We all have off days. Some days your just not feeling it (The 7 Worst Things About Skiing Hungover) and when your not, revert back too the basics. Here are three simple things you can do to help you get down the hill without feeling like a bag of ice skates.
#1. Get in an athletic stance:
Believe it or not– a skier’s stance is very similar to that of the ‘ready position’ in baseball. Hands in front, knees bent, core engaged, feet at shoulder’s width distance– that’s the basics of it. Keep yourself in this stance and you’ll be able to get significantly more leverage out of your inside edge as well as float effortlessly in deep powder without tomahawking to kingdom come.
#2. Keep your hands forward:
Make sure you’re steering the bus. Keeping both hands forward will square your shoulders and torso, and ultimately keep your core facing down hill. This allows your legs to swing out and do the skiing while your weight stays centered and balanced.
#3. Ski with the balls of your feet:
Concentrate on using the correct parts of your feet to ski. This means utilizing the ball of your foot, just below your big toe. By pressing down on this stronger, interior section of the foot, your weight is effectively transferred to the inside edge of your ski– allowing the ski’s metal edges to engage with the snow– thus initiating the turn with much less effort.
[Cover Photo:Â Sebastian Werner]