Beyond the first time  see below to track your score

                                                                 

If you return after your first time, the right pace is critical. ​You may have skied a full day and made a lot of progress or maybe only lasted a hour or two. 

 

Gradually move to more challenging slopes, but return if you regress. Look to see if you stop flexing your ankles and move back on your skis which is the most common problems, often ankle flex is replaced by knee flex. You will turn more with your shoulders and lean inside rather than moving over the turn and downhill. 

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Kids can get stuck leaning back in a wide wedge skiing straight downhill. To control their speed, people usually turn far across the hill to a traverse when they are back on their skis.  

 

Don't be in a rush, remember good "turns before terrain".

Adding speed on gentle slopes helps to move the skis from a wedge to being more parallel.

Learn to turn just enough to slow down or change direction and feel yourself continuously moving over the turn and down the hill.

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                                                                 Intermediates    see below to track your score

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Intermediates can ski more challenging slopes. Some make pole touches and turn with the skis mostly parallel.

They often flex their knees too soon, fast, or far relative to the ankles so they are more on the tail of their skis. They can have a difficult time making smaller turns and controlling their speed because they are turning from the top down and leaning inside the turn.    

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Set your expectations relative to your fitness, ability, and amount of ski time. If your friends are in great shape, athletic, and have skied a lot but that does not apply to you, it will be hard to ski with them and improve.

 

When they are they pushing you to ski faster or go to steeper slopes, they may think you just need more challenge to improve. But you will be making defensive natural moves to survive, so plan to meet up with them later and ski on the right runs for you. 

 

It takes a lot of practice to get more forward and turn from the ground up, some may get frustrated trying to improve or may not have the the time or desire to improve. But even a small change in stance and turning can increase your control on steeper runs.

 

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                                                             Advanced skiers   see below to track your score

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​Advanced skiers range from just surviving expert runs to high level skiers. Some are more interested in where they ski than how they ski. Many have used natural moves for a long time and they can work especially in deeper snow.

 

​Progress depends on fitness, ability, and amount of training time. Most ski fewer than 6 times a season but may be inspired by top skiers who train every day. They may try to carve fast on busy slopes without the fitness, training, or ability to control their speed. Working on their ski score can help them ski safer with goals beyond skiing faster on steeper slopes.

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The scores are steps to improve, they can be mental task, a sensation to focus on, or a physical task to help you change your moves. They can be done in a in a progression from: static, while skiing across an uncrowded slope, in the last part of a turn, a whole turn, and when linking turns.

 

When having a hard time making a move, it is very helpful to to make the opposite move or an extreme amount of the move to get a feel for it. ​​

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Ski Moves   

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1-Athletic stance and ankle flex

2- Turn from the feet up

3- Tipping over the turn  

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​​​Athletic Stance - top score is 5   ​

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1- Stand with your arms in front like holding a lunch tray with poles pointing back

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2- Feel the weight on the balls of your feet with your chest above

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3- Flex down and up flexing the ankle first, go from slow to fast and stop, this is your athletic stance

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4- Step from foot to foot, go from slow to fast

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5- Bend your knees like sitting on a chair and compare how much harder it is to step from foot to foot.

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Get the feel for this because your body will move back on steeper runs. This is the biggest problem in skiing. 

 

Ankle flex- top score is 7  

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Most skiers do not flex their ankles enough, or combine it with flexing the knees too soon, fast, or too much and end up on the back of their ski.

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1- Stand in an athletic stance. Flex just your ankles as far forward as possible and return to start. Go from slow to fast.

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The rest of these help to keep the ankle flex happening because it often stops on even on a slightly steeper slope. It is helpful to have an instructor ski behind you and say ankle when you should flex it, or say good only when you are doing it.  

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2- In an athletic stance, flex just your ankles back as far as possible and return to start.

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3- In an athletic stance, flex as far forward as possible then to the start position then flex back. Then go from slow to fast. Reduce the range to just a small amount. Be sure just the ankles are moving and not the knees or hips. If it is hard to flex the boot, loosen the top buckles and power strap.

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4- As you do number 3, focus your attention from feeling your ankles flex to the bottom of your feet. Move your weight from the balls of your feet to your heels. Build the connection with feeling where your chest is over the balls of your feet. In a turn you move fore and aft, so it is key to be able to feel the athletic stance. 

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5- In an athletic stance, move each joint separately to increase your awareness and control. Flex just your ankles, then just your knees with no ankles, then just your hips with no ankles or knees.

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6- If you can find a very uncrowded slope, repeat number three in motion skiing across the hill in a traverse. Be sure to look uphill so no one is coming.

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7- Make turns focusing on stepping on the new ski early and progressively flexing the ankle, step and flex.           

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Turn - Top score is 10 

Practice two types of turns, turning with your feet and using the ski to turn (skidding and carving). Turns can be a combination of both.

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Skidding 

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1- Lift one leg and point your big toe to turn as far as you can. Do it with the other leg. lift the knee higher to turn more.

 

2- Stand in an athletic stance and slowly turn your shoulder one way the the other. Then turn your shoulders and hips. compare that to turning your foot like above. This it the top down turning most skiers do.

 

3- On an uncrowded run make sure no one is coming and ski across the hill and point both toes uphill. Don't turn your hips and shoulders. Do it in the other direction.

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4- Do it again at a steeper angle. Do it in the other direction.

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5- Do it again when skiing straight downhill. Turn one way to a stop, then ski straight and turn in the other direction.

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6- Ski straight downhill turn one way, then go straight, and turn the other way. Stay in constant motion straight down hill.

 

7- Make turns focusing on stepping on the new ski early and turning both feet, step and turn.

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Carving smaller turns

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8- Stand on a steep hill with smooth snow. Roll your ankle and knee into the hill then away from the hill until you start to slip down the hill. this is a side slip. Then roll toward the hill to stop. Do in both directions.

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9- Start in a side slip straight down hill and flex your ankles forward to go back and then flex your ankles back to go forward.

 

10- Ski across the hill and roll your ankles and knee into the hill as you push on the big toe of the downhill ski. Touch your downhill hand to your knee. Do in both directions. Do when the run is not busy and no one is coming.

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11- Make turns and focus on stepping on the new ski early and rolling both ankles and knees into the hill, step and edge. ​

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Tipping over the Turn  Top score is 11     

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Skiers naturally move back and inside. Turning also pushes skiers in that direction which makes it hard to continuously move over the turn.

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it is very helpful to practice this indoors before skiing, then do these exercises outside.   

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1- Stand across the hill in an athletic stance. Move your uphill side forward, foot, knee, hip, shoulder, and hand, this is inside lead as it is the inside of the turn. Use your uphill pole for support. Stand with more weight on your downhill ski. Move your hip toward the hill as your upper body tips downhill. This hip angulation puts the skis on edge and moves you over the turn.

 

2- Start as above but just flex your ankles forward and back. Loosen your top boot buckles and power strap for more range.

 

3- Start as above and combine flexing your ankles as your hip moves toward the hill. the timing is critical so your upper body moves continuously over the feet. If you keep moving you would fall downhill. This is progressive ankle flex and tipping. ​

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4- To help with the timing, put your downhill hand on your pocket and slide it toward your knee as you flex and tip. Called the flex and slide. 

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5- Now turn your shoulder and hip uphill and feel how much less your hip can move toward the hill. This turning moves you away from the next turn and it restricts the tipping. This reduces your movement over the turn. If it is icy you may skid or fall on your hip. It is why it is good to turn from the feet up not top down.

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Put in motion

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6- Start in an athletic stance with inside lead. Ski across the hill do the flex and slide exercise. Do it in the other direction.

 

7- Ski at a steeper angle with more speed and do the flex and slide. As the speed increases watch for natural moves like the shoulders turning, knees bending so the hips move back, and leaning uphill rather than over the turn. Many struggle with this and why this is a key drill. 

 

8- Make turns and focus on stepping on the new ski early and then flexing the ankle and tipping the hip inside. As you return to making turns make sure your old moves do not return.  

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9- Turn more across the hill and add some flexing with the knee and hip.

 

10- To improve your rhythm and timing focus on an smooth flexing down to turn and up to start. Swing the downhill pole with your wrist, so the timing is up touch and then turn.  

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11- As you finish the turn either extend and make a cross over turn or flex your legs and make a cross under turn.

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For small turns top score is 10 

 

1- Side slip with quick edge set and pole touch, do in both directions.

 

2- Ski straight down hill in a wedge and lock one ski on edge then the other.

 

3- Ski straight downhill and roll from the inside edges to the outside edges. 

 

4- Do hop turns.

 

5- Do side slips in both directions.

 

6- Do hockey stop with a pole touch in each direction.

 

7- Pivot slips with a lot of up and down, then a little, move straight downhill.

 

8- Small turns with a lot of down and up.

 

9- Small turns with hard finish, make hard pole touches.

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10- Make skidded turns to edged turns.

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​Variety- Top score 5    

 

 Change turn size, shape, speed, steepness, and conditions.

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1- Turn size is different than turn shape. You can make larger turns that are slow or fast, and the same for small turns. The size is determined by how quick you move, but you turn more across the hill to slow down. Make small turns that start slow and the speed increases. Watch that the quick hard forces don't push you back and inside the turn.

 

2 Make lager turns that start slow and then the speed increases. Watch that you do not move back, turn your shoulders, or lean in.

 

3-Ski steeper hills- as the hills get steeper natural moves tend to return. This can be subtle and hard to see. Look to see if your body is continuously moving over your skis, or if it is getting pushed back, down, or inside.

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4- Ski different conditions, ice, powder, crud, and moguls.  ​

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Bonus points - top score is 20

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Making ski moves with good timing is a challenge especially on steeper runs, here are additional ways to succeed.

An instructor can help find the ones that will focus on your needs and add even more personal steps.   

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1- To improve your tipping, push on the outside knee with your inside hand while turning.

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2- Push your hands on the side of both of your hips when turning.

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3- Push your outside hand down on the outside knee with increasing force as you turn.

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4- Put hands on your thighs as you turn.

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5- Put outside hand on hip and progressively push it inside the turn.

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6- Hold the poles horizontally and progressively tip outside the turn.

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7- Touch outside pole tip to the snow and gradually increase pressure.

 

8- Hold poles horizontally and gradually tip when turning until the tip touches the snow.

 

9- Hold poles on shoulders and progressively tip while turning.

 

10- Ski without poles with hands in the proper position.

 

11- Lift the inside ski when turning.

 

12- Lift the outside ski when turning.

 

13- Ski on one ski.

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14- Finish tipping close to the fall line.

 

15- Compare long leg to softening the leg while turning.

 

16- Finish tipping well past the fall line.

 

17- Tip and retract the new inside ski but keep it on the ground

 

18- Even with a lot of edge angle keep moving over the turn.

 

19- Swing the poles but don't touch them.

 

20- Ski with a partner turning at the same time then turning opposite their turns