Snow Skills

Good balance comes from good posture which comes from a good stance which starts at the feet. Whew! That’s a lot to deduce in a short sentence, but there’s a simplicity in identifying that good balance builds from where you set your feet. None of the other body parts are even touching Mother Earth, so the position of the feet in relation to eachother is key to staying in balance when gravity is pulling you down an uneven, variable slope. With today’s shaped skis, the general stance width is hip-wide no matter what the situation to give you the most effective balance and skiing movements

Start your search for a hip-width stance indoors in bare feet on a firm surface. Find a hip-width stance by placing the palms of your hands on the bony part of your hips, fingers straight out and facing down. Now close your eyes and set the outside of your feet even with your palms. Open your eyes to visually check that the outside edge of your feet is directly under an imaginary line extending from your fingers. Note that your feet are within the extents of your hips, not outside them: this is a stance that will give you the best balance and most effective leg movements.

Out on the slopes, you can re-create this image despite all that gear and clothing by standing on a flat surface in your skis (perhaps in a liftline). Move your pole grips against the side of your torso such that the shaft is in contact with the bony part of your hips and the poles are generally straight up and down. Now set your stance width so that the outside of your boots is under the tip of the poles. On your next run, focus on this standard hip-width stance as your setup and you’ll be setup to ski well.