Book Description
Cross-country expertise . . . easily
Glide into an invigorating sport with this guide from true experts who show you how to have fun from your first day out and coach you all the way through the advanced skills you'd like to learn. No ordinary manual, The Essential Cross-Country Skier brings together the combined expertise of one of the country's top cross-country skiing instructors; a two-time Olympic biathlete and former Dartmouth skiing coach; and one of the sport's foremost professional writers.
This all-star team has created one of the most engaging, clear, and potent learning tools ever published for beginning and intermediate skiers. This unique, carefully illustrated guide gives you the information you need to get started: choosing the right skis, boots, and poles; where to find the best trails; what to wear for comfort and warmth; plus tips on safety.
And, if you're already familiar with nordic skiing, the book shows you how to improve your style and your conditioning; master the subtleties of waxing and ski maintenance; and enjoy new skills including ski skating, telemarking, ski racing, and backcountry touring.
From the Publisher
"This is the quintessential 'how to, where to, and why to' cross-country ski book." Nancy Fiddler, 2-tim Olympian and 14-time National Champion Backcountry SkiingCross-Country SkiingNordic SkiingSkiingSki-SkatingTelemark SkiingWinter SportsNordic Downhill SkiingTrack Skiing
From the Inside Flap
Cross-country expertise . . . easily Glide into an invigorating sport with this guide from true experts who show you how to have fun from your first day out and coach you all the way through the advanced skills youd like to learn. No ordinary manual, The Essential Cross-Country Skier brings together the combined expertise of one of the countrys top cross-country skiing instructors; a two-time Olympic biathlete and former Dartmouth skiing coach; and one of the sports foremost professional writers. This all-star team has created one of the most engaging, clear, and potent learning tools ever published for beginning and intermediate skiers. This unique, carefully illustrated guide gives you the information you need to get started: choosing the right skis, boots, and poles; where to find the best trails; what to wear for comfort and warmth; plus tips on safety. And, if youre already familiar with nordic skiing, the book shows you how to improve your style and your conditioning; master the subtleties of waxing and ski maintenance; and enjoy new skills including ski skating, telemarking, ski racing, and backcountry touring.
About the Author
Paul Petersen is a competitive cross-country and telemark skier, renowned ski instructor and ski writer, and architect-owner of one of the largest cross-country trail systems in the country, located in Bear Valley, California. On the Professional Ski Instructors of America National Demonstration Team for 12 years, he trained ski instructors around the world, serving as the team's coach his last four years. Richard A. Lovett is a full-time professional writer and avid weekend cross-country skier who ski backpacks and competes in ski marathons. The author of The Essential Touring Cyclist, he is a former law professor who also holds a Ph.D. in economics. John Morton, a two-time Olympic competitor, was also the U.S. Biathlon Team Leader at the Winter Olympic Games in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Head coach of men's skiing at Dartmouth College for 11 years, he now races competitively as one of the country's top-ranked Masters competitors.
Excerpted from The Essential Cross-Country Skier : A Step-By-Step Guide by Rick Lovett, Paul Petersen, John Morton. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Chapter Two First Strides Once theyve decided to give cross-country skiing a try, most people feel an overwhelming urge to head outdoors and immediately start exploring. Its a lot easier to do this cross-country skiing than downhill. After all, its simpler to shuffle across flat terrain without tutoring than to stand at the top of a downhill run with 2,000 vertical feet of snowfield falling away before you. So if youre the type who hates to read instruction manuals until youve experimented on your own for a while, dont worryyou wont develop any lifetime bad habits in those first few minutes. What you will do is discover that cross-country skis are long, narrow contraptions that move relatively easily in a straight line but require patience to steer around corners. You may wonder how to put on the brakes other than by falling down, and youll find that even a slight downgrade can be a source of uncertainty. Thats when you need help. Although it wont substitute completely for live instruction, this chapter will tell you howwith a few hours of practiceto advance from shuffling to purposeful skiing. Combined with a ski lesson from a professional instructor or a skilled friend, it will help cement what the instructor tells youand may even help later on, if you teach a friend. Dont worry if, on your first few outings, your technique isnt perfectly smooth or youre timid about hills; both of those take practice. Your first goal is simply to become comfortable on skis, see the sights of winter, and fall in love with skiing. The learning process is cumulative. Even if theres a delay of weeks or months between your first and second outings, youre unlikely to lose skill. With each outing, your skiing will become more comfortable and dynamic. Rental Equipment Wherever you choose to ski on your first outing, renting rather than buying equipment is your best bet. You can rent an entire package of decent equipmentskis, boots, and polesfor a weekend for less than the cost of a good dinner, and you should practice a few times on rental equipment while you build skills. Later, when youre ready to buy, you may want considerably different equipment from that on which it is easiest to learn. Many ski shops offer demo packages that allow you to rent high-quality equipment, then deduct the rental fee from the price if you decide to buy. This is an excellent way to try a range of equipment before you buy. When renting, be wary of inexpensive packages that can give you a poor first taste of the sport. Ask for supportive, higher-than-the-ankle boots and midlength, light-touring skis. For the moment you dont have to know what these terms mean; well discuss that in chapter 5. For your first outings youll probably prefer the no-wax skistheyre the easiest to find, anyway (well talk about waxable skis in chapter 12). Boots should fit snugly, not loosely, with just enough room to wiggle your toes a bit. Loose boots make it much harder to control the skis. Most boots snap into the binding simply by stepping down firmly, but a few require you to bend over and use your hands or the tip of a pole as well. Ask for a demonstration when you rent the skis, and if possible practice a few times indoors, on a carpeted floor. Ski length for adults and kids varies with the type of ski. Trust the shop to pick an approriate length for you. Selecting the ideal pole isnt as important as getting the best fit in boots and skis, but poles should be of at least armpit height. Anatomy of a Ski Skis look simple, and inherently they are. But they have several parts, and its hard to talk about using them without knowing those parts names and basic purposes. The curved-up point at the front end is the tip, although tip can also refer to the skis entire front portion. The rounded, upward curve helps the ski ride over the top of loose snow. The opposite end is the tail. The length (and width) of ski in between helps spread your weight across the snow so you dont sink in too far. The bottom of the ski is the base. Its made of plastic and is either smooth or has a molded pattern or tread designed to allow the ski to slide forward easily but not backward. If there is a tread, it is concentrated in the grip zone, which covers about half the bottom of the ski, centered under your foot. Smooth-bottomed skis are waxable skis, substituting snow-gripping waxes for the tread. For the moment well assume that if you have waxable skis, theyre already properly waxed (this process is discussed in detail in chapter 12). The top of the ski is called just that. Centered there, at the skis balance point, is the gadget that attaches your boot to the ski. Its called a binding and includes a locking mechanism that snaps to your boot. The binding may also include molded ridges, grooves, pins, or plastic plates designed to mate with matching shapes on the sole of the boot, increasing your control of the skis. The corners where the sides of the skis and the base meet are the edges. When the skis are on your feet, they are either flat on the snow or tilted onto their edges to some degree. The ability to control the amount of tilt, or edging, is an important skill that well discuss later. Light touring, track, and skating skis have plastic edges; most backcountry and telemark skis have metal edges. Poles have five parts: grip, strap, shaft, tip, and basket. The terminology is pretty obvious. The grip is what you hold onto; the strap goes around your wrist; the shaft is the straight section in the middle; the tip is the business end; and the basket is a plastic ring or hoof that keeps the tip from spearing half-way to China, allowing you to push against the snow. Cross-country ski boots have the same parts as hiking boots, cowboy boots, or dress boots, except they have a tab or metal bar protruding from the toe, allowing them to attach to the binding. Getting Started Once youve rented equipment and driven (or if youre lucky enough to live near good snow, walked) to a ski area or suitable stretch of flat terrain, its time to put on your skis. To begin, Find a nice flat spot where you wont slide forward or backward before youre ready. Stick your poles upright in the snow on both sides of your skis. Dont put your hands though the wrist straps; at this point you merely want your poles handy if you need to grab one for balance. A steadying hand from a friend can also be helpful. Make sure your boots and bindings are free of packed snow. Fresh, near-freezing snow is particularly prone to forming frustrating snowballs on your feet. Use your poles tip or basket to scrape it away rather than taking your gloves off and doing it with cold fingers. If youre not good at standing on one foot, you may have to repeat this procedure every time you accidentally put your foot down on the snow before you get your boot attached. Attaching boots to skis on slippery snow isnt as easy as it was on that carpet back home or in the shop, but soon it will be second nature. For most bindings, point your toe downward, as though youre wearing high heels, so youre pushing the metal bar on the boot straight into the bindings slot. If the boot flexes rather than snapping into the binding, you may be holding it at the wrong angle. If youre skiing with small children, youll probably have to help them. They may not be strong or dexterous enough to do it themselves. If you rented equipment with three-pin bindingswhich have three small pins that fit matching holes beneath the boot toemake sure you have the skis on the right feet (for other bindings, it doesnt matter). If the skis arent marked R and L, match the skis so the wider edges of the bindings are on the outside (just as your feet are wider on the outside). A clamp, called a bail, lifts to let you insert your boot toe into the binding. When you think the pins are in place, wiggle your heel back and forth a bit to ensure theyre engaged properly, then snap the bail down firmly for a secure attachment. Taking skis off is simpler than putting them on. Some have a button on the binding that you push with the tip of your pole to release. Others have a clamp that you open with your hand. Either way, its best to do this on flat terrain, lest the ski glide away without you. Also, dont ski all the way out onto bare ground or into a parking lot before removing your skis. Even a small pebble can put a nasty scratch in the base. One other piece of advice: when you take your skis off at rest breaks, dont jam the tails into firm snow like youre planting a flag pole. This is okay in soft snowand often unavoidable to keep skis from sliding away from youbut in firm snow it will cause the tails to fray or delaminate. When possible, use a ski rack if one is available, lean the skis against a wall or tree, or leave them flat on the snow. Once you have your skis on, its time to make sure youre holding the poles correctly. There are two ways to hold them, so its 50/50 youll get it right the first time. Begin by making sure you know how to tighten or loosen the wrist strap. There are several designs, but the simplest uses a plastic device recessed into the grip. Popping it loose allows you to control the length of the strap. Make sure the strap is long enough to allow your gloved hand to slide easily through the loop. Well tell you how long is long enough in a moment. Now, stretch the strap out from the pole, making sure its free of twists. Reach through the loop from the bottom side and grasp the grip, with the ends of the strap passing between your thumb and forefinger. A loop of strap will pass across the back of your wrist. A simple mnemonic for children also works for adults: pretend your hand is a rabbit and the strap is the rabbit hole. The rabbit comes out of its hole, looks around for a carrot (the grip) and seizes it. This gives you a firm, supportive, but flexible grip on the polea lot better than the loose, wobbly grip you get if you start by reaching downwar! ! d into the rabbit hole. Be aware that its possible to twist the pole to an incorrect grip position without removing your wrist strap. Check your pole grip periodically to make sure its right, until the correct grip becomes second nature. Now its time to check the strap length. Ideally, it should be adjusted so that when you lean down against it with your hand comfortably positioned on the grip, the web of your thumb and forefinger rests against the strap just at the point where it emerges from the grip. If theres slack, tighten the strap. If you find yourself wishing for grease to get your hand through the loop or if your hand is too high on the grip, loosen the strap. Getting Comfortable Now that youve put on your skis and picked up your poles, youre almost ready to explore. But before you hit the trail, taking five minutes to try a few simple practice maneuvers will add a lot to your confidence. Begin simply by standing in place. Planting your poles firmly in the snow for balance, shuffle one foot forward and back to get a feel for how the ski glides. Now, standing on one foot, pick the other ski up completely off the ground, keeping it as level as possible. Do the same with the other ski. Notice how rocking your ankle forward and back makes the tip and tail bob up and down. Try raising the tail off the snow while leaving the tip on the ground. Do the same with the tip, leaving the tail on the ground. Standing on both skis, tilt your ankles slightly so the skis rest partially on their outside edges. First do one ski at a time, then both at once. The goal isnt to sprain an ankle, only to experiment with the tilt of the skis. Do the same with the inside edges, then return the skis to level, trying to get them as flat on the snow as you can. With a stepping motion that lifts one ski off the ground, point your toes outward to make a V shape with the skis, without letting the tails cross behind you. Broadening your stance (i.e., moving your feet farther apart) allows you to make a wider V. Return to your original position, skis parallel, then make a V by stepping with the other foot. Try using smaller steps to make a V by moving both feet, then return to your original skis-parallel stance. Now reverse the angles of your feet to point your toes inward in an inverted V, which well call an A (the cross bar of the A is your body, centered above the skis). The ski tips are together and the tails splayed apart. These drills may not seem like skiing, but they involve important basic skills. The A shape, for example, is useful in braking and turning on descents. Digging in the edges (called edging) is useful in turning or traversing slopes without slipping sideways. Flattening the skis helps you go faster and straighter. Pointing them outward one at a time, as you did in forming the V, is a precursor to what is called a step turn, which is the easiest way to change direction in flat terrain. Finally, youve practiced shifting your weight from one ski to the other in a controlled setting where youre unlikely to fall down. This will help when you start to move and turn. After youve practiced each of these drills a few times, its time to learn how to turn around on skisa useful skill for getting back home. Arrange your skis in a V shape, with their tails close together. To turn clockwise, pick up the left ski and set it down beside the right one, parallel to it, so both skis are pointing slightly to the right. Youre now facing a slightly different direction. Repeat the process enough times to rotate 180 degrees, then reverse course until youre facing the direction in which you started. Fine-tune the drill by trying to step in a circle that pivots as precisely as possible about your ski tails. In other words, with each step, your ski tails stay in approximately the same location as you rotate around them; in fresh snow your tracks would produce a daisy pattern, with the tails at the center of the daisy. Reverse directions and V-step the other direction until youve unwound completely. In all of these drills, its important to practice left and right turns equally, because youll need both. Remember: the process is to make a V and close it, make a V and close it, until youve ! ! turned as far as you want. Next, put your skis in the A position and try tromping out a snow-daisy by wedge-stepping in circlesclockwise and counter- clockwisewith your ski tips glued to the center. Getting anxious to ski? You have two more basic skills to learn: falling down and standing back up, and were going to ask you to fall down, deliberately. Falls are part of skiing, but the good news is that unless the snow is very firm or youre out of control heading for a tree, they rarely hurt. Furthermore, a deliberate fall is often the surest way to stop. Think of it as bailing out rather than crashing and never hesitate to do so before you lose control of your speed. Its best to not fall directly on your buttocks. Instead, you want to land somewhat to the side, although not so much so that you land on the point of your hip. Find some reasonably soft snow and try it now, with a motion that feels a bit like sitting down, with a sideways roll to one side or the other. Dont land on your ski tails. Ideally, youll hit about 45 degrees off-center from your buttocks, midway between falling directly backward and directly to the side, then roll completely to your side. Standing on level snow for your first practice fall, this might not be easy. Its easier to make a controlled fall when youre moving, and it will feel more natural with practice. Youre about to discover that falling is easy. Getting up with your skis on is tougher, which is why its useful to practice a few times before you actually start skiing. First, get organized. From your fallen position, roll to your side, making sure your skis arent crossed, and bend your knees to draw the skis close to your buttocks. Youre going to try to get up from the side of the skis, rather than from behind, as many beginners want to. If you try the latter approach, the skis will slide out from under you and youll be back in the snow in a glorious tangle of skis and poles. If youre on a hill (and you shouldnt be at this point), your skis should be downslope from your body, lined up perpendicular to the slope to keep them from taking off downhill the moment youre half-way to your feet. Dont be in a hurry to stand up; its easier to get hurt floundering around after a fall than in the fall itself. Use your hands to scoot your body toward the skis in stages, until youre squatting over them if possible (or kneeling if that wont work). Use your hands, not your poles, because poles can break. Once you have your face over the ski tips, slide one ski forward and stand up, using your poles to help you balance but not to lever you upright. If the snow is soft, form an X with your poles to create an unsinkable platform to push against. If you have trouble crouching over your skis or if you feel strain in your knees, simply remove one ski, stand up normally, and reattach the ski. With practice, the motion of standing up will become fluid and effortlessat least on reasonably firm snow. And when you start doing hills, youll find that standing up on a slope is easier than doing so on level snow. When you fall on a descent, in addition to falling toward one side, try to keep your knees bent and your skis perpendicular to the slope, downhill from your body. Using the slope to your advantage this way makes it a lot easier to stand up. You wont be venturing onto steep hills on your first few outings, but learning to automatically get into this sideways crouch position will help you maintain control of falls even on steep, icy hills. This skill also allows you to stop quickly by digging your ski edges into the snow as you slide on your side. An unexpected fall may send you sprawling face forward, but bail out falls should automatically put you in this position, allowing quick, controlled stops. Strolling on Skis: Introducing the Diagonal Stride Now youre ready to hit the trail. The technique youll start with is called the diagonal stride, and the motion is a lot like walking, as you move from ski to ski, swinging your arms in counterpoint. The main difference from walking is that youll slide your feet instead of picking them up off the ground. Youll also experience a momentary pause on each foot as you slide (or glide) across the snow. Kids will probably get the idea quickly, because most likely theyve already learned to do something similar, stocking-footed on linoleum floors. To start with, simply shuffle across the snow. Dont worry if you feel wobblymost people do at first. Use the poles primarily for balance and try to add a brief hesitation between steps as you glide. As you gain confidence, youll find you use the poles less for balance and more to push yourself forward for added speed. This walkinglike movement is best done without thinking too much about it. The quickest way to get confused is to concentrate on specifics, such as how youre using your poles, or precisely what your legs should be doing. Part of what makes the diagonal stride fun is that it feels very natural; the less self-conscious you are about arm and leg motions, the more likely you are to do it right. Nevertheless, its impossible to talk about the diagonal stride without dissecting it into component pieces. There are four: kick, glide, poling, and weight transfer. The first two are so integral to the technique that many skiers refer to it as kick and glide skiing. The kick is the rough equivalent of taking a step. But instead of pushing off forward as in walking, it begins with a downward tromping onto the snow that more or less glues the ski in place so it can serve as a platform for launching yourself forward, to glide on the other ski. As you tromp down, you bend your leg to sink downward a bit over the kicking ski, then straighten it in the push-off that is the heart of the kick. Done with just a moderate amount of effort, this should induce a bit of glide on the other ski. At a more relaxed shuffling pace, there will be little to no glide, but at this stage thats okay. While one foot tromps down, the other swings energetically forward so the ski is in position for gliding. Again, this feels naturaluntil you start thinking about it too much. As your diagonal stride improves, youll view yourself as launching off the kicking ski onto the gliding ski, and youll concentrate on rolling most of your weight over the front of the kicking foot onto the gliding skithe weight transfer we mentioned earlier. This weight transfer maximizes both kick and glide. But for now, all you need to realize is that you dont just push the kicking foot backward; the downward aspect of the push not only keeps the ski from slipping when you complete the kick, but also gives you the opportunity to swing the other foot forward into position for the glide. Your arm swing should come from your shoulders, not your elbows. Think of your hand as moving forward, gently pulling you down the track, as opposed to popping up, sending energy into the sky. Arm swing and hand position can be more important than precisely what you do with the poles. As the hand passes backward, behind the hip, relax your grip on the pole, allowing the tip to retain contact with the snow. If you have a death grip on it, youll wind up with the tip in the air, pointing uselessly backward. While youre poling, you should feel some of the weight of your arm and body accumulate on the strap as your wrist leans against it. Youre truly leaning on the strap, not just pushing on it with your arms. Proper body position also helps. For a smooth diagonal stride, tip forward at the ankles as though you were leaning into a moderate wind. Your head should be up, scanning the trail ahead, instead of gazing at your ski tips. Its just like driving a car; if you aim high in your steering, youre less wobbly. Keep your shoulders and upper body relaxed, not tense. With practice, the diagonal stride is a fluid, rhythmic motion, but it may be a bit jerky at first, punctuated by random pole thrusts to keep you from toppling sideways. Dont worry about it: thats just part of the learning process. When you hit the rhythm it will feel so natural youll know you have it right. Concentrate on these rhythmic moments and dont waste mental energy fretting about the times youre not finding the rhythm. In addition to rhythm, a core element of the diagonal stride is balance. This comes mostly with practice, but there are a few tips that can help speed your progress. Some weve mentioned before, but well list them all here for handy reference: Make sure your boots are tight. Bend your ankles and knees slightly. Resist the temptation to stare at your skis. Instead, keep your eyes on the trail 5 to 15 feet ahead. If you look at your feet youre inherently wobbly. Keep your skis, particularly the weight-bearing ski, flat to the ground by centering your weight on it, side to side. This will reduce the skis tendency to wobble sideways or unexpectedly dig into the snow. When gliding, center your weight fore and aft on your foot. This will not only improve your balance, but it will give you a stronger kickautomatically improving your glide as well. There are some simple drills that can help improve both balance and glide. Some involve balancing on a single moving ski. Although thats difficult at first, its an important skill because one-ski balance is key not just to your glide, but to all future skiing improvement. Ski without using your poles. Remove one ski and scooter kick on the other, as though you were using a skateboard. Ski with both skis on a gentle downhill, raising one a few inches above the snow and gliding briefly on the other. Take a few quick strides, then g-l-i-i-i-i-d-e on the forward ski. Experiment with the amount of weight you transfer to the front ski as you glide. Try putting 100 percent of your body weight on it, then 75 percent, and then 50 percent. Which feels most comfortable to you? Theres no right or wrong answer at this stage. Ski with your body very stiff. Then relax and ski loose. Curl your toes up inside your boots. Then relax and flatten them. Ski both ways, noting the difference in your stride. Patience is the name of the game. At first you may feel uncomfortably out of control when both skis are sliding at once. Thats fine: go at whatever pace is comfortable. You can still enjoy the winter outdoors at a slower pace. And with time and mileage youll find that gliding becomes the fun part. Climbing Hills When youre going uphill, technique becomes more important. Not getting enough grip is a potential problem; your skis may want to slide backward each time you try to step forwardat best breaking your rhythm and possibly making you fall to hands and knees. There are several ways to avoid this. Which one youll need depends on the steepness of the slope and the slipperiness of the snow, as well as your athletic abilities, skill level, and ski design. On gentle hills, just shorten your stride so your weight is more firmly over the grip portion of the ski base. Take shorter, choppier strides, with a quicker tempo, and make sure the poles angle well backward, allowing you to catch yourself on them in case you slip a bit. With practice its possible to jog up surprisingly steep slopes this way, right on the edge of slipping but never doing so. Or take it easier and bend your knees and ankles a little more (but dont jackknife at the waist). On steeper hills, youll need to learn the herringbone. So-named because it leaves tracks in the snow like the skeleton of a fish, this technique involves splaying your tips apart into a V position, tipping your skis securely onto their inside edges, and waddling uphill like a duck. Its not as difficult as it sounds. Before the hill gets steep, get your skis into the V shape you practiced earlier. How broad or narrow a V will depend on snow conditions and the steepness of the hillon particularly steep hills your skis may form more than a 90-degree angle. Walking up a hill with your skis splayed out like this, you have two problems: not stepping on the tails (which are crossed behind you), and not sliding backward and falling to your knees. To reduce the problem of stepping on your ski tails, try narrowing the V or taking bigger steps. This minimizes the amount of tail crossing you have to deal with. If the slope is gentle and youre in a narrow V, you may be able to keep the tails from crossing at all. If youre not so lucky, youre going to have to take an exaggeratedly careful step each time you move, making sure each step carries the tail completely over the top of the other. Its kind of like walking with untied shoelacesif you always know where the laces are and are careful enough, you wont trip. With practice, this becomes automatic, but it feels a little strange at first. To keep from slipping backward, you have to use your inside edges and poles. Keep the pole baskets behind your hands at all times, so the poles are leaning somewhat forward (but still securely planted in the snow), and feel free to lean or push on them as needed. As for your edges, dig them firmly into the slope with each step. The ideal amount of edging depends on the slope, the firmness of the snow, and your ankle strength. Experiment. If you start to slip, you can take any or all of six remedial actions: go straight up the slope (not at an angle) making sure neither ski is pointed directly parallel to the fall line (the path a snowball would take rolling down slope) dig in the edges more firmly by actively rolling your ankles into the hill tromp down harder with each step, to plant the skis tread more firmly in the snow push harder on your poles take shorter steps and quicken your tempo or widen your skis into a more exaggerated V. Some hills are too steep to herringbone. You probably wont encounter many of these on groomed trails (unless you venture onto more difficult routes before youve sufficiently honed your skills), but off-trail they abound. Even a three-foot embankment can present a major obstacle if its steep. The way to get up these really steep hills is to sidestep (you can also do this on less steep hills if youre tired of herringboning). The technique is easy. Simply step sideways up the slope, skis parallel to each other and perpendicular to the fall line of the slope. Dig in your uphill edges to keep the skis from skittering sideways out from under you. Keep one pole on the uphill side, the other downhill. The foot motion is obvious: lift one ski and move it sideways, then lift the other and bring it back close to the first, taking lots of little steps until you reach the top. The sidestep is a simple if painstaking way to get up surprisingly steep slopes. But botched attempts to sidestep can generate falls. If you dont keep your skis perpendicular to the fall line, theyre going to take off downhill, fastsometimes forward, sometimes back. If you slip at all, something is wrong. Make sure you really are perpendicular to the fall line, which can change direction a bit with each lump or depression in the hillside. If you slip sideways rather than forward or back, youre not edging hard enough. Try getting the ski bottoms horizontal and digging those uphill edges in, hard. In firm snow you may actually have to stomp down with each step, and on an extended slope your ankles may get tired, just as they would ice skating. If youre still slipping sideways, perhaps you need to tighten your boot laces for better edge control. If nothing else works its also possible to take off the skis and walk up (good advice if you encounter a downward slope thats too! ! steep, too!). Stopping When youre beginning, the simplest and most foolproof way to stop is often to bail out by deliberately falling down, using the controlled, feet-first fall we described earlier in this chapter. Or, on obstacle-free, level terrain, you can usually glide to a halt within a few feet. Another stopping method you may discover on your own is to plant your poles in front of you and lean forward against them. This is inherently unsafe, so use it only at very slow speeds to avoid breaking poles, spraining your wrists, or bashing yourself in the chest or face with a pole. Other than the bail-out, there are two basic techniques for stopping on firm snow or groomed trails: the half-wedge and the full wedge (or snowplow). The half-wedge is easier to master but works well only if youre in a track. Its a particularly good maneuver if another skier stops suddenly or falls down unexpectedly in front of you. First, you have to get one ski out of the track. This is your braking ski, and it can be either the left or right one (unless theres an obstacle in the way, such as a snowbank close to one side of the track). Well assume youre braking with the right ski, but you should practice equally with both. To get the ski out of the track, simply lift the right ski high enough to clear the lip of the track and set it on the adjacent groomed surface, with the tip angled toward the other ski. Rock it sideways so the inside edge scrapes a bit on the snow, and put some weight on it to dig in the edge. The angled ski may now want to run in the direction its pointed, toward the tip of the other. Allowing your ski tips to cross will stop you, but the stop will be more abrupt than you intended (although unlikely to be painful). If this starts to happen, it means youre digging in the edge too hard. Relax the ankle and take a little weight off it to reduce the amount of edge pressure, but continue to apply sufficient outward pressure to the angled ski to maintain your half-A orientation. As you slow down, the angled ski will scrape sideways across the snow with its inside edge digging into the surface. Varying the angle of the ski and the pressure on the inside edge (plus the compensatin! ! g outward pressure on the ski) will allow you to stop quickly or slowly, as desired. The full wedge is similar, but this time both skis are out of the track and both are angled, in the full-A pattern you practiced earlier. Both skis are edged (i.e., rocked onto their inside edges) with equal pressure. This gives you double the stopping power of a half wedge but requires you to control the motion of both skis to keep them scraping across the snow properly, rather than crossing. Experiment with the amount of edging by controlling how much you tip the skis onto their edges. Experiment also with the angle of the A: twist your tails apart widely for extra braking power; use a narrower angle if all you want to do is slow down a bit. Practice this on your first outings, even if youre skiing mostly on flat snow where theres no need for quick decelerations. The full wedge is such a valuable stopping tool that you need to have it in your arsenal before proceeding from beginner to intermediate terrain. Be aware, though, that the full wedge doesnt work under all conditions. In heavy, loose snow or breakable crust, the skis are going to want to cross rather than move sideways, and no amount of outward pressure will prevent this. Well tell you more about such snow in later chapters, but for the moment, just try not to pick up too much speed if you encounter these conditions. If you do, your best beginner stopping method is to step turn or simply bail out. Descents What goes up generally comes down, so once youve climbed a hill be prepared for the descent. Again, there are a variety of techniques, depending on the grade. Basic Athletic Stance Before descending, you should assume what we call the basic athletic stance. Its the skiing equivalent of the position assumed by a basketball player on defense or an Olympic wrestler sizing up an opponent before grappling. This catlike stance keeps you balanced, mentally focused, and ready to respond to whatever happens. For the basketball player thats the opposing players unpredictable actions; for you its whatever bounces and wobbles the hill may have in store. Youre also in proper position to use whatever braking or turning maneuvers will be needed. The stance isnt exactly a wrestlers crouch, but it has similarities. Your knees and ankles are comfortably flexed for shock absorption on bumps and to lower your center of gravity. Your hands are to the front, your torso is in a relatively upright position, and your head is up, eyes looking well beyond your ski tips. But unlike in the wrestlers or basketball players stance, your boots remain flat on the skis (not up on the balls of your feet), and your hands arent spread wide apart like youre trying to hug a bear. On short or gentle slopes, you can just run straight and fast, enjoying the effortless speed. Remember to keep those knees bent while keeping your torso upright. Keep your poles out to the sides, ready for use, not tucked uselessly under your armpits. The basic athletic stance isnt a downhill racers tuck; its purpose is to keep you stable and ready to react to the hill, not to cut wind resistance. To shed a little speed and improve your balance, you can drag your poles in the snow beside you. Its not highly recommended, but at this stage, who cares. How much to bend your knees depends on how comfortable you are with the slope, which is a very personal thing. Advanced skiers may sail down an intermediate hill with a barely perceptible bend of the knees; beginners may need to crouch much more deeply. Most people, when theyre learning, dont bend their knees sufficiently. What feels like a deep knee bend is probably only a moderate crouch. If youre stiff, with locked kneeswhich is how most people tend to act if theyre afraid of the hillyoure more likely to fall. Gliding Wedge After youve taken a few straight runs on moderate slopes, youre ready for the gliding wedge (another form of snowplowing). Its a lot like the wedge technique described earlier for stopping, only this time use it merely to control your speed, rather than coming to a halt. First, you need to find a hill on which you can generate a little speed. Nothing life threatening is needed; walking speed is fine. But its actually easier to practice these maneuvers at three miles an hour than at a Gee, Im scared crawl. Let your skis glide while you pick up speed. That means keeping the bases flat to the snow. Bend your knees enough to feel a bend in your ankles, and hold your hands in front of you, poles angled behind, ready to steady your balance but not dragging in the snow. Once youre up to speed, twist and point your skis into the A-shaped wedge position youve already practiced on flat terrain. Your legs should be well apart, knees still bent. As you move in a straight line, your skis are now scraping at an angle across the snow, already slowing you a bit. Dig in the inside edges, and theyll slow you a lot. If you come to a complete halt, edge a little less strongly or find a steeper hill. The gliding wedge does two things. First, it serves as a way to slow you down, as well as setting you up for turning, which well describe in a moment. But its more important function is to create a wide, stable platform on which to stand. Even if you dont slow down much, the mere act of moving into a wedge will allow a more stable descent than if you simply ran straight down the hill. As you discovered earlier with the braking wedge, the ski tips may tend to want to crosssomething you need to prevent. The goal is to keep the skis in the A-shaped wedge as you apply the brakes evenly to both of them. With practice, this becomes automatic. Always edge strongly enough to the inside to make sure the wrong (outside) edges dont accidentally dig in and send you sprawling face forward. Dont worry if the skis tend to jump around a bit, especially on uneven snow, as you learn the art of fine-tuning your edge control for minor terrain variations. Wedge Turn Once you feel semicompetent in the gliding wedge, youre ready for the wedge turnthe easiest way to change direction when youre descending on firm snow. Begin in a gliding wedge with the ski tails not too broadly spread apart. (In a broad wedge, the edges dig more firmly into the slope, which is great for braking but makes turning difficult.) Once youve achieved a shallow, gliding wedge position, simply coax your ski tips in the direction you want to turn by twisting your hips, feet, and knees. Youll probably feel your weight shift to the outside (downhill) ski as you turn. This is normal; in chapter 3 well tell you how to take advantage of it for even better turning control (see page 36). Dont lean into the turn as you would on a bicyclethat will take too much weight off the outside ski. You also want to continue to engage the inside edges of both skis. If a ski rolls over onto its outside edge, youll probably trip over it and fall face forward. Or it might suddenly shoot cross-slope in a straight line, a phenomenon called railing an edge because the ski acts like its stuck on a railroad track. Here are a few exercises to help you execute turns. If youre getting into a nice wedge but cant seem to make it go any direction but straight downhill, pretend you have flashlights strapped to your knees, and try to turn them to illuminate your desired path. If you cant seem to shake the habit of leaning into the turn, touch your hand to the knee thats on the outside of the turn as you round the bend. You cant do that while leaning strongly in the wrong direction. To keep from standing too straight and stiff (a common beginner fault), put both hands on your knees while keeping your torso more-or-less upright (as you should in the basic athletic stance). This will force you to bend your knees. These exercises are intended for training specific skills, not for permanent use. Once theyve done their jobs, give them up. You dont want to spend the rest of your skiing career cruising downhill with your hands on your knees! Once youve completed a successful turn, stop (or find another hill) and try again. This time, try turning in the opposite direction. Do a few of these single turns, then try linking them in a serpentine path in which one turn flows smoothly into the next. This is a fun and easy way to shed unwanted speed, and it will lead naturally into more advanced hill-descending methods to be discussed in later chapters. In linking turns theres no need to make broad, sweeping curves that take up half the hillsidetheres plenty of room to make a series of shallow wiggles down a trail or path thats only a few feet wide. As you practice linking turns, seek a cadence that involves bending and straightening the knees and ankles with each curve. Rise as you approach each turn, then sink and steer through it. Rise to the new turn, then sink and steer. Thats the cadence: sink and steer, sink and steer. Let your upper body flow down the hill with your feet and knees turning beneath it as you focus your attention on the rising and sinking motion. Linked turns are the ultimate in speed control. Not only are they fun and challenging, theyre the most efficient way to control speedmuch less taxing than the constant strain of doing a braking wedge all the way downhill. How many corners you do on a particular grade depends on your interest, the steepness of the slope, and the width of the trail. Each turn gets you out of the fall line; thats what slows you down. With the start of the next turn, you accelerate back into the fall line, which at first is scary but soon becomes fun. Its a continual rhythm of acceleration and decelerationand once youve practiced it enough, youll gain confidence that the deceleration will indeed happen as you angle away from the fall line at the end of each turn. Sidestepping You can use the wedge and wedge turn to inch your way down fairly steep slopes, but occasionally you may encounter a grade thats steep or icy enough youre afraid to wedge down it. Dont despair: the sidestep technique you used for ascending hills also works for descending them. You may also need to sidestep in soft snow if the skis sink so deep that you cant twist them into the wedge shape without stopping too abruptly. And dont forget: theres no disgrace in taking off your skis and walking down steep grades. Just stay to one side of the path to avoid making bootprints in the middle of the trail. Turning on the Flats On gentle turns in machine-set trackor simply the deep-set tracks of numerous previous skiersyou dont need to do anything special to turn. The track will do it for you by guiding your skis in the right direction. But when youre not skiing in groomed tracks, you have to execute the turn on your own. One way is simply to stop and V-step until youre facing the right direction; another is to V-step while gliding slowly. In chapter 3 we talk about some more athletic turning methods (see page 35), but they merely allow you to keep up your speed while zooming around cornersnot much use until youve moved on to an intermediate level where you may want to zoom around corners. Traversing Generally, beginner ski trails either stick to flat terrain or cross mildly rolling hills. But sometimes you may find yourself on a sidehill, where the trail runs across the slope, either climbing, flat, or descending. The first time you attempt a traverse, you may find yourself drifting inexorably toward the downhill side of the trail, unless you have a well-set track to keep you in place. Combat this by edging as firmly as necessary with the uphill edges. Ascending, you can sometimes use a lopsided herringbone, with one ski angled more to the side than the other. Descending, try a gliding wedge in which youre constantly putting excess pressure on the downhill ski to keep you going diagonally across the slope. On a gentle, gliding descentwhere you dont need to either put on the brakes or kick to maintain speedyour skis should be parallel, with the uphill one leading by 4 or 5 inches. Your uphill hand should also be significantly ahead of the downhill one. Unless youre following a firm track, your uphill edges will be engaged sufficiently to keep you from slipping sideways down the slope. Center your weight between your feet and assume the basic athletic stance, as always, to maintain balance. Ideally, you should twist slightly at the waist so your upper body is facing a bit toward the downhill side. This will become more important when we get to intermediate maneuvers in chapter 3. The techniques discussed in this chapter are all you need to be comfortable on gentle terrain, opening the door to a wide range of winter-draped landscapes. Under good snow conditions, theyll also work on many unplowed roads and golf courses. Your assignment now is to get out there, log some mileage, and have fun. Congratulations: its one of those tough jobs you hear about in all those somebody has to do it jokes.
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