Ski Television:

Flexing the Knees

Well, here's our situation: great snow; a little flat light; and I’m rounding these turns out deliberately delaying when I flex my knees. I’m trying to lay the skis way out to the side before I flex my knees because I want to get some good inclination happening.

This may be just a slightly different rhythm than you're used to. If I was to simulate it for you it would be: I’m up, I’m up, I’m up, then I’m down. I’m up, up, up, then I’m down. And I use the down to aggressively move the skis from one side of the body to the other. If you use that down too early in the turn, it’s a problem because you won’t have any movement left when you need it.

So you try and delay that, you try to prolong the extension: there you are, two thirds of the way through the turn, bang, that’s when you flex your knees and that squirts the skis from one side to the other.

Oncer again: get the inclination happening and then use the knees and that brings the skis right back across underneath you. It’s about steering the change of turn or the transition from one turn to the other, it's a little change of rhythm and it's really intended for all you people out there who like to push forward on your knees and hold there.

So try that alternative rhythm: pull your knees back, turn the feet, hold it, stay up, stay up, stay up, and then a quick shot with the knees to bring the skis underneath. Give it a whirl, I hope it works for you!

Hey, now the sun's out. Time for another run on the saddle here at beautiful Whistler Blackcomb.