Ski Instructors Background:

A few years ago I decided to change my skiing and learn how to carve. I used to step onto the turning ski and skate my way down the mountain. I noticed that racers that used to use the skating technique were doing something different. It was called carving and I wanted to learn how to do it. I signed up for a weeks worth of lessons at Whiteface Mountain. My ski instructor was about my size and was on a shaped ski at 198 centimeters in length. This is much shorter than anything I have skied on for years. My instructor could ski that shaped ski faster than I could ski my 208 centimeter straight giant slalom race ski. So much for my obsession for long skis.

What I Learned About Carving:

My instructor asked me to ski while he followed. I proceeded to do my unweighted, lift my non-turning ski off the snow, turns while flying down to Whiteface's mid-station lodge. The first thing my instructor said to me was to stop picking up my non-turning ski. Keep both skis on the snow. What follows is the rest of what I learned about carving.

Separate your skis about hip or shoulder width. Bend your knees and start traversing a slope. Align you knees above the tips of your boots and your shoulders above your knees. It is absolutely necessary to get your weight forward to carve a turn. Pressure the tips of your skis and tip them in the direction of the turn. This will transfer your weight onto the downhill edge of your skis. Point your knees in the direction of the turn and push your downhill ski forward while pulling your uphill ski back. Continue angling your skis in the direction of the little toe of what was your downhill ski at the start of the turn. Apply some turning pressure in the direction of your turn and your skis will turn. Keep putting your weight into the front of your boots while angling your knees and be patient. The angling of your knees is very important to get this turn to work.

I am going to tell you this all over again in different words. Start traversing to the right with your knees bent, feet apart, weight on the balls of your feet, and most of your weight on your left ski. Your knees will be angled slightly to the right. Transfer most of your weight to your right ski. Do this with no vertical movement of your body. Your knees stay bent. You will initially be on the outside edge of your right (up-hill) ski. Flatten your skis by angling your knees to the left. Continue angling both knees to the left while pushing your knees forward. You will be rolling your skis onto their left edges. Press down on the front of your skis while directing your feet to the left. Your skis will turn and cross under your body. Keep angling your knees to the left and stay forward. Try to eliminate any skidding of the skis by keeping them on edge. Do this by keeping your knees bent and angled to the left and let the skis finish the turn. That's all there is to it. Reverse the process and you will turn in the opposite direction. This will result in a long radius turn.

Another of my favorite instructors at Whiteface also gave me some advise. As well as emphasizing keeping your weight forward and into front of the skis he said to concentrate on using your hips to steer the ski. His very simple but valuable advice was to move your hips in the direction of the turn. If you want to make a left turn throw your hips to the left. Gary stated in an additional way. Think about your navel and point your navel in the direction you want to go. This may sound to simple to be effective but believe me it works. Remember to keep your knees bent, skis shoulder width apart. and weight forward while pointing you navel and hips in the direction you want to go. Who would have ever guessed as we watch graceful P.S.I.A. rated instructors move down the mountain that they are thinking about their "belly buttons."

To reduce the radius of this turn quickly transfer most of your weight to the uphill ski. As your skis cross under your body reapply weight to the unweighted ski. This skiing on both skis with your feet hip width apart gives you much greater balance and stability than the old step turn. The more radical the side cut of your skis the shorter your turn will be.

This technique led to me purchasing a pair of shaped skis. My choice was a Rossi all mountain 9.9 Dualtec Viper at 198 centimeters. I am sure many other shaped skies would work. If you are an accomplished skier you know how difficult it is to change.You may think it is impossible. It is not. By the end of my fourth day on these skis I was receiving complements from my friends on my skiing. By the end of my tenth day I was receiving compliments from hard core skiers that have watched me ski for years. It was worth the effort. We all have our own way of skiing but we can adopt these carving principles and shaped skis into our way of skiing. They work and give you additional weapons in your arsenal of skiing. The more weapons the better.

I hope I didn't scare you with all that talk about weaponry.

It has been more than a few years since I wrote the above. Since than shaped ski technology has evolved. Many shaped skis have been in my skiing "quiver" since than. My "all time favorite" pair is an Atomic Slalom Ski at 164 centimeters (I skied them 102 times a few seasons ago and wore the bottoms to a paper thin layer of plastic (polyethylene ("I presume Doctor Watson"))). World Cup skiers are racing slalom courses on 155 centimeter skis. Why should any of us ski long skis again? I currently ski mostly an "All Mountain Ski" at 171 centimeters but really want to try another Slalom Ski in the mid 160 centimeter range. I am still on my beat up old boots. I can't find a comfortable pair to fit my large beat up feet. The linings are held together with duct tape but only you and my Podiatrist knows. I am still using "The Booster Strap" on my old boots. This power strap helps keep my weight into the front of my boot and keeps my old boots working permitting me to, "ski with my feet." Please see my Ski Lesson Update . Skiers can thank snow boarders for the shaped ski technology. As these skis get better and technique evolves with them I will update this carving section. For now “that’s it.”

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