How to ski without the tail getting stuck | Common Beginner Skiing Mistakes

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In this video we look at how we can ski with some flow down the mountain, and with less effort. A common mistake is getting the tail of the ski caught on the snow, sometimes feeling like it is stuck.
We will look at how to fix this, and start skiing with ease.
Thank you for watching, and thank you to @jasonleftwrightleft on instagram for some of the video footage.
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[@skicoachingonline]

Other common beginner mistakes in this playlist. kzbin.info/aero/PLo5cUVz-nX7IlREu02LwpRTlGpexniTPi

[@maxswatchbuilds8129]

For anyone that's still struggling, the main thing that helped me was to really roll your inside ski flat by pushing your knee into the turn and rolling your ankle. If you aren't rolling your inside ski flat, the inside edge will just catch on the snow. If you roll your ski flat it will slide across the snow easily and allow you to bring it parallel

[@buqs]

This has helped me a lot aswell actually, great advice

[@suisinghoraceho2403]

Quite true. Though that in itself is not sufficient without shifting your weight properly. And for really shifting your weight, the cue given in this video (trying to stand on your “end leg”, uphill before the turn and down hill after) is really effective. It also bakes another important manoeuvre, releasing/regain pressure by standing up/lowering down, into your turning routine.

[@yourtravelswithbruce]

Yes that really helped a lot. I was catching on the snow.

[@ding0865]

That's really good advice, i usually tell my students to flatten both skis before starting the second turn, have them shift some of the pressure from the outside ski onto the inside so that they both have the same force going through them. I found that a lot of people are afraid of just letting the skis glide for that brief moment, especially on steeper terrain

[@skicoachingonline]

Yes I agree. I do the same, I think there was a typo in your comment. Yes a bit of glide on a flat ski will often help when they need to twist the skis. Thank you for the comment 😀

[@kevinl1664]

this my exact issue with turning right now, thanks for this video!

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you for watching. And I appreciate the comment 👍🏻 have fun.

[@claremcbride416]

Makes so much sense, you’ve reminded an intermediate skier to allow the ski to do the work, it’s so easy to panic and end up traversing across the hills for ages then performing horrible z turns at the last minute. Great video which should help most to focus on the importance of initiating the next turn with correct weight shifting/ trust in the new downhill ski Need only to practice 🙄😀👍

[@yourtravelswithbruce]

Thanks for the tip. I was taugh many years ago to plant your pole, bend your knees and then pop up as you turn. What you have explained is easier.

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you

[@neilkasher]

explained beautifully thank you!

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you.

[@marcusms6301]

Great tip for beginners !

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you.

[@TheBeardedScreenwriter]

This is great. recently started sking again, and when turning, my inside ski would either a) not turn so I had to lift it up to be parallel with the outside ski or b) keep crossing the outside ski during the turn the outside ski, and bham I would fall or simply c) get stuck and I would struggle to turn. I will try the red/green light!!

[@IsmailKhan-vn1gt]

Thanks sir

[@willemvanriet7160]

Thank u! Well explained

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you

[@grahammurray6785]

brilliant 😊

[@stefano7525]

Yeah, it's another way to apply a trick called "long-leg short-leg". But your video is more easier to understand, and it's dedicated to beginners (like me). I will try it. Thanks.

[@skicoachingonline]

Hey Stefano, Yes this can help with long leg short leg also get a skier used to using their legs independently. Thanks for your comment, let me know if there is anything specific you want to see.

[@stefano7525]

@@skicoachingonline I think that the most important things are the "hidden" behaviors that are necessary to ski, I say "hidden" because they are necessary but not explicitly teached. This is an example: in this video, at 01:59 you start crossing the slope, then you move the weight on your left foot, in this way you right ski comes off of the snow, but this is not enought to start turning down the slope, you keep going straight... then at 02:06 you start turning and you do a very narrow turn. So probably you have moved again your weight on the left foot, but you did also something else. What is exactly this "something else"? Usually the ski instructors say that you havo to turn your feet to start the turn, but I think there is something else; for example at 02:06 when you start turning for this narrow turn, you project the upper part of you body down the valley, and this is the movement that allows your left foot to start turning, so the foot rotation is a consequence and not the action that initiates the turn. Sorry for my english but I'm italian and usually we are not very familiar with foreign languages :)

[@skicoachingonline]

@stefano Hi Stefano, yes absolutely there is more going on than just moving from one foot to the other. This video is just one way I have found helps people who get their tail stuck in the snow, to release it from the snow. This helps them turn using less effort as they tend to be more effectively balanced on the skis. I will do some more videos, as I can see how this can be confusing as the way I have explained it may look like shifting from foot to foot is enough to turn. I will address that in upcoming videos. Thank you for your comment 😁, and I will put some more videos out soon to explain other ways that can help the skis to turn more effectively. Steve ⛷

[@stefano7525]

@@skicoachingonline No no, sorry, your video is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR!!! I know that the purpose is to suggest a way to unweight the ski that otherwise could be stuck in the snow, and this is not enought to start the turn :) I just wanted to say that at 02:06, when you start and complete the turn, you add something that is a little thing that usually is not explicitly teached by the ski instructors.

[@skicoachingonline]

@@stefano7525 Yes, for me I move a little forward and roll towards my big toe. This helps to turn the skis. Along with some turning/twisting of the legs. I'll put some videos out detailing each of these soon. Thanks again for the comments, I love that you are watching the videos so carefully. I appreciate it 😁.

[@riccapatrol]

Bravo 👏 well done

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you

[@zmchen]

Thx for the teaching, it is clear and helpful for me(Ski beginner)

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you. And have fun with your skiing 😊

[@gundogsdirect]

excellent video

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you for your comment.

[@anatoli28]

I lern how to ski with this video👏👏👏

[@skicoachingonline]

That’s great 👍🏻

[@loginnlovelife4491]

This keeps happening to me! I've been skiing for a two weeks and I kind of solved that by standing up and sitting back down (if I explain myself). It helps me shift the weight. Partially, this happens to me out of fear too. I want to go downhill but I'm scared to accelerate which is what happens when you hit the green light. It's happens less and less as I ski throughout a single day but still haven't solved the problem.

[@wainiha69]

Yes, now it’s clicking 🤙🏿

[@skicoachingonline]

Great 😊

[@raemo]

@Steve/SkiCoachingOnline, a informative video from a very nice bloke. We shared a T-bar lift in Zermatt last week and I was on a Stomp It camp and you made sure I was comfortable having never been on a T-bar until that week. I think i'll subscribe to your channel as your friendly vibe comes through when explain things to a beginner/intermediate like me. Maybe you could do a video on how to ride a T-bar safely and responsibly 🙂.

[@skicoachingonline]

Hey, Ray nice to hear from you. Hope the rest of the camp was as great as the first few days were 😀 sounded like you were having the best time. Thank you, I will get some videos like (how to ride a t-bar) to help people out. All the best 🤙🏻

[@yuurishibuya4797]

I have the same problem, but only with my right leg. 😑🤯 It just doesn’t like to get off the ground. I injured myself 3 weeks ago due to this. Will have to try this approach next time I go out.

[@skicoachingonline]

Let me know how it goes 👍🏻

[@huntengry]

original idea... red and green light! It more simply to students for is understanding

[@skicoachingonline]

Thank you. Yes I’ve found it works well for some people 😀

[@robinwhitelaw965]

The title is about correcting "beginner" mistakes and early in the video it looked like we were seeing a challenge that wedge turners can have with the inside ski getting stuck. But the remedy was for a basic parallel skier (or lower intermediate skier). If the title was about eliminating a wedge initiation for an intermediate skiers that want to improve their basic parallel ... then I think this video would be more on-point. I'd discourage the lifting of the inside ski off the snow and replace that thought with the feeling of "flattening" the inside ski to start the turn. To encourage an intermediate skier to lift the ski off the snow at the start of a new turn is likely to cause them to lose their balance, especially when they get onto steeper runs. The weight shift is important but lifting a ski should only be done as a drill, although better to have them briefly lift the tail of the inside ski keeping the tip on the snow (to keep their weight forward, just as you did in your demo when you showed a complete turn through the fall line). Also, not sure what "recalibrating" means. What exactly are you asking the viewer to "recalibrate" ... it looked like you were asking the viewer to keep their hip more square to the direction of travel, or slightly countered?

[@skicoachingonline]

Hey. The recalibrating can be replaced with balancing over the whole foot. It’s talking about how the body moves from balancing over the old outside ski, to balancing over the the new outside ski. I will do some more videos at each stage, to make it more clear what to do when. Thank you for your feedback 😀

[@robinwhitelaw965]

@@skicoachingonline That makes sense. Great that you are trying to help intermediate skiers. That inside ski getting hung-up at the start of a new turn can be a challenge for many.

[@SaurabhShukla_22]

I have this exact problem, and I tried to solve this by weight transfer to the outside leg but my tail still keeps getting caught. In fact at a point I am so much on light on the inside leg that I completely pick up the ski and make it parallel; which is not bad except the front of the ski comes up first and kinda destablises me. So for me the question is still the same how do i get off the tail edge to leave the snow?

[@skicoachingonline]

Hey. Sounds like your balance might be more towards the tail of the ski. Try to move most of your weight over the whole bottom of your foot rather than just the heel. That might help to feel more balanced and the whole ski will be able to leave the snow at the same time.

[@robinwhitelaw965]

This is happening Saurabh because your weight is too far back. Make sure you can feel your shins pressing against the front of your boots BEFORE you shift your weight to your uphill/outside ski. You can do this by making sure your hips are positioned OVER your boots not behind them, you knees are only slightly bent (easy to have too much bend) and that your spine is tilted forward from your pelvis ... so that you have a slight feeling of "toppling" forward (which is a good feeling to have when you are skiing) this feeling of toppling forward is what allows your skins to press into the tongue of your boots. In this position, when you lift your ski, you will be able to lift just the tail rather than the tip ... and this will help you start your turn. Make sure as the turn begins you continue to feel your shins pressing into the front of your boots ... and you should find that your ski tips will "pull" you in the direction you want to go (as this is what they are designed to do) when you have what we call "tip pressure" and that is a good thing to have throughout your turn as an intermediate skier.

[@garthly]

I have another approach which can help. Stop the knee of the ski that gets stuck from going closer to the other knee, in other words, push it out a little so that the skis are both angled equally to the snow. Some people practice this by skiing with an exercise band round the knees.

[@robinwhitelaw965]

@@garthly And to build on that concept some struggling with the inside ski getting stuck can try doing "cowboy turns", where you try to feel bow-legged (like you've ridden a horse for too long). For some it's a little easier to spread the knees rather than focus on trying to maneuver just the "inside" knee away from the "outside" knee (In the top half of the turn the inside knee is your downhill knee and the outside knee is the uphill knee). Being bow-legged essentially flattens both skis making them both easier to turn.

[@stephenbryans2113]

I’m more of an amber light skier.

[@skicoachingonline]

😂

[@suisinghoraceho2403]

😂😂

[@xyzuvw4647]

moving from up (mountain) side foot, not down (valley) side one. this is the point.

[@gogglebro9421]

Steve, my impression is that the way you’re explaining how to unstick the tail for beginners doing snowplow turns is to ski parallel instead. True, but maybe not what you were trying to teach in this video. // Marshall

[@patricktaaffe1787]

Matterhorn at 3:58?!

[@fuckgooglegooglesucks4005]

Man! That's totally me! I didn't know. That's why I wonder who do people go parallel when turn. I understand your words. But still sounds really hard. Wish me luck on the slope 😅😅😅

[@lucarrigoni]

I'm sorry, I totally disagree with your approach. the new inside ski is stuck because it is (was) the safe platform the skier was skiing onto during the previous turn. I get the idea of moving the weight (pressure) on the new outside ski, but if you don't get that "red light" ski to roll from one edge to the other, it doesn't matter if I'm able to lift it or not. and, you're giving the idea to the student that lifting the inside ski is a way to initiate the turn. they're probably already a little scared of the pitch, not sure how they'll lower the ski on the snow. Simply roll onto the pinky toe of the foot the direction you want to go to (turning right, right pinkie...) and you'll have the most clean initiation. I think.

[@skicoachingonline]

Hey. Thank you for the comment. I agree that having the edge rolling over into the new turn is the way to be able to enter a new turn smoothly. And there will be a video on that soon. I was mentioning moving the balance point to the new outside ski for people who are unbalanced through the end of the turn, this will then allow them to roll their skis. Thank you for watching and writing this comment 😀

[@lucarrigoni]

@@skicoachingonline thank you for your gracious reply, well done!

[@philiplacey5430]

The problem with teaching the "roll the pinky toe first" is that most beginning skiers are hopelessly in the back seat for that to be effective. Steve's big "up and over" move shown here can't be done from the back seat which is helpful, and also leads to other positive outcomes such as early edge engagement. As an adult learner I found that really "getting forward" is the primary objective. All the other skills are subordinate and are learned so much easier after that.

[@footballnerd277]

I wanna see him ski down the mountain behind him at 3:55

[@skicoachingonline]

Haha yes, maybe one day.

[@Alloniya]

my tail stuck for 3 days so i switched to snowboard

[@barclaymoore2462]

Wow you went from wedge turns to parallel turns in one minute. You never addressed the problem for beginners. Like Max Warch says you have to address the inside leg knee position, roll the knee in to get off the edge that is catching, bow legged. A smaller wedge from the start would help too so there is less edge. Shallow terrain would help that. Go faster on flat terrain promotes the glide of the inside ski. the video is not coming from enough experience in my opinion. way too advanced for beginners imo. Beginners take a lesson from an older pro that really has seen and fixed this problem. good try.

[@jezurkajezic8937]

Graet explanation! I am still struggling myself a bit with this turns ,but I try to repeat what you explained. Apparently with a tail a bit in the air , you make pressure on the opposite foot and then you turn in the way of your "lighter" foot. But is it correct also to turn the shoulders/face in way of turn to help this maneuver a bit?