Home > Ski Tips from the Mahre Brothers

Ski Tip #4: Vertical Balance

The third basic to proper skiing is vertical balance; it's the one that most skiers lack. This is also called extension and flexion.

This movement pattern should be natural. If we were to ask you to go straight down the hill you would start off fairly tall and relaxed, but as the speed increased you would start to spread your feet apart and lower your body position for stability.

When you enter a turn your speed increases as you turn into the fall line, therefore it should be a natural reaction to lower your body position by sinking. By standing up or extending, to use a bigger term for the same thing, at the start of a turn accomplishes three things.

1) It completes or ends your previous turn and helps you transfer weight from the old turning ski to the new turning ski.
2) It unweights your skis and allows you to move into the new turn.
3) It gives your muscles a chance to take a break and rest.

By sinking or flexing as you move through the turn you’re able to create edge angle and monitor the pressure on the ski as it builds. As you stand up or sink it’s important to use your ankle, knee and hip joints to stay in a balanced fore/aft position. If you don’t use all three joints you’ll move either forward or backwards out of balance.

Skiing at a slow pace, make several turns just standing tall. This should make it easy to start the turn, yet not so easy to complete the turn. Now make several turns in a low position (Gremlin turns) never standing up. This should 1) make you tired, and 2) make it more difficult to start the turn, yet easier to complete the turn.

Now take the time to make some turns standing tall to start the turn and gradually lower your body position by sinking as you go through the turn. Ski in a circle not a box. Make your movements fluid, not quick.

Tip # 4: STAND TALL - SINK, STAND TALL – SINK, STAND TALL – SINK!!!

Back