Short skidded turn

Purpose of the turn:

• Turning and conducting both skis in parallel position and keeping the basic downhill position
• Developing competence in skiing skills
• Speed control in poor terrain conditions (unrefined terrain, deep snow, crowded piste)
• Dynamic balance

Terrain:

• Moderately steep slope

Description:

Short skidded turn is another important step for improving your skiing technique. It enables the progress of the ski skills toward a more dynamic approach to driving, but also our copeing with diverse terrains.

We initiate a turn across the fall line. Our skis should be hip width apart. The turn is skidded throughout its whole phase. Both skis are in constant contact with the snow.

The turn can easily change its appearance due to the slope and difficult terrain. With increasing confidence in turning, we increase speed and thus the dynamics of performance.

Stage design: We begin a turn across the fall line. There's a rhythmic over-edging – by active moving the centre of gravity down, our knees are forward and inside the turn; it leads to run continuously near the fall line. Legs "vibrate", but our body is calm. Shoulders are constantly facing down the slope. The centre of gravity is in the middle position over the skis. This enables us to develop a short, but significant strong pressure to the outside ski. Pole planting is important because it helps us keep the rhythm and balance in the turn.

The most common errors:

• Backward lean of a skier, or centre of gravity set too back
• Insufficient weighting the outside ski
• Incorrect synchronization of the upper and lower limbs
• Lifting inside ski
• Too narrow or broad stance