Easy Kick Turn Technique for Ski Touring

Learn how to make a good kick turn to make your ski touring more enjoyable! This is the easy way. The 2 common flaws to avoid when doing a kick turn while skinning in the backcountry are not making a stable platform and not lifting your knee as you transfer your weight. Correct these by watching the video and practicing.
How to do a kick turn and avoid the most common ski touring mistakes. When climbing up a hill on skis, or skinning, you have to traverse and change directions using a turning technique. Going up efficiently with allow you to descend with more remaining energy. There are two major techniques; the round turn and the kick turn. So what is better? A kick turn, or a round turn? Answer: you want to take the path of least resistance.
In this video, Backcountry Skiing expert, Rene-Martin from the Great Outdoors Learning Hub, is going to demonstrate the difference in each type of turn and how to do them efficiently. You will also learn about the 2 mistakes to avoid when performing a kick turn.
HOW TO CLIMB
You should always use the path of least resistance. Climbing up the lowest slope angle to conserve energy is the key to having a successful, energetic day of backcountry skiing. Practice these 2 types of turns when skinning up a slope in the backcountry.
ROUND TURN
The round turn, combined to long progressive traverses are the most efficient way to skin up a mountain so you can ski down the turns that you earned. It is a simple progressive change in direction that makes a nice gradual curve as you change direction. Little steps help conserve energy.
KICK TURN
The kick turn is more technically challenging then the round turn. It is used when the terrain forces you to change direction in a tight space. Professional backcountry ski coach Rene-Martin summarizes the kick turn into 6 easy to remember steps:
1-Make a nice PLATFORM before turning.
2-CUT the slope with your uphill ski.
3-TAP the snow with your uphill ski.
4-Transfer your POLES uphill.
5-Transfer your WEIGHT onto your uphill ski.
6-Lift your lower ski up and bend your KNEE to bring the ski up.
THE TWO BIGGEST KICK TURN MISTAKES TO CORRECT
The 2 common flaws to avoid when practicing a kick turn while skinning in the backcountry are not making a stable platform and not lifting your knee as you transfer your weight. Correct these by watching the video and practicing.
#skitouring #backcountry #skiing #golhtv #greatoutdoorslearninghub #bcski #backcountryskiing #skinning #kickturn #roundturn #goinguphill #climbingskins #skilife #thegreatoutdoors #skintracks #freeheel

[@RobertJBallantyne]

This (2020-21)will be my first season (ever) with a tech binding toe and not a 75mm duckbill. With my duckbill and G3 Targa bindings, those uphill turns were easy and controlled. I can see how floppy the ski is with the tech-toe binding you are using, and how necessary is that jolt you give to the ski with your heel to raise the tip, and then the quick rise of the knee to bring the tip around while it is still high. Thank-you for that demo... it will be one of the first things I'll practice this season. Next, I hope you will demonstrate the outside turn on a really steep slope. That used to be easy for me with my 75mm setup, but my buddy skiing on AT and Dynafit tech bindings could (would) never do it.

[@joebrady9829]

Awesome video, thanks for making it!

[@beatle9090]

Thank you for your tips!

[@steventhaw3765]

Thanks for your great videos! While making a 180 "kick" turn facing downhill is an advantage for me. Cheers, Steve

[@ondrejrohon5696]

You make the best tutorials, thanks man!

[@davidlawton6220]

Thanks for the tutorial! It was cool and interesting.

[@charles-louisallizard5630]

Thanks 🙏

[@matprsf]

Thank's for the tips!

[@b3hmer]

Thank you so much. Great videos.

[@kinimod178]

Nice video! Good explanation and a lot of details! Have you considered doing a video on how to not lean back while descending? I‘m always afraid that I‘ll get stuck while leaning forward

[@kostapopov384]

Really helpful information.

[@thorstenreitz7302]

Two tips in addition that make kick turns more efficient:

[@m.k.7199]

Excellent video. However, there is a third turn, another kick turn, but if the slope is really steep and you have a heavy rucksack, you need to make the platform, upper body rotated downhill. place poles behind you for support, and execute a 180 degree kick turn, and head up hill on your traverse.

[@sidecut999]

All good, however, on steeper terrain and for those of us who are less strong and flexible - ok, let's just say older - there is the technique of driving the uphill, kicking ski tail beneath the middle (under the foot of) the downhill, platform ski, and continuing to rotate the uphill ski as far as possible across the fall line. The two feet are then closer together, making it easier to transfer weight onto the uphill ski and lift the downhill ski off the buried tail of the uphill ski and to bring it around. Sounds odd but works well and lots of people do it this way. On seriously steep terrain there is no replacement for the downhill-facing kick turn which permits a full 180 degree turn across that steep fall-line, but of course this is less efficient.

[@hagvaktok]

A lot of kick turns on a steep skin track is way more than 90 degrees [like to 150 degrees] and getting that back leg out of the snow and pivoted around can be a problem in deep snow.

[@enricopedroni102]

Facevo questo 30 anni fa!!! Senza fare video.

[@Hikebike365]

I've found the kick turn in shallow to moderate new snow isn't a problem. Where i do have trouble sometimes is on steep well tracked snow that's hard or icy. The skins loose grip because your balance point is wrong or it looses contact with the surface because the ski is on edge - not flat. Any tips? Thanks!

[@KSNT-TheTaint]

Would snow shoes be better here? Or is it too deep?

[@DaveMarkelPhotography]

When you kick the first ski dig the tail under your second ski. Biggest problem beginners have is the first ski getting on top of their second and tripping them up.