The movements of a high edge angle ski turn

I demonstrate carving technique in the comfort of my home.
You can practice skiing during the summer.
Walk through the basics of a fully carved turn with an experience ski teacher and master of the art.
Come with me and learn how to ski better
In this video I lay out how I make high edge angle turns. I utilize stools and chairs to demonstrate the movements as realistically as possible.

[@Rem389]

четкая имитация ... впервые за много лет увидел ... то, что я делал на снегу 👏

[@christianng2828]

This is eactly what i've been looking for for ages. Glad to have come across it. Well done.

[@OrlovIV]

I can't imagine there could be another more detailed video than this. movement mechanics + exercises at home. This is exactly what I was looking for

[@skidadTV]

I was aiming to provide exactly that Orlov. Enjoy!

[@walterbrown8294]

Timely. ....was literally planning to practice this at home tonight! Great video.

[@lpja2326]

What an amazing video , imo , the best so far on KZbin ! What a cleaver tip ! Thank you !

[@jimt1575]

This is the best video on the net taking you step by step through the turn dynamics. One last piece that I’d love to see is more on the inside leg “piston” movement along with the corresponding hip movement. That, to me, is the secret of how you get the high edge angle, hip drag. Thanks.

[@user-vh3vr4gs2x]

Great break down to follow! I really appreciate step by step.

[@1mtis]

Wonderful breakdown of the turn.

[@los7000]

Thank you for making this video. I have been looking for a demonstration of a carve turns.

[@agenthex]

Just FYI, a modest tip is to gently press your knees back a bit in the transition, essentially to "fill in" any slack in your legs, and creates some pressure to help sense/modulate the edges. Watching your ski vids you tend to have some of that slack in that float phase which makes the movement less smooth than it could be.

[@meadowlark8197]

Awesome exercise! Thanks for sharing this!!!

[@charlesarcher9626]

Wonderful instruction..I learned so much .thank you

[@Migueiii65]

Excellent Exposition ❤

[@ozansaracoglu3004]

Good point emphasizing travel across hill. That is what makes ur skiing look so cool from down the hill.

[@jarvisyang6893]

You are very hard working at home 💯

[@AthelstanEngland]

This was great, but all the way through I just keep imagining your wife, kids or dog wandering into the room and wondering what on earth you were up to!!! :)

[@trayanchernev1900]

i love it seriously!!!!!!!!!

[@kenchester3072]

Carving is the most fun you can have on groomers, love the gforces. A very nice visualization, thanks for all the work it took to put this together.

[@skidadTV]

Happy to share Ken. The more info out there the better the way I see it

[@anthonyvacca4898]

awesome demonstration. i’ll be doing this all off season

[@TushevMihael]

it's even better than skiing, u can do it anywhere u are and its absolutely free

[@user-cd6xe8ed1t]

Thanks from korea

[@jbarryclkrec]

Great use of video and the physical props. I would argue that you are under emphasizing the role the ankles play in the whole process. Especially when you go from the old outside ski to the new "outside" ski at the top of the new turn. Without the rolling of the foot in the boot and tilting of the ankles into the direction of the new turn, you can never create all those other angles in the knees up through the hips through the apex.

[@skidadTV]

Ankles are your connection to the snow. At all times they are crucial. However, I don’t rip turns focusing on my ankles. I rip turns because my core controls my legs and keeps my upper body stable. When I’m making these turns I’m utilizing the movements and muscle groups I’m talking about. This video is about the movements the whole body makes to ski like this. I do not think about, nor do I feel my foot roll in my boot. That all being said. I am in a downsized perfectly fit race boot. The tecnica R9.3 is a perfect connection to my ankle. It has been from the first day I put my foot in one. I guess I don’t need to think about my ankle because I have an ideal boot setup for my anatomy.

[@p.m.742]

Thank you dude 👌

[@chrisroblin3320]

Nice socks.

[@robinwhitelaw2986]

Phenomenal! Really fascinating to hear u describe the sensations u r experiencing frame by frame while at the same time mimicking your body, leg and foot positions. So good!

[@robinwhitelaw965]

@@JB91710 I think you make a true statement for intermediate skier travelling at slower speeds. I don't think that's who this video was targeting (I could be wrong). My assumption was is that it's for people who can already carve but not as well as they'd like and maybe with just the outside ski. For those who have been working at carving but aren't quite there yet ... understanding these body positions and sensations I think could be helpful.

[@robinwhitelaw965]

​@@JB91710 I think we may be coming at this from two different perspectives ... both correct in my view. From my perspective, to use your analogy, the person this video is aimed at already has a significant amount of experience driving a car. Also, I think (and it's been a while since I viewed the video) some fairly detailed description is provided as to what sensations you are likely experiencing at different phases of the turn, particularly as it relates to pressure. For a more advanced skier, I think this could be useful and they can relate to what they are experiencing now ... and potentially start making some changes.

[@robinwhitelaw965]

@@JB91710 Based on your last comment "focus" ... I can see we are done here ... we love skiing ... let's "focus" on that 🙂

[@robinwhitelaw2986]

@@oldskier3019 It's too long ago for me to recall what Jb wrote or what my response was ... sorry.

[@robinwhitelaw2986]

Correction ... thought my replies were deleted but they are still there. Sadly, still can't remember what Jb wrote, but I can see from my response that I didn't have anything more to add.

[@andrewmcgarva643]

One thing I think you should consider.. Note the difference in the angles of your inside and outside ski against the snow-- Outside ski always at a steeper angle. Widen your knees to get tibia parallel. Enjoy power generated when driving/initiating inside knee to where you want to carve to.

[@tlougee]

Thanks for sharing your training process it is very helpful! I would love to hear more about what you are doing and feeling in your turns such as what is going on in your boots ( ankle tension, pressure against the front of the boot, center of pressure under foot ) during various phases of the turn. I also wonder are you actively trying to keep your hips as level as possible, do you ever feel the need to pull your inside foot back, and do you need to keep tension in your core at the same time keeping your legs / hips more flexible to get the range of motion you demonstrate?

[@skidadTV]

Great questions Todd. My ankle is engaged through the whole turn, I flex strong into the front of the boot from “pressure through ride phase”, during the transition there is no pressure on the front of the boot but I am feeling my ankle to know where my ski is on the snow. I am very conscious about keeping my hips level. “Level” is a relative term, my pelvis probably rocks side to side about 15 degrees each turn. I think this is a flexibility thing. It feels flat while I’m skiing but I see the rocking when I watch video. I have 20 years of focusing on level shoulders to rely on maintains this level posture. I do not pull my inside foot back, my inside leg focus is flexing my inside knee and holding my inside ski up on the pinkie toe edge. I have been loosing flexibility rapidly as I move into my late 30’s. The one area I have not lost the flexibility is my skiing. I think this is due to my body’s leftover muscle memory from the last 20+ years of skiing 100+ days a season. I’ll make another video updating this one this spring. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@tlougee]

@@skidadTV Thanks a lot for sharing that information! I look forward to your updated video. I think ski is challenging to assess and to coach because it is very hard to tell what's going on in someone's boots or where there is tension / muscle activation or the lack thereof in a skiers body.

[@skidadTV]

@@tlougee check out my naked truth about skiing video

[@unitypowerforce]

Thanks for the great details on the whole turn. Question I would have is how would I get lower by the time I reach apex, ie., higher edge angle? I find through my own videos that I'm doing the turn as you describe but just can't seem to get as high edge angle as I would like.

[@skidadTV]

If you would like to send me the video I would be happy to take a look. Sometimes the only way to get more edge angle is to put more power and tempo into the turn. Just give it a little harder

[@unitypowerforce]

@@skidadTV That's nice of you. Should I post it somewhere then send you a link?

[@skidadTV]

[e-mail]

[@petercutler3136]

Cool

[@grizzkid795]

I don't really care for the terms "pressuring and pushing" Yes, pressuring happens, but it happens because you tip the skis on edge, not because you are pushing on anything. Lightening the inside ski adds pressure to the outside ski, but again, you are not actively pressuring or pushing anything. I think using those terms just confuses people that just want to make proper movements.

[@keim3548]

False. You can pressure and release edges. It has a lot to do with ankle flexion.

[@grizzkid795]

Exactly,, but I still think in terms of flexing and balancing as opposed to pushing and pressuring, but if that works for you, that's great!

[@Ivazhka]

is it hard to do this on arms?

[@jimt1575]

Thanks. And I assume you’re retracting your right leg??

[@skidadTV]

In the cover photo? Yes

[@Bevsec]

At best I am an intermediate skier, i can keep my skis parallel on green and most blue runs but it all goes out the window when I hit black. I have just started working on getting on my edges and would love to be able to carve. Should I work on what you have shown in video or is that too advanced for my level?

[@skidadTV]

This may be a bit advanced for now. However the movement pattern is good to identify early. To start you should try to get your pressure a little later in the turn than I demonstrate. You want to start by edging across the hill then floating into the turn with parallel skis. Let your tails wash around the top of the turn then again pressure across the hill. Get used to this on the greens first. Think of it as a bottom up approach

[@Bevsec]

Thank you

[@carlbaglio1163]

If Ski Dad is at net zero at unweighting phase and 10 at full load at Expert level...as an intermediate, this could be effective using a range of zero to 5 and working up to level 10 gradually. On the snow practice this on Green slopes, working up to Blues.

[@user-wc2kh3ve8u]

@@skidadTV лл

[@hansmaier4119]

Fantastic video, Dad. But you are way too tight in your waist (who isn't at your age) Try some yoga, Tai Chi and Shaolin routines. And watch Shiffrin Lienze 2023. Fantastic waist motion.! The pressure is only on the outside hip if you are too tight.

[@skidadTV]

Good advise… Are you saying that if your hips are loose you can pressure the outside ski from both hip sockets? It sounds like a dream come true

[@shooter7a]

You ski very well - for having some easily addressable flaws. You clearly have some really good athletic talent, which can't be taught. I have seen plenty of skiers who skied technically better than you in the body, but did not actually use the skis as well as you do. A few things you could do to take your skiing to a higher level are actually very easy: #1. Low transition. Your CoM comes up so much during transition. Stop your video at 2:25. You look like Grandpa in 1973. Try to keep your legs bent more during transition. This will allow you to build high angles much earlier. You are going from Long Short to Long Long to Long Short. Go from Long Short to Short Short to Long Short. Old outside leg gets short and stays short. Your old short leg gets long. Of course it is not fun to expend so much energy with a low/fast transition, but you could shorten yours a lot without expending too much energy. #2. You are dumping your inside hip...especially on your right (left leg loaded) turn, where you are also A-framing a bit. You shoulders are thus way way out of level. Part of this is related to the tall transition. Work on hip leveling. The good thing is hip hiking to counteract your ingrained body movements is super easy. Just do a few simple drills with an inside hip hiking motion. Do Javelins with a strong hip hike - watch Mikaela's "hip hike GS" video. This really shows what hip hiking is. You can also incorporate inside hip hiking into a fast loaded garland type drill. The good thing about a Garland drill is you repeat the same feel over and over in close succession. It really builds muscle memory. If you can relate to shoulders better, think if keeping your shoulders level with a strong tight core. That will cause your hips to level. Mikaela has the best hip leveling of any skier. It is one of the secrets of her success in SL. Good hip leveling allow you to get edge angles without requiring as much counter. Hip hiking/leveling will also enable you to be less hunched over....per #3. #3. I think you could use a little more forward boot lean. You are broken a bit at the waist and have that slightly hunched over posture. If you increase your boot forward lean a bit, as a good skier, you will compensate right righting your upper body a bit. Then you can get rid of that grandpa hunch over you have. All 3 of these factors relate to each other. I would start with more forward boot lean....say + 1 degree. Then work on the low transition. That will come easy to you. Then do a bunch a drills on the hip hiking, and it will all come together. Just my $.02. The WC skier who best illustrates all of these concepts at once is Henrik K. Low transition. A bit of a deliberate hip leveling early in the turn. Lots of boot lean and a slightly more upright body with hands relaxed and a tad low. Also watch Mikaela's hips dont lie video.

[@skidadTV]

Thanks Shooter, I’m always striving to shred harder. I’ll give some hip leveling a try 👍

[@strathound]

You're primarily talking about body movement ... but you're not actually talking about ski-snow interaction. You are assuming that the viewer understands the fundamentals and will figure it out. How are you directing pressure along the length of the ski through the phases of the turn? What is happening ski to ski? What is happening with tipping, rotation? What is happening with magnitude of pressure? Good video. But to really explain it ... talk to the fundamentals. As skiers, we should just be trying to copy body position without understanding the why.

[@skidadTV]

Describing skiing could take all day, you present a good list of topics to address and I will in the future. This video is all about getting up and doing the movements. Do you take a practice swing in golf? These chair progressions are one of the ways to "Practice the Ski Turn". No speed, no gear just walking through a movement that you aspire to, or have performed for years. Maybe after walking through it the "rest" of the discussion will make more sense...

[@albertmaziarz6739]

you-ski-laike-utility-electric-pole-wobling-from-one-saide-to-another-dumping-insaide-hip-upper-body-uphill-you-dont-counter-upper-body-down-hill-over-down-hill-ski-you-upper-body-colapsing-to-insaide-advancing-insaide-ski-laike-crutch--you-dont-counter-rotate-pelvis-down-hill-you-twist-insaide-hip-forwart-on-daiagnol-true-counder-is-pelvis-rotation-down-hill-advancing-dawn-hill-hip-ski-same-taime-insaide-trailing-behaint-to-neutrol-stance-center-of-the-ski-pelvis-paraller-in-horizontal-axis-yours-45-degree-in-opossite-direction-you-unweight-like-yo-yo-in-vertical-plane-raight-way-horizontal-axis-none-up-all-down-yours--pole-planting-and-same-taime-twisting-sholders-is-grotesk-lateral-movment-from-edged-skis-to-flat-missing-pelvis-ankles-rotation-to-flat-skis-missing-pelvis-forwart-down-flex-and-rebound-to-center-of-theskis-missing-pelvis-recoil-to-neutral-stance-missing-rolling-flexing-ankles-is-criminal.