Ski Carving - Drills in Learning to Carve

In Ski Carving, your objective is to ride the arc of a Ski through its natural radius with no sliding or skidding. The trick is to tip your Ski on edge, stand on it, and press your Ski's Sidecut into the Snow Ski Surface. To further help you in discovering the wonders of Carving, here are some exercises:

Exercise 1
Put your Skis in parallel position. Gain speed and set your Ski on edge, making sure that the whole Ski Edge is into contact with the snow. At this point, the Ski will start to turn automatically. Ride at this turn and switch feet. Apply pressure in varied levels and increase edging of your Ski.

Exercise 2
Find an obstacle-free groomed slope. Ski and try to lay over way too far, that point when you are on the edge of a fall. Learn how to keep proper position and take control of your speed, force, and the size of your turn. Try to work these elements together to avoid falls.

Exercise 3
Find a flat area. With Skis parallel, ski and gain speed. Set both of your Skis on edge in one direction with proper hip movements and refine it with your ankles and knees. You should be able to feel a gentle turn at this point. Let the edging do the work and do not move your feet. You can increase the Edge angle when you repeat this Exercise.

Exercise 4
This drill is similar to the previous one, except that this Exercise must be done on a wider groomed terrain. Recall the steps in doing Exercise 3. When you get to that part of increasing your Edge angle with your hips, point your Skis 45� across the hill and make a run. When you feel that your Skis are already turning on their own, increase edging in order to carve pure arcs. Hang on while your Skis work their way across the hill. You can finish this Exercise with a turn or stop before reaching the side of the run.

Exercise 5
Make fast, large turns in a groomed slope with moderate pitch. At this point, it will be hard for you to lift your inside Ski. When you reach the control phase of the turn, lift your inside Ski off the snow. Increase the pressure on your outside Ski to compensate for the pressure removed from the inside Ski, caused by lifting the inside Ski off the snow. Return the inside Ski into contact with the now as you make your exit.

If you will compare Carving on gentle slopes and Carving on firm snow surfaces, you will find that more effort is needed to make powerful turns on firm snow. These are just some of the exercises or drills that can really help you in enhancing the way you carve. It pays to work hard until you have what it takes to make strong carved turns in any kind of terrain.

advertisementadvertising info