Mike consistently against the back of the ski boots – makes it very hard to avoid stemming the ski tail out to the side.
James – still stemming slightly – remember – push the body downhill (into the turn) instead of pushing the ski out to the side.
Basic Dynamics (skis parallel)
- Skis must be travelling forward – like a bicycle
- This is mainly about using the outside leg (start of new turn) to push the centre of mass into the centre of the new turn – for the whole duration of the turn
- There is no “balance” when skiing – dynamics is the physics of disequilibrium
- You are looking for stability from organised accelerations (ski technology!)
- Notice in the photos below the outside leg is essentially straight in a skating action (flexion for absorption and other purposes is primarily at the hip joint)
- The centre of mass goes down toward the snow – and to complete the turn it comes back up – like a motorbike in a turn
- There is no “Centrifugal Force” acting on the skier – only a deflection inward away from a straight line. This deflection is used to lift the skier up at the end of the turn – which involves “finishing” the turn – I.E. turning almost back up the hill.
- Remain square to the skis (follow the skis around the turn with your body) until you are really comfortable with movement of the centre of mass and clearly aware of moving it.
To read further go to the Dynamics link: Dynamics
For learning to pivot: Pivot
For more advanced insights: Advanced (There are many other examples – just found by browsing!)
Photos today
