Tips from the Guru
The beginning of the season is the perfect time to consolidate new technical skills. And since any bad habits have not yet been ingrained, they’ll be all the easier to get rid of.
Everyone has their own early-season routine. But remember, what you feel like doing may not necessarily be the right thing to do (My mom has been telling me that for years, but it was skiing that finally made me understand what she meant!).
Here’s what I recommend to kick off your ski season. To start with, wide-radius turns are ideal for getting your ski legs back. Choose an easy slope and ski down the fall line. On your first turn to the left, your left ski tip should be just ahead of the right one. This is a natural movement and you shouldn’t have to work at it. If you roll both skis over on edge simultaneously, it will happen automatically.
When your left tip is slightly ahead, your left hand and shoulder should also be slightly forward. It’s easy—your hands follow the movement of your tips. If your left tip is forward, so is your left hand, if your right ski is in front, so, too, is your right hand.
This means that if you were to draw a line in the snow between your ski tips, the line would be parallel to your shoulders, no matter where you are in the turn. As we said earlier, when you turn to the left, your left tip is forward. Consequently, for that line in the snow to stay parallel to your shoulders, your left shoulder has to move slightly forward.
If you always keep your shoulders and tips lined up, you will maintain a mobile position that enables you to move your ankles, knees, and hips to increase the angle of your skis.
It is NOT true that your shoulders must always face down the slope. In some cases (easy slopes, for example), it is true. However, as the slope gets steeper, it becomes impossible to keep your shoulders facing down the fall line without ending up in a twisted stance. You want to avoid skiing twisted, as it will interfere with your ability to edge.
Once you are able to keep your shoulders parallel to your tips, you will be perfectly aligned and your skiing will become truly effortless...
Have a great season!
Jean-François Beaulieu
Directeur, Mont-Sainte-Anne Snowsports school director