Snow Skills

The men’s downhill events at Torino 2006 are today; our hopes are with Bode and Darren for fast snow and faster times. Since everything goes to an extreme when you’re going 86 mph, (135 kph), you can learn a lot about balance by watching downhillers as some movements become very obvious. Balance is key at that speed; to understand more about balance in skiing, watch where the racer’s hands are.

The classic speed position for a downhill ski race is the tuck. A tuck allows the racer to get very low by squatting with their hands together well out in front of them. This position creates two factors: their position is very aerodynamic and their center of gravity is low and forward. At those speeds on steep pitches, a racer will need every advantage to maintain balance. Even when the racer isn’t using a tuck, their position probably includes a position where the hands are generally forward and out away from their body to allow them to adjust to improve balance.

So, equally important to where the racers’ hands are is where their hands aren’t. If their hands start to drop or swing back even with their shoulders, they’re losing balance and probably losing time. If their hands fall back behind their shoulders, it’s pretty likely that they’re about to make the SportsCenter highlights that night, but not for being on the medal stand. At that speed, the lack of an arm in front of your body is an impact that will be hard for a racer to recover from. While watching the event, note that most of the falls probably include some form of an arm falling backward, usually due to a loss of balance backward or an unwanted rotation of their body.

Few recreational skiers ever come close to 85 mph; about 20 mph is where most folks are comfortable. Even at that speed, however, the presence of an arm behind you can lead to a rapid loss in balance. Keep your balance strong by keeping your hands well in front of you and avoiding rotation of your body.