Expert Ski Position And Balance

The expert skier will continue to work on body position. In the beginner section we covered stance and in the intermediate section we covered body position. The expert skier will be skiing steeper trails at a faster pace. Now we'll add balance to those skills. Expert skiers have learned to stay balanced in their turns by changing their weight from one side of their body to the other. Their turns have become like a road cyclist who, instead of turning the handlebars, leans from side to side to turn.

This illustration, of a skier carving on the side of a slope, demonstrates his weight supported on the inside edge of the downhill ski while carving a turn. There is not as much weight on his uphill ski. For good balance, he also keeps his shoulders level, hands forward and knees bent with his hips low and in toward the hillside.

Tips for balancing on the downhill leg:

Think: Keep your inside leg light

Feel: As you turn, you should sense the outside half of your body travel more distance around a turn compared to your inside half.