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For centuries the mountains have been host to the most exciting winter sport on earth the sport of skiing
Most people like to ski in groups or with a partner
But the bottom line is each and every skier experiences the thrills and excitement of skiing for themselves
Each individual has their own reasons why they ski
For some people, it's just being outside in the snow-covered mountains
Or maybe the luncheon special at the mid-mountain sundeck
But for most people, skiing is the ultimate way to challenge yourself
It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, an intermediate or an expert
There are plenty of ways to thrill yourself skiing
Like fast GS turns
Mogul skiing
Aerials
And of course, steep skiing
No matter what kind of skiing you like to do, like most things, it's good to know the basics
This video offers drills and exercises to turn intermediate skiers into skiers
If you're already an expert, listen to the pointers, watch the action footage and notice the drills
Because this video can make experts better
No one is ever too good for the basics
In fact, the basic turn is the key to improvement
After all, what is skiing all about?
Turning
The basic turn is the steering wheel, transmission and brakes for a skier
In other words, control
Most skiers don't measure their fun in steepness or deepness
But the sweetness of their turns
So tune in for the next video
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Before we put our skis on, stand for a minute in your boots
Feel the front or the tongue of the boot
Flex the boot forward
Get on the ball of your foot, the whole foot and on your heels
Remember you control your skis by commands that are ultimately translated through your boots
Get to know your boots before you put your skis on
Make sure your boots fit properly
Flex the boot as far forward as you can
Rock from side to side and back and forth
Next, put your skis on and go out cruising
At first, just focus on the ways you use your boot during a turn
Expert skiers spend entire days cruising around and focusing on the pressure that it takes to turn
Or experimenting with ways to make the boot work better
For the serious skier, there's no substitute for a responsive boot
Your boots should act as an energy conductor, translating body commands into immediate action
If your boots are slow to respond, or worse, unresponsive, you're definitely wasting energy
In aerials, a good fit can be the difference between perfect execution and a crash landing
For the mogul skier, quickness means success
So don't let your success be limited by your equipment or your understanding of your equipment
Take the time to measure the responsiveness of your equipment before you go out
Then go straight to the groomed slopes for further testing
Unless, of course, it's a powder morning
Then take a snow check and do it in the afternoon
There are four chapters in this video
Basic turning, moguls, aerials, and steep skiing
A common element in each chapter is the need for a quiet upper body
Arms should be relaxed, elbows slightly out, while your hands are driving forward
It is the task of the expert skier to turn as efficiently as possible
Maximizing turning and control, while minimizing energy output and excessive motion
The modern ski is designed to turn
With the proper mixture of edging, pressure, and rotary, turning can be easy
So with your equipment in perfect order, let's go through basic turning
Now with skis on, let's go through some turning drills
No matter what kind of terrain you choose to ski, it's important to know your edges
It's best to practice your edging on a groomed slope, side slip, and stop yourself
And focus on the angulation that it takes to stop
This edging drill will improve your understanding of your edges
Because if you don't know your edges, you might be in for some trouble
Side slip, stop
Watch Mike Hattrick catch an edge at high speeds, but by knowing his edges he recovers without a fall
Now it's time to add rotary to your pressure and edging
Focus on this in a standing position
Sink down and push the tail of your downhill ski out
Pressure the front of the boot and the ball of the foot
This exercise simulates the pressure that builds up in a turn
Turn around and do this both directions
When you add a traverse to this drill, it's called a stem Christie, or a stem turn
The name is appropriate because the technical turn stems from this turn
Perhaps the most popular reason why most skiers cannot ski expert terrain is their lack of down-up motion
To focus on your down-up motion, take it one turn at a time
Sink down as you enter the turn
You'll be at your lowest point when you finish your arc
At this point, rise and transfer your weight to the new ski
Without down-up motion, powder skiing would be nearly impossible
Stand tall, pole plant, sink, rise to finish
As you improve, practice an exaggerated down-up motion
Now with edging, pressure, rotary, and motion, practice your long radius turns
Practice on the groomed slopes, and remember, a solid traverse is just as important as a solid turn
When your long radius turns feel good, begin working on your short radius turns
Again, combine the elements we've worked on so far, edging, pressure, rotary, and motion, but this time without a traverse
Set a turning rhythm that's comfortable and well within your ability
Then as you improve, vary the speed or the quickness of your turns
When you're turning well, all the elements will come together fluently
If you're not turning well, go back and review the turning drills and make the necessary adjustments
In this shot, Mike has increased his up-down motion to get his skis out of the cruddy snow for most of the turn
Push yourself on the flats, and then test yourself where it counts
Now you're ready for the single most important drill in skiing, the wedge drill
The wedge is used by top skiers on both the racing and freestyle World Cup circuit
Why is it so important? Stand in a wedge
Now draw a line down the middle and take a look
What you have is both a technically correct right and left turn
Since you're already angulated, it's simply a matter of pressure through motion to make turns
Start by going straight, and then with subtle up-down motion pressure the front of your boot to make turns
The wedge is an excellent drill to improve your quickness
Most of the time the wedge is used to set a turning rhythm
So start in your wedge, set your turning rhythm, and then ease into your short radius turns
If you spend as little as a half an hour every morning just working on your basic turn
You're guaranteed to have a more successful day
Get the quirks out on the flats and practice
There's no substitute for solid technique
Perhaps no other genre of skiing is subject to more myths than mogul skiing
One such myth is that mogul skiing is difficult
That is totally untrue. Mogul skiing is easy
It's simply a matter of combining turning with absorption
Since we've already covered turning, let's focus on absorption
Begin by lifting the tip of your ski off the ground while your tail is on the snow
Now lift up the tail and pull backwards
Press your tip down and push the ski back to the snow
The motion is something like pedaling a bicycle backwards
Now with your imagination let's go up the mogul
Now you're on top of the mogul and drive the tip down the backside
The next step is to gradually apply absorption by making long radius turns
and absorbing the moguls as you traverse the hill
This exercise is excellent for beginning mogul skiers
because it allows one to focus mostly on absorption
You needn't concern yourself with your turns, but the absorption between the turns
Make sure to press your tips down the back sides of the moguls
Now try shorter radius turns
Remember, a carved turn is the result of ski-snow contact
In the moguls, absorption is crucial in maintaining ski-snow contact
The point of this drill is to mix turning and absorption
Eventually you should be able to absorb at any point during a turn, fluently
Remember when you absorb moguls, you suck the mogul up and then you stand back up
That is the second part of absorption
A lot of times people forget that
If you absorb and you don't stand back up, you're going to be here
If you find yourself in this position, do a hip thrust on the backside of the mogul
This will get you back on the front of your boot and ski in your moguls again
Instead of back here doing this
Stay on the ball of your foot and drive your tips down the back sides of the moguls
There are no rules about where to turn in the moguls
A mogul skier should be able to turn wherever it's needed
They should set a turning rhythm and stick to it
Using absorption, a skier can turn in rhythm and not be dictated by the bumps
It's important to ski on the fronts, tops and back sides of the moguls
And to be the best mogul skier you can be, it's essential to master the trough or the rut line
When you're standing at the top of a mogul field, take the time to look at the various lines through the bumps
Choose a line with a good rhythm and hop in
But remember, by turning on tops and back sides you can break from the rut line if it becomes too erratic or out of rhythm
And always set your turning rhythm before you take an air
This will ensure a safe landing, most of the time
When you're feeling good out in the moguls, it's time to let them buck
In this technique you keep your feet a little closer, use less angulation and deflection
And initiate your turn with the mid part of the ski or even under the ball of the foot
But be ready, because this is mogul skiing's acceleration turn
As you improve, try experimenting with the pole tap
The usual pole plant, the basket falls behind you
But in moguls sometimes try to keep your baskets up here, just plant like so
Your basket will fall behind a little bit, but what it does is keep your hands in front of you, so that you can go faster
And the faster you go, the more essential this technique becomes
To further challenge yourself, try some drills, like the wedge drill
Or ski the reverse rut line, or against the natural path through the moguls
These drills won't magically turn you into an expert, only practice can do that
But the next time you're skiing down the bumps and things aren't going your way
Go to the flats and practice your basic turn, or do parallel turns and focus on absorption
But keep putting in the mileage, because there's lots of thrills in the park
But keep putting in the mileage, because there's lots of thrills in the bumps
One of the most thrilling things you can do on snow, is to leave it
And it doesn't matter whether you get huge drop air like Cliffjumper Glenn Plait gets
Big up air, or trick air that a freestyler gets
Or even just a big airplane turn that you catch when you're out cruising
Regardless of what kind of air suits you, it's important to know what you're doing
To ensure a stable flight, and a safe landing
The first thing you should do is to choose a safe place to practice
A great air site will include a moderately pitched in run
A subtle transition to the jump, or the kicker
A null, and a steep landing
Always have at least one person on the null to act as jump site supervisor
Never jump on crowded trails
And always let the ski patrol know when and where you'll be jumping
Because you never know
And here again, on deactivated jump
The key to safe air, and landings, is the basic pop
The pop is important because it is the last time your feet are touching the ground
Therefore, it is the instant when you make or break your jump.
The best way to learn the basic pop is in your ski boots.
First of all, just imagine you're going to jump a stream.
You would swing your arms and jump off the ball of your feet.
The basic pop is similar, yet it involves no arm swing or bounce, just the up motion.
Now practice the pop with your skis on.
Set position, pop.
Let's focus for a minute on the set position.
Your feet should be shoulder width apart and your arms should be more or less parallel to your thighs.
You'll feel like a loaded spring, ready to explode or pop.
There should be no bounce or sway.
Obtain proper speed in the in-run, get in your set position in the transition, and pop at the lip of the jump.
Then do the maneuver.
A common mistake is to sit back when riding up a jump and never jump on a flat landing.
Find the proper amount of speed, set position, pop.
A good rule to remember is if you want a lot of air, go fast and pop hard.
If you don't want a lot of air, go slow and pop hard.
But always pop hard, because it ensures a stable flight and a safe landing.
A mogul skier has to pop without using a set position.
To do this, they use a double pole plant to stabilize themselves before they leave the ground.
The most popular trick to do in the air is a spread eagle.
Make sure that your skis are parallel and spread your legs as far as you can.
Arms and shoulders should be driving forward.
Another popular trick to do is a daffy.
Remember, keep both your back and front legs as straight as possible.
A variation of this jump is a splitster.
Or try a twister.
Keep your feet together and twist with the hips and feet while slightly countering with your upper body.
The twister is a great fill maneuver when you're doing combinations.
Feet together, tips up and pike at the waist for a zudnik.
Tails to your back for a back scratcher.
Thighs straight down and feet twisted to the side for a sidekick.
Use my cat trip to do a back scratcher to a zudnik.
This is the most requested jump in skiing, a helicopter.
There's no easy way to learn a helicopter, but the key is to pop first, then rap.
To keep your rotation going, remember to drive with your head and look for the landing.
In this shot, Glenn's right arm nearly stalls his rotation.
This is how he keeps looking for the landing and completes the maneuver.
This is a helicopter with a tip cross to a spread.
When you've mastered single maneuvers, try to combine them.
This is called trick stacking.
Remember to return to a neutral position before you do the next maneuver.
Triple daffy.
720 or double helicopter.
Daffy, twister, spread.
No matter what kind of area you like to do, have fun and be safe.
Attention!
When skiers want to test themselves, they go to the steeps.
Some head for double black diamonds, and some head beyond that.
One thing's for certain, they're all looking for thrills.
When you're skiing the steeps, the thrills are intense, as is the danger.
So it's best to know your ability and never increase the difficulty of your terrain
until you've mastered your current challenge.
Steeps, minor mistakes, can turn out to be major disasters.
To successfully master steeps skiing, it is essential to be mentally and physically prepared,
because losing control in the steeps can be very frightening.
But with enough practice, even mistakes in the wrong places are correctable.
Be ready for the steeps before you get there, and while there's no substitute for mileage,
there are drills you can do to prepare yourself for the real McCoy.
Practice these drills on a relatively steep groomed slope, and as you improve, practice on ice.
The first drill we'll focus on is called the rotary drill.
This drill is similar to hop turns.
The difference, however, is that you keep your upper body moving straight down the fall line.
Hop and twist your skis from side to side.
Keep your hands in front and driving down the hill, but don't forget to pole plant.
After doing this drill, hop turns will seem easy.
To do hop turns, it is essential that you harness the energy of a solid edge set
to totally unweight between turns and eliminate the traverse.
In the steeps, it's necessary to hold an edge, and believe me, gravity will fight you on this one.
To simulate the g-force in the steeps, straight run, then with major down-up motion, carve two turns.
Sometimes your edge will slide out on you, but that just means the simulation's working.
Next, increase your speed and carve sharp enough to stop yourself.
Use the rebound from each turn to initiate your next turn, and as always, keep your hands forward.
A good steep skier must be ready for terrain changes, so practice your drills in different locations
and increase the difficulty of your drilling terrain.
And when you're feeling good, it's time to drop in.
In this shot, my right hand scrapes the hill and nearly throws me back.
To save myself, I immediately drive my left hand forward to compensate and recover.
When you first start skiing the steeps, find a relatively short pitch that will allow for mistakes,
because a beginning steep skier will make them.
And before you go to the steeps, make sure you know the ability of your partner.
And always scope out the terrain you choose before you ski it,
because when you drop in, you better know what's below you.
But most of all, enjoy yourself, because there's nothing like the thrill from skiing steeps.
Hot sun beating down on the sand, time erodes fashion made by man.
The heart beats quicken from the shot of a gun.
Time forgives nothing, the time to have fun.
I never calm, I could never sit still.
Life on the edge, with a license to thrill.
Sometimes when you're out skiing, things just don't seem to be right.
If this happens to you, don't fret.
There are a few things you can check to get going again.
First of all, check your equipment.
Remember, good skiers don't blame their mistakes on their equipment.
They make sure it's in perfect order before they go skiing.
Are your skis tuned?
If you don't know how to tune them, bring them to a professional.
Check your boots.
There's no substitute for a proper fit, and if you haven't got one, try a custom footbed.
Also, make sure your poles are cut to the proper length, and have your bindings checked by a certified technician.
If your equipment's in perfect order, and you're still not skiing up to par, remember this checklist, the four H's, head, hands, hips, and heels.
Sometimes skiers tend to look down at their tips when they should have their head up looking at upcoming terrain.
The second H stands for hands.
Make sure your arms are relaxed and your elbows are slightly out.
Your hands should be forward and ready to pole plant.
Check your hips.
If your hips are too far back, you're probably skiing on your heels, and it's nearly impossible to make technical turns on your heels.
Make sure your hips are in line with your feet and shoulders, and centered on your skis.
And finally, check your smile.
If it's not there, well, maybe you're working too hard.
Even the best skiers in the world have off days, and if they're not competing, they just strap on their smiles and let them run.
Just make it a day of cruising.
If you're out there looking for thrills, you'll find just as many no matter what terrain you choose,
because a thrill is a personal experience, and when it comes right down to it, we're all licensed to thrill.
Licensed to thrill.
Licensed to thrill, Licensed to thrill, Licensed to thrill
Licensed to thrill, Licensed to thrill