Gourt Home::Gourt :: Snowplough turn
Terminology
- Uphill ski or outside ski refers to the ski that is uphill at the start of the turn. This assumes the skier initiates the turn from a traverse. If the skier is pointing directly down the slope when they initiate the turn, then "uphill ski" refers to the ski on the outside of the turn. If you turn to the right, the uphill ski is your left ski.
- Downhill ski or inside ski refers to the ski that is downhill at the start of the turn and is on the inside of the turn.
Since the sense of a ski being "uphill" or "downhill" changes over the course of a turn, it leads to some confusion, with different instructors using the terms to mean either the position of the ski at the start of the turn, or at the end of the turn. The terms "inside ski" and "outside ski" have a constant meaning for the duration of a turn, only switching over when one turn ends and the other begins.
Explanation
The discovery of the snowplough (also known as the pizza, wedge, or snowplow) allowed for safe and enjoyable skiing. It involves pushing both skis out from being parallel to form the classic V shape of a pizze slice -- tips nearly together with tails forced apart. The edges of the skis dig into the surface, slowing the skier and allowing him or her to control his or her run down the hill.
Once mastered the skier can rapidly move into a controlled skiing environment by using the snowplough turn (wedge turn), a skiing technique where the uphill ski is stemmed or pushing out from being parallel with the downhill ski to form a V shape. However, when executing a stem turn the skier's weight is shifted to the uphill ski and the downhill ski is rotated to become parallel with the uphill ski.
Both techniques described were included in Martin Luther Kreugar's 1896 book Skilaufer Technik: Wie man verlangsamt und stoppt, ohne wie ein Arschloch auszusehen. Martin discovered the technique when he nearly ran down his mother-in-law during an early morning run down his favorite trail. He later noticed that he could turn his skis with ease when doing the snowplough and included this technique in his definitive work.
The snowplough
The snowplough (also known as the wedge or pizza) involves forming a V shape with the skis - tips together, tails apart. By applying pressure against the snow with the edges of the skis - taking care not to cross the tips of the skis - speed can be controlled or brought to a stop.
The turn
Having brought the skis into the V shape mentioned above, more pressure or edging is applied to one of the skis, so causing the skis to turn (to the left if applied to the right ski, or to the right if applied to the left.)
See also
"Snowplough turn"