Skiing: Advanced Skiing turns

In advanced skiing turns start to become faster and shorter radius'. When skiing on advanced trails you need to make smaller turns so you keep your balance and you don't put too much pressure at a time on a leg because that can cause a lot of pain the next day. As I said before in beginner skiing you learn how to use the upper body for balance and the lower body for skiing. Now in advanced skiing, the upper part of the body is always facing down the fall-line and remains relatively still while the work of turning and steering the skis is done by the feet, ankles and knees. In advanced skiing, there are different types of turns to help you get down the trail.

These turns should be practiced on beginner's slopes to get used to the movement of the turns without getting out of control on the slopes.

1. Short-swing Turns (Steeps)- turns performed on a downhill run the enables you to take the slopes at a steeper angle. At first the turn is done with the skis kept very wide apart and with exaggerated flexion-extension-flexion under-weighting movements and then as you become more at ease with the maneuver, the skis are brought together and the amount of flexion-extension-flexion is substantially reduced.


2. The counter-turn (S turn)- On a steep slope, a very useful maneuver for controlling your speed without losing your smooth rhythm is the counter turn. In this movement, you use your knees and ankles to steer your skis up the hill just prior to executing a downhill turn. By turning your skis up the hill, you slow them down. Since the skis are continually turning on their edges, this is a smooth way of controlling your speed without slide-slipping.

Wedeln Turn

3. Wedeln Turn- This turn is essentially a short-swing turn executed quickly with the skis held close together, the weight on both feet at all times, very little down-up-down movement and with very little edging. This turn is mainly done on gentle, smooth slopes. The Wedeln turn is basically hoping on your skis as you make a turn.


4. The Jet Turn- The Jet turn maneuver teaches you how to bring your weight forwards again and regain control so that you can end the turn in a correct position, leaning against the fronts of the ski boots. The Jet turn is also an enjoyable ski maneuver when you're playing around on the slopes.

"The key to making good turns is to allow the skies to turn, not to force them" (Heckelman, 87)

Skiing: Beginner Turns

In skiing one of the most important things are the different types of turns. As a beginner it is important to know all the basic turns because different types of snow require different turns. Most of these turns are part of the International Parallel Technique I wrote about in my last blog. As a beginner all these turns should be perfected on gentle slopes before you go on more intermediate slopes. Once you feel comfortable with the turns on easy slopes then you can move on to harder slopes. Just remember a skier is not a skier without falling millions of times. If you are afraid of falling than skiing might not be a sport for you. I've been skiing for about 6 years and throughout the years i have probably fallen so many times that if you gave me a dollar for every fall I will be a millionaire, so don't be afraid to fall, it's just snow. If you expect not to fall than you are sadly mistaken. The truth is the first time you get on skies you probably will fall within the first 5 minutes.
There are many types of turns so I'll go over the most important ones that are necessary to learn while skiing.

Wide- Track Pressure Turns

1. Uphill turns- Uphill turns are usually used to stop when on a slope. How this maneuver is performed is when you want to stop you have to put pressure on on leg and you'll make a turn but keep putting pressure on that leg until you start going up the hill and you'll notice that you are stopping. usually if you give a lot of pressure you'll stop immediately.
2. Wide- track pressure turns- Usually beginners start with wide- track turns and go into short-radius turns. Wide- track turns are usually performed but putting pressure on one leg and then go across the slope and but pressure on the other foot to make another turn and you repeat that until you get down the slope.

Short- radius pressure turns

3. Short- radius pressure turns- Short- radius turns are really similar to wide- track turns but in short- radius turns once you put pressure on one leg and you make the turn you immediately put pressure on the other foot to make another turn.
4. Parallel turns- Parallel turns are similar to short- radius pressure turns but in this type of turn you also use your poles to turn. You do what you do for short-radius turns and while turning you put your pole in the snow and kinda use the pole to help you turn. It's like going through obstacles.

Parallel turns

These are the 4 most important turns to know when skiing. "These turns are like the foundation to further skiing techniques"(Heckelman, 87).