Snow Skills

One of Tim’s posts on where the hands should be in riding rang especially true for me about skiing. It’s disappointing how complicated and confusing some instructors can make this issue through a wide array of well-intentioned tips that have little positive effect on your skiing. One common useless tip is the thought that you should “hold your hands like you’re carrying a tray of hot chocolate down the hill.” No professional waiter on the planet could successfully carry a tray down uneven, pitched terrain with both hands grasped in lock-step in front of them. The arms have to move freely and independently to constantly fine-tune your balance while moving down a slope.

One of the few hard-fast rules for where the hands should be in skiing is to keep them where you can see them. If your hands are somewhere within the periphery of your eyesight, they probably are away from your body, above your hips, and in front of you. Hands that are away from your body are free to move where necessary for balance similar to the way a tightrope walker’s hands are always away from their body. Hands that are above your hips and in front of you will promote a forward, balanced stance in the same manner as a wrestler begins a bout. Any movement of the hands down or backward out of your vision will surely reduce your balance and force you to make other unnatural movements to compensate. Let your hands move where they need to within your vision and you’ll be enhancing your balance in the most effective manner.