Ski tips and other useful advice from the Ski Nerd and and other expert ski instructors at Section 8 Snowsport Institute. Articles on CSIA skiing technique and tactics.
It’s the 5th of December and 2 major events are just around the corner. In order of increasing importance they are: Major event number 1: Christmas. You’ve probably heard of this so I won’t bother to explain. My kids are almost as excited about this as they are about major event number 2. Major event …
Aside from skiing fluffy virgin powder… …skiing bigger turns in bumps and chop has got to be one of my favorite pastimes…. especially as I get older and lazier (read: too lazy to do short radius turns in moguls). It is a maneuver required for the CSIA level 4 exams where many seem to …
Tips and tactics for skiing that awesome phenomenon known as powder… leave your frustrations behind. 1) A more two footed approach… Do you ever get frustrated skiing in powder because your outside ski plunges into the snow and runs away on you? The solution is to ski with a little more even pressure on …
1) Shoulders over knees… We ski instructors often tell people to get into an “athletic stance” when skiing. This generally means flexing slightly in all the joints in a position of readiness… kind of like a soccer goalie or a tennis player ready to move anywhere at a moments’ notice. One way to gage …
You may have heard a coach or instructor yelling at you to maintain a quiet upper body… But what does that mean? Well, watch any expert skier and it appears as if they are always in control. The upper body remains relatively inactive while the legs are going crazy underneath. So what’s the secret? The …
How do I get my skis to grip on ice? How do I get more performance out of my skis? How do I get my skis to carve? How do I move from one turn to the next? Well my friends… to do all these things you need to understand lateral balance and how it …
Why you can’t get a straight answer! There seems to be all sorts of confusion about how wide your stance should be ever since the shaped ski revolution in the mid-nineties. I’m often accussed of having ‘a narrow stance’ myself, and I’m constantly bombarded with questions about it, so I think it’s time to clear …
Anyone who has ever taken a ski lesson… …has probably heard their instructor mention something about their stance and/or balance… and for good reason. It’s arguably the most important skill in skiing. Of course there are many other important skills. In fact a functional stance and great balance don’t really do anything to make a …