Edging

Edging and pressure are the skills that will bring you from the perpetual intermediate to the raging expert. Instructors talk about the slippery-sliddy turns and the edgy-pressure turns. As a beginner, you learn how to skid the skis on the easy slopes, but soon you need to progress to the more precise carves as the terrain steepens.

You must get on the edge of the ski and make it bite into the snow and ice. The skis need to be guided onto its edge by rolling the foot onto its side. The more the foot is rolled, the more the ski is on edge and the more biting power the skis will have.

Just like the way martial art experts talk about the knife edge of the hand, think of the foot in the same way. The inside edge of the foot does all the work. The only time the feet are held flat footed on the skis is when you are going perfectly straight or standing still. The way you balance on the edge of your foot, and thus, the edge of your ski is called your edging skills.

The edging skills control the skis and give speed as well as direction control. Instructors always harp about the four skills being balance, steering, edging and pressure control, but at the upper level, you must understand the intricate balancing act of edging the ski.

On easy shallow terrain, you don't need to edge as much because the forces of the turn are not very great. In the steeps and at high speed, the forces are going to demand a greater edge angle on the snow. If you simply drop the hip inside and rotates your upper body towards the pull in the turn, the ski can be easily edged and thus maximum control can be gained.

Alpine Skiing School section in english version of WWW.SKI.BG is based on
"A Guide To Becoming An Expert: From First Time To A Lifetime"
by John Mukavitz Copyright © 1998