the first person to do it.There are two important things to remember when trying out this turn. The first is to avoid a common fault.
When most people turn into the fall line and start to speed up, they tend to rush the turn round in order to brake as quickly as possible and slow themselves down again. This tends to make things worse rather than better, and it's therefore important to accept and allow this increase in speed.If you want to build more confidence in this respect find a steep bit of piste leading to a flat or uphill gradient. Practise running straight down the steep bit after a final turn, knowing that you will be able to stop easily.
Don't you just love that feeling of acceleration with the wind in your hair, and your eyes watering so much that you can't see where you are going?.The second point is to make sure that your upper body, from the hips up, is facing down the hill as much as possible. Rather than make a positive effort to face down the hill at this stage (after all you have a lot of other things to concentrate on), just make a point of looking for the area in front of you where you could be making the next turn. The faster you go the further ahead you should be looking. If your head is facing downhill then it is reasonable to assume that your upper body may just be as well. It's permissible for it to be square over the skis but at this stage it must never face towards the hill.
.Simon Dewhurst has taught downhill skiing in North America, Scandinavia and the European Alps for 35 years. He currently runs a ski chalet agency in the French Alps. His book "Secrets of Better Skiing" can be found at http://www.ski-jungle.com If you have any comments about the above article, he will be happy to answer them.
By: Simon Dewhurst
