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Carving Turns
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We have teamed up with some of our top ski school instuctors to produce guides on ski technique. The articles featured here include learning how to carve and how to conquer moguls. To ensure you get the most out of your time on the piste, check out our Ski & Snowboard School Listings and perfect your skills! |
| How to do Carving Turns on your Skis |
If you want to feel the power of the curve this season you need to develop and hone your carving skills. So..... (click on the images for a larger view)
What is carving?
| Carving is when the path of the ski tip and tail are the same. A carving ski will leave a clear, clean, thin track in the snow and when both skis are carving you will leave two lines in the snow rather like "railway tracks" .
Modern skis are designed to help you carve because they are shorter and have a lot of side cut. This simply means that the ski is narrower under your foot and wider at the tip and tail. Skis with a greater the side cut will be able to make a tighter turn radius. However no mater what the dimensions of your skis they will need the right input from you! |
Getting Started
| To learn to carve you need very gentle terrain where you are comfortable allowing your skis to run at speed. La Vormaine at the bottom of Le Tour is the perfect area. I would recommend using the slope on the skiers′ right of the drag lifts as this slope tends to be quieter. Practice carving from a straight run position with your skis flat. Then roll your ankles so that the skis are very slightly tilted onto their edges. Allow the skis to respond to this movement and then roll your ankles in the opposite direction. By using very minimal tilt of your skis you can link carved turns close to the fall line. |
Getting better
| As you develop a feel for this you can start to tilt your skis a little more, becoming aware of your knees as well as your ankles. This will result in the skis turning more, further round the curve. |
| When you turn this much you will need to be very gradual with your movements to avoid any skidding. Again try to link your turns together, developing your feel for the lateral movements of both ankles and knees. To aid stability throughout, try to ensure that you tilt both skis, (ankles & knees), the same amount. |
Looking Good!
| To progress further you should head for the blue runs of the Savolyeres ski area which provides a variety of very easy and slightly steeper terrain. Your main goal is to keep your skis carving and reduce skidding to a minimum. Your control of speed is coming from the shape of your turn rather than skidding to brush off speed. Develop your ability to ski faster and notice that with increased speed you will begin to feel your hips moving more to the inside of the curve. Always edge your skis using your ankles, knees and hips in that order! |
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And finally, above all, ski safely! If the run is too busy, make some regular turns (using some skidding). Only carve where you have a clear slope ahead of you.
Happy carving!
Further information on carving is available in the new book "Parallel Dreams Alpine Skiing" by Derek Tate and is available online at www.paralleldreams.co.uk
Article courtesy of Derek Tate, Director, British Alpine Ski & Snowboard School Chamonix. Demonstrators: Derek and Shona Tate. Carving lessons are also available in Verbier through BASS Verbier. Check out the website and find out how they can help you achieve your skiing goals!
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| Derek Tate is a director of British Alpine Ski School Chamonix (BASS Chamonix) a small client focused ski school in the Chamonix Valley. Derek began skiing quite late in life, at the age of seventeen but was always a very keen sports person. Growing up in Dublin back in the eighties skiing was not a big thing! Football, Karate and Athletics were very much his sports. However after being introduced to skiing through his school and enjoying a couple of trips to Bulgaria, Derek joined the Ski Club of Ireland, started skiing regularly at the dry ski slope and has never looked back... Some 20 years on he is still totally in love with the sport and "life in the mountains". During that time he has been involved in racing, race coaching, ski school, instructor training and has taught just about everything from 4 year olds to top level instructors. He has worked in many countries around the world including the USA, France and of course Scotland to name but a few. More recently he has worked in Courchevel with New Generation Snowsports School. One of his passions, over the years, has been in training and assessing ski instructors. He is currently Director of Training for the Irish Association of Snowsport Instructors, a Tutor for Snowsport Scotland and a Trainer for the British Association of Snowsport Instructors.
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last updated 9-Jun-2008 |
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