In the December 2000 issue, we showed you some differences in old styles
versus new and how shaped skis have changed technique. We looked at the
benefits of a wider stance and how up-and-down movements have given way
to lateral action. The reader response was overwhelming; your arguments
and judgments intriguing. There were more than a handful who said that
they prefer the old style.
So we'll repeat what we said a year ago: Old technique isn't wrong or
bad, but it tends to be excessive. Newer movements are more direct,
powerful and athletic.
Here are seven more differences between the old and the new. Some are
subtle, but important. So look closely. Then decide which new technique
you like, and drop an old habit.
You'll become a better all-around skier.
 
Old:
PRESS INTO YOUR BOOT TONGUES
STU: If I could not pressure my boot tongues with my shin bones,
I once believed, it was just like letting go of the steering wheel of my
car. We used our legs to crush the front of the boots to control our ski
tips. Forward pressure began at the top of each turn to start a
direction change (1), and increased throughout the turn (2-3) to
heighten the edge angle. We only eased off on the tip between turns-as
we changed edges.
New: ADOPT A NATURAL STANCE
MIKE: Shaped skis turn with a lot less forward pressure. Modern
boots invite you to stand right over the ski's sweet spot. Accept the
invitation, and don't fight your boots-feel contact with your boot cuff
all the way around your lower leg. Start turns with an active diagonal
tipping (A). Increase the edge angle by tilting your lower legs even
more (B). Throughout the turn, continue to stand naturally and feel more
pressure against the sides of your ankles, rather than artificially
against your shins (C).
Old:
CHANGE THE LEAD SKI BEFORE EACH TURN
STU: The "old school" taught us to lead with the uphill shoulder,
hand, hip, knee and foot. If we didn't, our skis would cross. Skiing
with our feet close together caused some to shuffle one foot ahead at
the top of the turn (1). There was also a tendency to tuck the outside
knee behind the inside and get "stuck" there-something I avoid here (2).
Lead change was most apparent at the end of the turn (3) . Many saw that
as "good" parallel skiing, even though it was only a byproduct of a
passive inside foot.
New: CHANGE THE LEAD SKI NATURALLY
MIKE: Because modern skiers use both skis more in any given turn
(A), it is important to stay balanced over both feet. Allow your lead
change to happen naturally as your hips tilt to match the slope (B).
Natural forces thrust more pressure to the outside, but keep the inside
leg working beneath you. This enables you to work your legs together.
Hence, your skis work together (C).
Old:
LEAVE A TENSE OUTSIDE HALF BEHIND
STU: Older skiers tend to focus on the outer half of the body.
The idea is to get in position early to withstand the forces that will
build later in the turn. We go into turns with our shoulders "preset" to
be level (1). The outside hip lags (or is even forced to lag) behind.
This "counter rotation" against the direction of the turn allows the
skier to balance weight atop the thigh bone (2). Such a "reverse" stance
is a position of strength, but it looks forced today (3).
New: LEAD WITH A STRONG INSIDE HALF
MIKE: Skiers who trust their shaped skis to hold think about
leading with a strong inside half (shoulder, hand, hip, leg). We let the
skeleton stay more aligned as we enter a turn, and worry less about
creating angles early (A). Angles develop around the fall line, but the
inside half becomes the axis around which the turn is made (B). Though
not easy to see, the leading side of the body stays strong and turns
less than the skis and legs do. The hips move straight toward the apex
of the next turn (C). This creates a stronger stance and allows the skis
to perform.
Old:
TRANSFER WEIGHT TO THE OUTSIDE SKI
STU: We used to place about 90 percent of our weight on the
outside ski and 10 percent on the inside. This required a big shift of
pressure from one ski to the other every time we turned. The pole
plant-more important for older-style skiers than for new-signaled both
an edge change and a weight transfer (1). Weight moves from the old
downhill ski to the new outside ski, the one that will become the
downhill ski. It appears almost like a step (2). Such a deliberate
transfer of pressure ensures a strong edge engagement and a solid turn
initiation (3).
New: GENTLY REDISTRIBUTE WEIGHT FROM SKI TO SKI
MIKE: I won't say we stand with 50-50 pressure on both skis for
more than one ski length between turns. But our weight is more equally
placed more of the time-maybe 70 percent on the outside to 30 percent
inside. Modern skis respond more easily to edging and are less dependent
on a total weight transfer (A). As the edges are changed, weight is more
or less equal for a relatively longer time (B). Pressure builds on the
outside ski gradually, in response to centrifugal force.
Soft,
seamless transitions mean smoother turns (C).
Old:
SLIP AND SLAM IN THE BUMPS
STU: One older way to ski moguls is to stay in the troughs,
making skiddy turns to edge-sets against the sides of the bumps. This
technique demands an aggressive pole plant to keep the torso solid and
facing the fall line at all times. The wrist twirls the pole forward as
the skis, fairly flat on the snow, pivot beneath the body (1). The
strong pole plant and harsh edging happen together (2). The hands reach
ahead to swing the pole forward as the skis are flattened and turned
again (3). The pole may be planted near the top of a bump, and the edges
reset (4). After the pole steadies the upper body, the legs extend to
bring the skis back to the snow (5).
New: ROUND YOUR TURNS AND REACH
MIKE: New skis can arc over a short radius with little skid, so
we can roll from edge to edge-even in the moguls (A). The modern pole
swing is shorter and more direct, while the "touch" is softer (B). The
ski works on edge, in partial circles (C). This feels very secure, and
there is less need to use the pole as a balancing mechanism. It becomes
more like an antenna (C). Reaching happens less in the hands, but more
in the feet (D). Let your feet go out from under you as the skis seek a
round path along the sides or over the tops of the bumps (E).
This
is a less jarring, more comfortable ride.
Old:
MAKE LOTS OF TURNS IN POWDER
STU: To make good powder turns on regular shaped skis, or even
mid-fats, you need to set up a steady rhythm. Turns have a short to
medium radius. Push your feet down into the snow to compress it beneath
the ski bases (1), then let the skis rebound and "porpoise" toward the
next turn (2). Keep your feet together (so both skis work as one) and
avoid putting more weight on your outside ski (3). It's not necessary to
carve. Make patient, round turns, staying in the fall line. Ready hands
and a good pole plant keep you facing downhill (4). Start a new turn
right away (5). Trying to cross a powder slope too much gets you into
trouble.
New: MAKE BIG TURNS IN POWDER
MIKE: Fat powder skis, which float nearer the snow's surface,
make powder comfortable for many more skiers. The added width allows
turns to be skied more like groomed runs. Take advantage of this, and be
patient throughout the turn. You have to stay balanced of course, but
you can make bigger, rounder turns (A) and control speed by completing
each turn out of the fall line (B-D). Judges at the World Powder 8
Championships in British Columbia have noticed changes among the world's
best powder skiers. Where several years ago they might have made 100
turns in a given run, they now make 25-at much greater speeds.
 
New:
TIGHTER IS FASTER
MIKE: Less vertical distance between gates, better skis and
stronger racers changed the game. Now the best competitors can take a
tighter line--seen above. We can blast through a gate instead of passing
around it, knowing it will break away (A). The line to the next gate is
lower and closer to the gate (B). We still start turns very early (C),
but the direction change happens with an earlier carve and over a
shorter arc. There is virtually no skid (D). This line, which once
seemed impossible, now works (provided we are strong enough to withstand
the increased G-forces) because we have more confidence in the skis'
ability to hold (E).
Old:
STAY HIGH AND ROUND
STU: Back when GS skis were 210 cm long with little sidecut,
there was a saying: "float, touch, sting." The fastest way between two
points was not a straight line. Smooth, round turns were considered
fastest, even if we traveled a longer distance. We stepped uphill to get
a higher angle of attack on the gate below (2). We began turns on the
"rise line" directly above the turning pole (3). We tried to get the
direction change more or less completed before we reached the gate (4),
so we "came up under it" in the best position to attack the next gate
(5).
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