Snow Skills

Welcome back to winter! My home mountain, Sugarloaf,is open and I made my first turns of the winter today! No matter how many years of skiing under your feet, that first run always brings to mind a newborn colt making its first steps. The stance wavers, the balance is unsteady, and the muscle-memory of your moves from last spring is, well, …back in last spring. When your first day of skiing feels like a baby deer trying to walk on ice, the best focus is to simply turn the skis with your legs, not with your body.

Just like riding a bike, your body will begin to recall which turning movements work well and which ones don’t work well. Focus on separating the upper and lower halves of the body at your hip socket where the legs can move independently from your pelvis. Resist the urge to force the ski around to create the turn: rather, let your legs gently change the weight, edge the ski, and steer through the arc. A forcing motion with the hips, shoulders, or arms might swing you in the direction desired, but probably took you out of balance. By letting your legs move without the body , your skis will change direction without any help from above the waist.