Being aware of rotation isn’t enough to correct it. Rotation is the result of the skier trying to turn his or her skis. Skis should turn the skier, not the other way around.
by Martin Olson in December 2015 issue
What direction is your torso facing? Wendy demonstrates one of the more obvious errors that will prevent you from skiing better. Figure 1 shows rotation, the recipe for poor ski performance and slow turn initiation. The way to identify this is to check which direction your torso is facing. If it’s facing uphill, you’re rotating.
The upper body should face the direction of the new turn, which is downhill as shown in the strong, balanced position of Figure 2.
SYMPTOM: The upper body is facing uphill during the turn.
PROBLEM: The skier is using the rotary power of the torso to turn the skis.
SOLUTION: Bend and edge the skis more and they will do the turning. Don’t try to muscle them around with upper body rotation. Keep both your hands forward and be conscious of which direction your torso is facing. Practice by doing one turn at a time, trying to stop with the skis across the slope and the torso facing downhill.
SKIER: WENDY LUMBY
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SYMPTOM: Ski tips diverging.
PROBLEM: Too much weight on the inside ski.
SOLUTION: Try making a run on groomed terrain by lifting the inside ski in the edging phase. This simple exercise does wonders for correcting stance and balance
As a bonus you’ll be in the right position to start the next turn.
SKIER: PAUL CUNNIUS
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SYMPTOM: Body is leaning in too far and shoulders are rotating.
PROBLEM: The inside hand is low and hips are tipped too much, which results in poor edge grip and slow turn initiation.
SOLUTION: Raise the inside arm, shoulder and hip. Think of advancing or leading with the inside arm, shoulder and hip.
SKIER: PAUL CUNNIUS
