Snow Skills

It’s just human nature to want things to come easy and the frustration level can rise with an activity that requires a substantial amount of learning before you master it. Skiing requires thorough learning which builds methodically to bring you to a higher level of ability. If you rush that process, you may create a situation of diminishing returns as you abandon what’s come before in a hurry to get to what’s next. In skiing, telemarking, and snowboarding, use patience turns to give your gear a chance to do the turning for you.

Patience turns are simply a mindset as to how you’re going to apply your skis/board in turn. They can be used at any ability level, the key being that you’re using them on terrain that you’re already comfortable on. In general, a patience turn is one where you make all your movements with precision and timing to give your gear the best situation to create a turn. The opposite of a patience turn is where you force your gear around, usually with an exaggerated steering motion of the body and/or legs, relying more on your energy than the forces of motion to let your gear do its thing.

A good patience turn:

1) allows you to maintain a steady stance, resulting in steady balance all the way through the turn and into the next. Ask yourself: “Am I exaggerating any part of my stance to hurry the gear along?”

2) allows your edge angles to increase and decrease at roughly the same rate. Ask yourself: “Am I jamming on the edges at some point in the turn due to a lack of control?”

3)allows your gear to be steered through the turn steadily and then return back the other way in the next turn steadily. Ask yourself: “Am I pushing the tips/nose across gravity because I’ve lost confidence?”

If the answer to those questions is NO, then you’re being patient with your gear and it’s an efficient and effective way to go. If the answer to any one of those questions is YES, then you’re probably making too much effort which will result in a loss of control as you progress to steeper terrain.

Use patience turns to improve your skills before moving to more difficult terrain.