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SECRETS OF THE SEASONED
Frequently, we will be
sharing tips from the experts in
this section starting with the
following: An excerpt from the book,
A Weekend Warrior’s Guide to
Expert Skiing.
On-Snow Drill that Prepares You for
the Steeps
On steep slopes,
lingering in the fall line between
turns leads to quick acceleration
and a loss of control for the
average skier. The secret is to keep
your skis out of the fall line by
making very short turns, bringing
your skis back and forth across the
fall line quickly. This requires you
to keep your upper body quiet and
facing down the fall line, with your
feet and skis carving below you. Yes
I said carving, as opposed to
pivoting or jumping. Hopping,
pivoting, and jumping are special
turn techniques that need only be
employed in select situations. Use
these special turn techniques when
skiing very steep slopes in extreme
crud, powder, slush, and confined
spaces.
Carving your turns on
the steeps gives you the highest
degree of control, and is achievable
by the average advanced skier on up
to 40 degree slope angles. Expert
steep skiers can carve their turns
at even higher angles. The question
is: How do you learn to do this? The
answer is you practice it in a safe
environment. This entire book has
been pinpointed at learning to carve
turns by keeping pressure on your
skis and keeping them on edge
through the turn. This remains true
as we help prepare you to ski the
steeps.
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On-Snow Steep
Skiing Drill
-
Pick a groomed
intermediate run
with a moderate
slope angle.
-
Repeatedly make a
series of short
turns, staying
directly in the fall
line. Keep these
turns confined to a
narrow corridor as
you descend.
-
Once comfortable
with step 2, take it
to a steeper groomed
slope.
-
Again, make sets of
short turns directly
down the fall line.
-
Be sure to ski the
steeper run at the
same speed as
the intermediate
run.
-
Now, ski these
steeper runs making
short turns, and
descend as slow as
possible. It may
help to practice
linked hockey stops
in the fall line,
applying only enough
pressure to stay
stable in the
turn. Don’t be too
aggressive, be
precise and apply
just enough edge
pressure to complete
the turn. Practice
this repeatedly.
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TIP: You know you have
mastered this drill when
you can descend a steep
groomed slope at a very
slow pace, while linking
short turns down a
narrow corridor
not wider than ten feet.
Do this drill moving as
slowly as possible on
the steepest groomed run
you can find at your
local area. |
Over the course
of three decades I
have practiced this
drill thousands of
times. I now
automatically do it
for a short distance
every time I come
upon a steep section
on a groomed run.
You will not be
successful on the
steeps if you wait
until you are
looking down a 40
degree slope to
practice.
Precise, Solid, and
Progressive Edge
Sets
Skiing the steeps is
about making an edge
set and then
transitioning
quickly to the next
solid edge set
placed in exactly
the right place.
During the edge set,
it is critical that
you apply just the
right amount of
force in the right
way. If you panic
and jump on your
edges trying to stop
your momentum, as in
a radical hockey
stop, you can slide
or skid. This
generally results in
a loss of control,
and the skid can
turn into a full
fledged fall.
Typically, aspiring
steep skiers let
their mind dictate
body position, and
they often shy away
from the downhill
side of their skis
and lean up hill.
It’s the fear factor
the causes this to
happen, and they do
this because it
feels more secure to
lean back up the
hill. This is a big
mistake because when
you tilt uphill it
releases the force
on your edges and
the skis blow out
from under you |
Figure 18.2
Upper Body Faces Downhill
Over the Skis, Keeping Pressure
on the Edges.
The skier on the left has lost
control of the ski edges, and is
sliding downward. Leaning into
the hill, and rotating the upper
body out of the fall line causes
this type of fall. The skier on
the right has moved the hips
toward the uphill direction,
while the upper body is facing
downhill into the fall line. The
upper body, above the hips, is
tipped slightly downhill as
well, helping to keep pressure
on the ski edges. When skiing
the steeps, use a series of
short turns, because there is
not time to rotate the body in
and out of the fall line.
To keep from losing
edge grip, you need to
load your skis with an
elastic leg. Keeping
your legs buoyant
enables you to
progressively weight
your skis as needed.
This concept is best
thought of as using your
legs like progressive
rate shock absorbers
that can apply variable
force on the edges, and
just as quickly release
it. It is really just
the up and down
movements of a carved
turn done at a faster
pace with more attention
to changes needed in
edge pressure – not too
much, and not too
little. It takes
practice to learn how to
modulate or finesse your
edges on steep terrain
to get just the right
amount of grip. Here on
the steeps, your turns
need to be quick and
round, with minimal or
no time spent pointing
your skis straight down
the fall line. To assist
your edges in the turn,
you will also need to do
certain movements with
your upper body.
The Importance of
Body Position
To enhance your edge
sets on the steeps you
will need to use the hip
slide technique. If you
slide your hips in the
uphill direction, while
rotating your upper body
into the fall line, it
will create
counter-rotation and hip
angulation at the same
time. Trust me, it just
happens, so don’t worry
about understanding
either counter-rotation
or hip angulation. Just
do the following
exercise.
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On-Snow Drill: The
Correct Body Position
for Steep Turns
- Stand in a safe
place on a steep
slope with skis
facing across the
hill.
- With your arms
in the beach ball
position (page 24),
drive your ankles
forward as you
rotate (turn) your
upper body toward
the fall line
without moving your
skis. You should be
facing almost
straight down the
hill. Slide your
hips uphill while
keeping your upper
body forward out
over your skis (See
fig. 18.2).
- Return to your
starting position
facing across the
hill. You will now
be standing straight
up, as in the
eginning of the
exercise.
- Repeat this
about ten times and
you will begin to
notice that the
exercise itself
actually helps drive
your hips in the
uphill direction,
while your upper
body tilts downhill
as it follows your
beach ball arms
(Correct arm
position for skiing
is; arms wide, palms
facing each other,
and elbows held high
as if you are
holding a very large
beach ball).
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DURING
THIS EXERCISE YOU ARE
DOING THREE MOVEMENTS AT
ONE TIME:
(1) FLEXING YOUR ANKLES
FORWARD, (2) ROTATING
THE UPPER BODY INTO THE
FALL LINE, (3) AND
SLIDING YOUR HIPS
UPHILL.
REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR
ARMS IN THE BEACH BALL
POSITION.
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Secret
Tip: Move through this exercise
very slowly until you feel a
significant increase of pressure
on the uphill edge of your
downhill ski.
Isn’t that great fun? All you
need to do is stand on the hill
and look silly to completely
understand hip rotation and hip
angulation. If want to look even
goofier, point to the angle
created by your upper and lower
body
and bring your hand across the
front of your waist showing your
audience that your hips are
slightly rotated in a direction
different from your skis. So
what’s the point of this
exercise?
The point is to get you
ready to ski the steeps with you
in control of the terrain,
instead of the other way around.
You know it is all coming
together when your hips are
facing almost directly downhill
as you set your edges with your
skis facing across the run. At
the moment of edge set, you
should be planting your pole
firmly in front of you just
below your boots. This pole
plant position is necessary to
facilitate quick short turns
Figure
18.3 Aggressive Edge
Engagements. 1. With the ankles
driven forward, turn the hips
(face them downhill) into the
fall line. 2. Simultaneously
slide the hips uphill. 3. During
the hip slide, make sure the
upper body remains out over the
skis, and does not lean back up
the hill. This is the correct
position at the time of edge
set, and the skis are loaded
with energy. Rebound up and turn
from this position
©2006 Stephen M.
Phipps and Judy L. Liedtke
All rights reserved. No part of
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without written permission from
the publisher.
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