Technique
With the arrival of winter, if you are a ski enthusiast, you have a few months ahead to practice your favorite sport. And if you haven’t decided to try yet, it’s the right time to do it. However, if you are in the latter case before you start, you must get a useful ski technique and then be able to fly on the slopes.
When it comes to learning to ski, you have to follow a logical order that goes from the easiest to the most complex. Such a request is what we are going to follow in this little theoretical course.
- How to stand on skis on a slope?
Therefore, the first step is that you learn to stay on skis when you’re standing on a slope. The posture is based on two aspects: a correct angle of the body and an equally adequate singing of skis. As you may be a beginner, we will tell you that it is called singing to stick the skis ‘ chants in the snow.
The first time you do it, you’ll feel a little scared, seeing you lean right down the slope. However, this posture is the least dangerous, since it allows you to sing the skis, which in this way make the brake. Once you gain experience in this sport, you will adopt this position naturally and involuntarily.
- What’s the right position on skis?
The right position is with the knees slightly bent and slightly forward. Likewise, your head should look to the front, and the skis should be a little apart, more or less the width of the hips. Finally, the same skis must be flat on the snow. It won’t be easy the first time you try, but the sooner you get used to it, the better. Otherwise, you’ll get your knees tight, and your skis are sung.
But the key to getting a right position on skis is in the hip. Depending on how you put it, you can use your legs better. Until recently, it was recommended to back it up, but it has been shown that it was not right. If so, the center of gravity falls behind the feet, and the hip itself functions as a sort of ballast. The correct position of the bone is slightly retracted, but in such a way that your center of gravity is just above your feet. Thus, weights are better distributed, and skiing becomes easier.
It is recommended to practice this dry posture to adapt well to it. If you do, your learning will be more comfortable and you will not adopt bad starting habits that will later be harder to rectify.
- The fundamental turn or necessary turn in skiing
Another essential aspect you should learn to ski is the spinning technique. As for her, there are two crucial elements that you must take into account: the angle and the inclination. So essential is to manage them that, if you do, you’ll be on your way to being a good skier. Both are used at different times of the turn and complement each other to achieve the same goal, which is to provide direction to the outdoor skiing. Let’s talk about them.
Equipment
Mountain skiing is a booming sport, not that it is a fashion, but there are many and many skiers who are moving into this more natural, quiet mode (there are no queues) and where we make the most physical wear.
We do not want to go to the last in terms of materials or technicalities, but it is advisable that, as long as our budget allows us, we choose material as light as possible, to make our climb more bearable.
Here is a list of recommended equipment for mountain skiing.
- Skis – have to be designed for mountain skiing with a particular fixation for this modality, it is best to choose a multi-purpose ski, as they are better suited to different types of snow.
- Boots-boots should be specific for mountain skiing, comfortable but that hold the footwell.
- Seal skins – they are our ally on the climbs, there are many types of fur, narrower to go faster or more comprehensive to have more grip, also vary depending on the snow we will find.
- Canes-there are specific for mountain skiing with special washers, but if we do not find them or they seem expensive, we will also use models of other sports (Nordic Walking, Trekking, Alpine skiing, etc.) provided that they have a comfortable handle and are light.
- Backpack-we recommends carrying a small light and comfortable backpack to take the safety material, warm clothes for the descents, something to eat and drink, and the safety kit. The bag would be good if it were specific for mountain skiing so that we could load the skis.
- The safety Kit consists of the Arva, a shovel and a probe; it is essential if we ski mountain outside a ski resort.
- Clothing and accessories – for the climb we must wear technical clothes that are very breathable but keep the body warm, especially on cold days. It is advisable to carry a feather (natural or not) and a good windbreaker in your backpack to be waterproof.
- Gloves-the gloves are a very personal subject; they must be waterproof and comfortable, have a good grip with the handle of the stick.
- The helmet-the helmet will protect us from falls, but also from stones that fall from the mountain and offers protection against both rain, snow and cold, as the rest of the material, must be light.
- Sunglasses – our eyes should be protected, it is best to have two types of glasses, some for sunny days and others for days without sun.
- Socks-like boots, they’re essential so we don’t get blisters, scratches. It is advisable not to wear very thick ski socks.
- A mobile phone won’t hurt either, although in many places we won’t have coverage.