What makes this 2006 performance guide still relevant?

The fundamental principles of ski performance - balance, edge control, pressure management, and rotational control - remain constant. This guide presents timeless techniques that form the foundation of BASS's current Performance Breakthrough programme.

Who can benefit from these performance techniques?

Advanced and expert skiers looking to refine their technique and achieve breakthrough improvements. The methods are particularly valuable for instructors, racers, and serious recreational skiers.

Archive article — British Alpine Ski School - BASS,English speaking ski schools

Improve your skiing performance

BASS website 2006

BASS Archive link https://web.archive.org/web/20061219145108/http://www.britishskischool.com/improve.htm

Excellent skiing performance is based, not so much on ‘doing a turn correctly’ but on having accurate, well trained balance and movements which you can apply creatively, to resolve the challenges of each turn.

This allows you to perform each turn by feel and to create a unique solution to the challenges presented at each moment.

Great skiers literally have the freedom to make it up as they go along and they earn that freedom by developing accuracy and skill with the elements of skiing

Here we are mainly focusing on the ‘Body Management’ issues that affect the way you balance and steer.

Good luck with your development. We all hope that you continue to enjoy your skiing.

The BASS team of ski teachers

The Elements of Skiing

Posture and Balance

Centered balance

An effective stance is the basis of posture, movement and agility

It’s called Basic stance (as in fundamental ) or open stance, as feet and legs are apart.

An important aspect of this stance is centered balancing. The balance point is on or very near the index mark molded on your skiboot, which lines up very closely with the index mark on your ski. It’s somewhere under the middle of the arch of your foot.

Maintaining this centered balance, no matter what else is going on, is an important skill, as it allows you to steer the ski efficiently and maximize your opportunities for agility.

Effective posture and accurate, sensitive balancing allow you to move more accurately. This is the basis of all good skiing performance.

The most important movements are described below.

Stretching and bending movements

Here are the main ways you can improve these and enjoy even more effective skiing as a result:

Maintain your centered posture, balancing on the middle of your feet.
Train the stretching and bending movements so that you can crouch as low as possible AND stretch as tall as possible AND move smoothly from one extreme to the other, WITHOUT, MOVING YOUR BALANCE FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS from the ideal central balance.
This will involve using the stretching and bending movements in your ankles and knees AND coordinating the movements so that you remain centrally balanced. ( Hips are also involved but can usually take care of themselves if we get the other joints working well)
You can try this standing still:

Start by finding the good basic stance you learned about on the training day,
then move smoothly down into a tuck ( just like the downhill racers),
then rise smoothly to a very tall posture, and
settle back into your basic stance.
All without tipping backwards or forwards.
Doing this on a balance board can really help you to develop sensitivity and accuracy.
Once all this has been accomplished, you need to apply it when skiing. There are many reasons to stretch ( eg to apply pressure) and
there are many reasons to bend ( eg to absorb pressure).

The great thing is to have a full, effective range of movement that can be applied smoothly ( sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly) without causing you to lose the balance point “sweet spot” on your feet and skis.

Rotational movements

A very important set of movements to develop and discipline is the rotational, or twisting movement patterns.

They can be used to help the skis skid or carve, and by freeing up the way the body behaves under load, can enhance agility, quickness from turn to turn and edge changing.

The movement pattern to work on for the time being is the one which allows the skis to change direction under your body.

This allows you to perform short radius turns without your upper body being disturbed, and it also allows subtle control on medium and long radius turns.

Here's how to identify the movement.

Stand in the basic stance you learned about on the training day and gently twist one foot so that the toes turn in and the heel turns out.

In shoes, this is easiest using the heel or ball of the foot as a pivot point, like stubbing out a cigarette - apparently, but on skis the pivot point should be the balance point “sweet spot” under the centre of your foot .

Obviously, a parallel turn involves both feet turning in the same direction at the same rate, by the same amount. (Easier to feel than explain!)

Once you get the hang of it you can work on being able to pivot at different rates ( ie from quickly to slowly, and by different amounts (range of movement), allowing you to make turns of every shape and size.

Lateral movement

Here are some suggestions for improving your lateral movements and to help you develop even more effective skiing:

Lets make sure that you are using the simplest, safest and most effective movement to edge your skis.To tilt your skis onto their edges, you need to tilt your feet.To do this , you need to tilt your legs, or create “leg lean”. This is where things can go a bit complex unless we know how to choose the simplest, safest and most effective movement.Of the many possibilities available, I suggest that moving your hip to the centre of the turn will achieve three important things.

leg lean and edging
safe alignment of your legs so that they can take the forces of the curve without causing injury to your knees
maintain your balance and agility

It’s important to tilt smoothly and progressively, for reasons of safety and effectiveness, so make sure you’re not too abrupt.
Being able to tilt at different rates ( ie from quickly to slowly, and by different amounts (range of movement), allows you to make turns of every shape and size.
How far to tilt depends on the turn and is a much a matter of balance (a bit like a cyclist tilting his bike as he makes a turn) as it is a matter of getting grip with your skis.

So tilt until you feel strong, balancing the forces of the curve. Each curve is different, so doing this by feel is the only way to get the best performance from you skis.

Trust your feelings here and you will develop sensitivity, just like the cyclist who literally tilts his bike by the seat of his pants.

We hope that you enjoy this article and that it helps you with your skiing progress.

The BASS team of ski teachers.