Why are some skiers great at skiing bumps but not at skiing fast, great at skiing fast but not at bumps, great in powder but not on ice ?
It’s all to do with what we call the skills of “steering”.
In a nutshell, there are three ways to steer skis – twisting, pushing and edging. All three are present more or less all the time when skiing, but in different quantities. It’s a bit like a pie chart or the ingredients of a cake. A bit more of one than the other gives a different result and determines what terrain and speeds you are strong at and what terrain and speeds you are weaker at. Now imagine if you could change the quantities of each at will, change the ingredients! You could be good at skiing everywhere, all terrain, all snow textures and all speeds. Now there’s a goal.
So What Are Twisting, Pushing and Edging ?
These are things you can do with your legs and feet to control your skis. They allow you to steer your skis and control your speed accurately, just like in every other form of transport. They are mechanisms for steering and mechanisms for controlling speed.
Twisting
Twisting is the same as using the handlebars on your bike or the steering wheel of your car, except you’re using your legs and feet instead. When you twist the handlebars of your bike, you twist the front wheel. When you twist your legs and feet, you twist your skis.
Pushing
Pushing is the same as using the brakes on your bike or car. Push the brake pads of your bike against the rim of the wheel and you slow down. Push snow with the edges or base of your skis using your legs and feet and you slow down.
Edging
Edging is the same as leaning into a bend on your bike, except it’s using your legs and feet instead. Lean into a turn with your legs and feet and you edge your skis.
Ideally all the three steering skills mix together in an infinite blend, giving you the exactly the same control as you have in your car or on your bike. But if you emphasise one steering element more than another, you get a different result. Take a look at this chart showing the different speeds, steepness and terrain related to the different emphasis on the steering skill.
There are always exceptions to the rule. But looking at the chart you can get the idea why you may have strengths and weaknesses and how these are related to how you steer your skis.
Are You A Twister, Pusher Or Edger ?
Many people have no idea how they “steer”. They just ski and the blend of the steering elements is just what it is for the terrain and the speed they are skiing at. This is great, and if you continue to vary the terrain, you’ll end up having an infinite blend of all three steering elements naturally. However, if you are stuck skiing at certain speeds and on certain types of terrain, then you may have got trapped into using one of the steering elements more than the others without knowing it. You may be predominantly a twister, pusher or edger. If this is the case, then it’s time to break out and start practising using all three steering skills.
To become a true all-terrain skier, you need to have all three steering skills developed equally. Then you can ski everywhere.
Phil Smith – Snoworks
Phil Smith is Founder of Snoworks All-Mountain Ski Courses. Snoworks runs All-Terrain Ski Courses throughout the year, where you can learn the skills of steering to become a competent all-mountain skier. snoworks.com
Photo : Emma Carrick-Anderson, four-time Olympic skier and Snoworks instructor and coach, has developed a huge toolbox of steering skills, allowing her to ski literally “everywhere”.
Photo by dynamicpictures.co.uk