Figure 2 1 2 3 1 4 5 1 1 1


Figure 3


1


Figure 4 1


2


6 3 1 © Ron LeMaster 1


change of inclination in order to land in balance against the centrifugal force he will experience when he lands in the new turn.


CONTROL PRESSURE FROM SKI TO SKI


Skiers benefi t greatly from being able to use their two skis in a coordinated and independent fashion. As the accompanying two photo sequences point out, sometimes the independence is obvious, and sometimes it’s subtle. But the eff ect each ski has on the skier’s motion is a result of the pressure between it and the snow. In fi gure 2, Ted Ligety, skiing on very hard


snow, must focus pressure on his outside ski to make it penetrate the surface, hold, and guide him in his intended direction. In the fi fth frame of this sequence, Ligety controls both the direction and edge angle of his left ski by turning his left leg inward; a combination of leg rotation and knee angulation. He also extends the leg toward the outside of the new turn, which increases the edge angle by increasing his inclination relative to that ski while pushing it against the snow to develop some pressure against it. You can see that there isn’t much pressure on that ski, yet. But because it’s now a bit crosswise to his direction of travel, it develops pressure as soon as the edge engages the snow. In this way, he has directed pressure toward the outside ski, not by moving the mass of his body over that ski, but by manipulating the ski itself.


64 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2017 © Ron LeMaster


PSIA Alpine Team member Josh Fogg’s situation is much diff erent in fi gure 3. T e chopped-up powder is soft, so holding an edge is not an issue. In fact, too much pressure applied to the outside ski could cause problems, such as slowing down dramatically or hooking up and turning under the tip of the inside ski. Fogg still applies more pressure to the outside ski, as can be seen when he moves decisively from his left to his right foot in the second frame, and prepares in the fi fth frame to land on his left foot, but he applies enough to the inside ski to keep it tracking in concert with the outside ski through the loose snow.


CONTROL THE ROTATION OF THE SKIS


When you want to turn your skis without turning your entire body, which is essential for most short- and some medium-radius turns, leg rotation is the preferred technique. Seen from above in fi gure 4, British Ski Racing Academy Coach Charley Stocker’s legs twist in their ball-and-socket joints within the pelvis while his upper body remains directed toward the inside of the upcoming turn.


© Ron LeMaster Mikaela Shiff rin shows related movements 1


in fi gure 5. In the second frame, her right leg turns inward, redirecting the ski. From the sixth frame to the seventh, Shiff rin’s legs turn but, just as in Stocker’s case, her hips and shoulders hardly move. Note the diff erence between the edge


angles created by Stocker and Shiff rin. T ey’re due primarily to a diff erence in the skiers’ inclination, not their hip or knee angulation. Notice too how both skiers’ upper bodies take a more direct line from turn to turn than do their feet. T at’s how they establish inclination going into the turns. Shiff rin’s upper body is more direct than Stocker’s, hence her inclination and edge angle are greater. Going into their turns, both skiers establish inclination by making their upper bodies travel a more direct line down the hill than their feet. Both skiers target a spot with their upper bodies that will give them just the right amount of inclination to be in balance when their skis engage the snow. Because she intends to make a sharper turn than Stocker, Shiff rin needs more inclination, and hence takes a more direct line with her upper body.


CONTROL THE EDGE ANGLE OF THE SKIS


Edge control is about gripping and slipping; but it’s not so black and white. Sometimes you want to slice. Sometimes you want to slip lightly so your skis just brush the snow,


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