Ski Divas

Everyone knows the first few weeks back on the skis can be a little daunting. Rusty edges, rusty muscles, rusty mind. It’s the perfect time to perfect your technique and test out all the training strength you gained in the Fall.  Its also a prime time for bad habits to form, and therefore even more important to infuse your skiing with some good habits right off the bat.  When I was in the heart of my ski racing career, my coaches were relentless in the first few days of skiing; hammering us with drills, technical feedback, and undying focus.  It was the perfect formula to get back in the game quickly, without forming dreaded bad habits.  To this day, I have used the same formula while coaching and training other ski professionals as they enter into their winter seasons.  I just finished the first round of training for the Jackson Hole Ski School staff this past week, and I would like to share some of the tips I found effective and helpful to those who just went through it.

                                     Photo: Gabe Rogel, Skier: Jessica Baker

#1 Where is your balance?  Have you checked in with your center of mass?  If you were to drop a plumb bob or pendulum from your belly button down towards the ground while standing on your skis, the weight should drop down towards the toe pieces of your bindings while standing still, and towards the tip of the ski as you move into the "arc" of the turn.  *Tip for improving your balance:  From a stand still sway back and forth in your ski boots with your skis on, go through the full range of motion that you can by flexing your ankles, shins, and knees into the front of the boot, and then conversely leaning back into the back of your boot as far as you can.  Now find your center, where you stand neutral and tall with light pressure on the front of your boots and full contact and equal pressure along the entire foot (ball, arch, heel) in relation to the bottom of your boots.  Note what it felt like along this spectrum and try to relate it to your turn.  If you can say that most of your center of mass works from the "centered" position to the "forward" position through your turns, then you are skiing in a "balanced stance", if you recognize the same sensation from leaning back in your boots along the ski, then you are probably out of balance, and need to adjust your weight transfer so that you are traveling from "center" to "forward" and then back to "center" in every turn.  Practice medium radius turns with patience and consistent turn shape to allow yourself to adjust and become aware of your balance.

#2 What direction are you focused on?  In those first turns of the day, or first turns of the season, where is your vision focused?  Where are your hands?  Are your hips/center of mass diving into the fall line at the finish/initiation of each turn? Is your pole touch directed down the fall line towards your desired direction of travel?  Ask yourself these questions.  Its common to over rotate the upper body at the end of each turn, and lose that important commitment and directional move over the skis to shift into your next turn.  This generally creates a loss of pressure and control on the downhill ski, and an exaggeration or tipping of the upper body to the inside/uphill side at the end of a turn (exact opposite of where you would like to go).  Additionally it makes it that much harder (more distance to move) to get back over the skis and transition towards the desired new turn.  *Tips for improving directional movements down the hill:  Look ahead, pick an object down the fall line, or the valley floor and keep your vision moving in that direction to help keep your focus up and forward thinking (i.e. you don't go for a trail run and look down at your feet the whole time, you are scanning the trail ahead to anticipate your next few strides and/or terrain changes).  Use your pole touch (pole plant is not actually applicable, you should be making a brief pole touch with a flick of the wrist, do not fully plant the pole basket, as it will block you from moving over your skis) as timing for you center of mass to follow, and start releasing from the old turn/end of the last turn.  Drill: Try some "leaper turns" where you jump and change direction in the air at the transition of every turn, this will help "jump" start your directional movements down the fall line.

#3 Break out of your comfort zone.  It is easy to get caught in one size turn, one rhythm, one speed, especially early season when you are limited on terrain choices.  By mixing up your turn radius, timing, and dynamics, you are essentially giving yourself a chance to practice good technique in a variety of situations.  i.e. if you feel comfortable in a medium radius turn at high speed, with not much shape to the turn, what is going to happen when you take that first run in the trees this year?  Your timing and quick fire muscles need some practice too.  By mixing up your turn shape, timing, and speed, you will keep your technical prowess versatile for all types of terrain and ski scenarios.  Backcountry skiing, tree skiing, race courses, groomed runs, moguls, ice, etc. all require variation in turn shape, timing, and speed.  *Tip to break out of your comfort zone:  try skiing 5 dynamic medium radius (GS) turns into 5 dynamic short radius turns (slalom) and then back to 5 GS turns as you move over terrain changes.  Can you do it without putting on the breaks?  Keep the transition smooth.  Another idea:  try following different skiers that you think ski well.  Try to mimic their movements and turn shape.  As you mix it up, you will find your versatility returning, and a state of mind that will be ready for any type of skiing or terrain that you may encounter.  And in the process you may just find your weaknesses exposed...inspiration for your next goal towards improving your ski technique!

So get out there, tap into your ski technique, and be ready for the big winter season ahead!

-Jessica

(If you have more questions feel free to contact me at jessica@skidivas.com)