 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm trying to change the way I ski. I'm now in limbo - neither naturally skiing the way I want to, nor practising skiing the way I used to. I find that after doing some drills/exercises, when I go back to "free" skiing, I instantly feel more comfortable. Thing is, I just do (or at least try to perform  ) a casual mish-mash of whatever comes to mind, without any system or focus (like skiing on outside or inside or just one ski, jump turns, skating, skiing without poles, skiing with legs apart 'O' frame, pivoting one or two skis, skiing down within a narrow corridor, banking turns, skiing backwards or jumping skis round etc.)
Do any of the  have a personal standard battery or set or sequence of general exercises or drills on skis that they do (or think it would be good to do) ) by way of limber-up or technical tune-up or get-it-all-working-properly-again at the beginning of every ski session (or at least when they mean business) ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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slikedges, the problem with exercises is that there are almost literaly millions of them. Those of us who've been ski-ing or teaching for many years must have hundreds that we know about. However, we will all give people exercises that help that particular person at that particular moment in their ski-ing life, so lots of them are not necessarily helpful to you personally.
I wouldn't like to suggest any particular exercises (don't like the word "drill" - it's US English) without seeing you ski. On the other hand I find that many of the balance exercises are good for more advanced skiers generally. ie: ski-ing on the outside ski, traversing on the downhill ski and changing for the turn, traversing on the uphill ski and rolling your foot for the turn, change the ski immediately afterwards. Making all turns on the outside ski but jumping from one foot to the other, making all your turns on the inside ski. Making linked turns while changing from one foot to the other (very difficult to do properly as the lifted ski should be held quite high).
Having said all that, you are clearly somewhat confused at the moment with regard to techinique, so I advise that you pick which teacher you like and get them to give you a series of exercises that will help YOU. Alternatively come to the pre-season bash! 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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slikedges, as easiski says there are loads of exercises, the appropriateness of which depend on both you and what you are trying to achieve. It this something you're doing now, or just thinking about for next winter?
With the objective of turning out slalom skiers (admittedly starting from a pretty crap starting point), though, our coach is giving us several general exercises that have a common theme - it addition to more specific exercises - and we've done pretty much everything Charlotte mentioned over the last month. The main common themes though are to improve a) balance and b) separation between upper and lower body so the following set of exercises are pretty much a common subset:
1) straight down the slope jogging from foot to foot as you go.
2) skiing straight down the slope on one foot: each run on a different foot. An the important thing here is not to balance in a star/spread-eagle, but a more compact body position, with the lifted ski held over the supporting leg in a 'javelin' formation. Does get your body in a more narrow stance though, which may be a bad thing if you don't have a widening exercise (e.g. 3b) at the same time.
3) today he then got us jogging down the slope while simultaneously passing an object (relay baton) a) smoothly around the body or b) in a figure-8 through our legs (gets the legs further apart than a - like your 'O' frame, but with the added upper/lower body separation).
4) big wide turns but sidestepping up the slope during the traverses (gets the lower body moving, and also ensures setting edges while you go).
The exercise that made the biggest difference to me (which probably says most about my basic faults and recent skiing experience) was one of the exercise Charlotte mentioned: skiing down a slope (in our case actually through a verticale of about 10 stub posts) making turns on the outside ski but jumping from foot to foot as you switch from one turn to the other and lifting the inside ski clear of the snow/(mat) as you go. Another mobility exercise I often use at the start of a session is to make jump turns down the slope - which frees up your mind/muscles for up/down motions. Another one with similar objective is to make variable radius/wide turns jumping each mat seam as you cross it.
Conversely, the worst one was just going down the open slope making the smallest possible turns by simpe pressure changes - consciously trying to avoid doing any turning with feet got me so stiff I skied like an even more complete wally than usual for about two weeks.
I guess much else depends on where your technique is currently sitting, which obviously requires professional observation.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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easiski, Thanks. Those sorts of general exercises for advanced skiers are exactly what I had in mind. I just wondered if anyone here has a personal set they do as a matter of routine each time they step out on snow. BTW I'm not surprised you think I'm confused with regard to technique at the moment, but I'm really not. That said I'm certain I'll make it to a bash at some point and when I do would definitely take the chance to have some personal input. I'm fairly certain you'll find my technique flawed, but actually pleasantly adequate!
GrahamN, Thanks. A couple of interesting exercises there. I think really I can do the thing I'm trying to do with my skiing at present already and just need incessant practice to make it the natural way I ski, with occasional professional observation. It really is the general exercises as you describe that I'm after.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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slikedges, I'm not sure it this is what you want, but if I'm skiing badly (first holiday of the season), then I tend to concentrate on just one aspect of my skiing, stance, pole planting, non rotation of my upperbody, or something else. As I do one thing correctly, I tend to find that everything else falls into place.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Kramer, how do you decide which to do, unless you can pinpoint one weak aspect at that time? If I'm attentive when skiing at the moment (if you can call MK skiing!), I think I'm globally ok (or globally weak - depending on whether one is a half-full or half-empty kind of guy ). But like you, if I work on an exercise for a bit, everything then seems to feel more natural and easy. I thought it might be nice to have a kind of routine of exercises one did to generally shake yourself back into the ski groove (ugh! there must be a better way to say that!).
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slikedges, to me it doesn't really matter, when I'm skiing badly, if I concentrate on one, then the others seem to happen naturally. If I concentrate on getting my shoulders pointing down the hill then my stance tends to correct itself etc. Once I'm back skiing well, then it's time for another lesson to pinpoint any errors that I'm still making.
The other vital part to my skiing routine involves drinking silly amounts of alcohol on my first night, so that I wake up with a hangover for my first day skiing. That way as I feel better during the day my skiing improves automatically. 
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sun 10-07-05 10:58; edited 1 time in total
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Kramer, gotta be dun
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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For my first few hours on snow it is just a question of trying to recover my skill set to where I left off last year.
I will pick a fast flatish run and try a few race type turns...my definition!!!...and ride the inside edge as well as I can, concentrating
on posture and rthymn. I will try and tighten the turns as much as I can...and because I am generally on new skis get used to them
at the same time. Then we head for something steeper and always vowing not to knock outselves out on the first day....which is always a joke.
The thing about learning something new is that it all gets pretty boring on flat pistes. I don't know how you ski but join a group that will push you, and you should find good skiers in guided groups. Then you have little choice but to take on new ideas. If you can make a group up, hire a guide or go to the guides office and join one. Some skiers may be better, some may be worse, but the guide will teach you loads IMO just by taking you places that you probably wouldn't find yourself, and all that the conditions serve up...!!
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