Snow Skills

In the wetter snow of spring skiing, it takes a different set of skills to make an efficient skiing turn. As the snow gets softer, focus on putting nearly the same amount of weight on both feet. Yes, there still has to be a dominance of balance on the outside leg, but the heavier snow dictates that both skis need to work together and that takes modifying your movements to stay balanced and efficient. The focus is to ski with two feet!

Add in the following movements to your spring skiing:

Use a narrower stance. From a hip-width stance, try moving your feet about 2 inches closer and skiing from this position.

Use a little more leg steering. With that narrower stance, your feet will be more directly under your hips and you’ll have more leverage as a result. Be careful not to oversteer the ski; the additional leg steering here is to help overcome the added friction of the heavy snow. Let’s define “a little more” as feeling more active in your hip joint through the turn, not really in your feet.

Use less edging. Softer snow doesn’t require the higher edge angles you were using in January on hardpack or frozen granular conditions. By keeping your edge angles low, you’ll lessen the drag effects of the wetter snow. With a narrower stance, you’ll have less range of motion in your knees to effect edging anyhow.

With those movements added, now put a similar amount of weight on both feet in the turn. Somewhere around 55% to 45% outside to inside leg, respectively, is appropriate.

You’ll find that you’ll be able to ski with a Two Feet, One Effort type of focus where the skis work together with strong balance and effective skills.

Enjoy! And don’t forget the sunscreen!