Will It Blend? That Is The Question
A result of combining the rotation of the skis and edging of the ski.
What is Steering
This phase is your chance to cary energy across the fall-line. Wedge turn, basic, dynamic? It don't matter!!
What is the Finishing Phase
A round turn made while stepping from ski to ski throughout. Stepping happens during all 3 turn phases.
What is Thousand Steps
A shallow turn created by tipping both skis onto edge. The skis leave two narrow/clean tracks in the snow. Each ski tips the same amount.
What are Railroad Track Turns
As opposed to a pole plant, this denotes light contact with the tip of the pole on the snow. The former, being more deliberate is used to stabilize the upper body.
What is a Pole Touch
These activities emphasize skill blending at slower speeds. The distinct combination of pressure, edge and rotary skills for each activity relies on accurate integration of the fundamentals. Accurate blending is needed to adapt an activity to different environmental variables or highlight specific skills/fundamentals within an activity.
This occurs in three joints: The Ankle, Knee, and Hip
What is Flexion
A slip down the hill with skis facing across the hill. Skis are then twisted progressively 180º to face the opposite side and held, then repeated. Skis stay in a consistent corridor throughout.
What are Linked Pivot Slips
Parallel medium radius turns. Skis leave carved round tracks. Speed is fast and maintained.
What is Dynamic Medium Radius
This pole plant is used to stop or control upper-body rotation, most common where quick direction changes are needed.
What is a Blocking Pole Plant
What is Accelerate
Controlling pressure along the length of the ski, the whole ski, and nothing but the ski. You've all been told "gEt FoRwArD" at some point right? We have a tail for a reason... maybe we might as well use it every now and then.
What is Fore/aft Pressure
Linked, round turns in a medium radius corridor. Skis tip/turn together and at the same rate so the skier can maintain parallel skis and achieve a simultaneous release. The width between the boots remains the same throughout the turn.
What is Basic Parallel
Slip down the hill with skis facing across the hill. Skis pivot 90º into the fall line, hold a straight run for 3 ski lengths, then pivot another 90º to face the opposite direction. Repeat.
What are Pivot Slip Change-up
A pole swing aids in directing this into the next turn.
What is the Upper Body
Commonly done by most Alta skiers (and skiers everywhere), the skis do this at the top of the turn causing minimal shape and HIGH consequences at the finish.
What is Twisting
This is the source of most (if not all) rotational AND edging movements in the leg, separate of the upper body.
What is the Femur
Begin in a gliding straight run, pivot the skis 90 degrees, briefly hold a sideslip, then apply a firm edge set to stop.
What is a Hockey Stop
A straight run. Extend one ski out to the side, place it on its edge, then guide it back under the body. Repeated on both sides.
What is a Crab Walk
In steeps and in bump, a pole plant slows down the forward travel of the body, keeping this from moving too far forward on the skis.
What is Pressure
A ski tipped onto edge will have a harder time rotating. This term used by my dear friend and colleague Dr. Bywaters describes a fixed ski (or joint or limb) that cannot be moved in the horizontal plane.
What is a Closed Chain
This is perceived by the skier as pressure and is produced by a direction change when the snow pushes on the ski. You know, reach out with your feelings...
What is a force
Begin gliding down the fall-line with skis in a wedge. Shift weight from outside ski to outside ski to create a traversing line.
What is Edgeset Wedge, Edgeset Traverse
A round turn made where the edge change is made through reducing pressure on both skis simultaneously.
What is Edge Change on Flexion
The skiers pole swing should be directed towards this, otherwise the skier could be subject to a delayed tipping of the skis OR to higher edge angles than appropriate for the start of the turn.
What is the Apex (of the upcoming turn)