You turn on skis primarily by engaging the edges of your skis into the snow, which steers you across the slope.
Understanding Ski Turns
Turning on skis allows you to control your direction and speed as you descend a slope. One fundamental way to initiate a turn, particularly a carving turn, involves using the shaped edges of your skis.
The Mechanism: Engaging Your Edges
As described in the reference, initiating carving turns involves a specific body movement to utilize the design of the ski:
- With both skis generally pointing down the fall line (the steepest path down the slope), you begin the turn.
- Initiate carving turns by rolling your knees and ankles.
- This rolling motion causes the skis' edges to dig into the snow.
- When the edges dig in, they steer you across the slope.
Essentially, you tilt your skis onto their edges. The sidecut shape of the ski, combined with this edge grip, causes the ski to follow an arc in the snow.
Steering Direction
The direction you turn is determined by which edges you engage:
- To turn left, you engage the left edges of both skis. This means tilting your skis onto their uphill edges if you are facing across the slope, or onto their left edges if you are pointing downhill.
- To turn right, you engage the right edges of both skis. This means tilting your skis onto their uphill edges if you are facing across the slope, or onto their right edges if you are pointing downhill.
Initiating a Carving Turn
Here's a breakdown of the process based on the reference:
- Start Straight: Begin with your skis pointing mostly down the slope (the fall line).
- Roll Joints: Gently roll your knees and ankles in the direction you want to turn.
- Engage Edges: This rolling motion tilts your skis, causing the appropriate edges (left for a left turn, right for a right turn) to bite into the snow.
- Steer Across: The engaged edges and the shape of the ski guide you into an arc across the slope.
- Transition: As you complete the arc and prepare for the next turn, you transition your weight and roll to the opposite edges.
This method focuses on 'carving' turns, where the skis cut clean lines in the snow rather than skidding. It's a fundamental technique for efficient and controlled skiing.
