"Carving 101" — master the arc in a morning
For those seeking the full power of today's technical skis, the answer may lie in modest changes to technique. If you'd like to tweak technique quickly and begin using the full carving power of shapes in a morning or so, here's a simple progression to practice.
Park and Ride
Before we describe the drills, let us emphasise that skiing is a dangerous sport and there is always risk of injury. These drills involve moving down gentle terrain, but speed will build up. If you are not confident of your ability to perform these drills safely—and in accordance with the Skiers’ Safety Code—please do not attempt them. If your equipment is not correctly set up and adjusted, please do not proceed until everything has been checked off by certified binding and boot technicians. Skis that are out of tune, or tuned to other than factory specifications, can render these exercises difficult and even dangerous.
Terrain is critical. This exercise should be performed only on smooth, gentle terrain with little traffic. Green terrain is best, moderate blue will suffice. Be aware that speed builds rapidly in the exercise and safety is the prime concern.
We nickname this "Park and Ride", because it is not dynamic skiing. The goal is to do as little as possible, while letting the skis . . .
Complete lesson available on our Member site . . .
