Ski Television:

Boots and Turning

You know what your boots are for, right? They're tools. They're designed to give you mobility this way and tremendous leverage laterally. So I’ve got a few ideas for you today, some cues if you like to help you get the most out of these great tools.

Okay, now the first idea I wanna share with you I got from Otto Kamstra one of the great level four pros here at Whistler Blackcomb. Otto reminded me that the turn starts with pressure on the ball of the foot and finishes with pressure just ahead of the heel. So what I’m going to try and do is start with pressure just behind the ball of the foot. Finish with pressure just ahead of the heel pad.

Now to help you see it on my ski boots, I want you to look. There's the ball of the foot just about where the letters stop and the heel pad is just about where that big x is. Okay, start with the ball of the foot, finish just ahead of the heel. Ball of the foot to the heel. Ball of the foot to the heel.

So we work our boots fore and aft with Otto's tip but I also want you to work 'em laterally and a way to get the feeling for that, to get that lateral leverage, take a look at this (right). See the nice fleshy part of my calf there? I’m gonna move it against the cuff. I don't have to press forward so much remember because I’ve got the weight on the ball of the foot

Again, press down on the ball of your foot, inwards with the cuff. Down on the ball of your foot, inwards with the cuff. Remember to get the weight onto the heel a little bit to the end and you'll use those boots as the great tools that they are designed to be.

Try that and thanks to Otto Kamstra again from the Whistler Ski School for that great tip. I hope it works for you.