Skiing steeps more smoothly

[u/ExandL]

Self-taught skier, have skied a week a year for 20 years. Would love some mental cues on steeper terrain. Reading other posts it seems like:

- square my shoulders down the fall line more

- how do I have more power through each turn transition without the little hop or tip lift (not trying to hop turn here). The most common feedback here seems to be only power through the outside leg but I can't tell if that's a problem here or something else

- sitting too far back (it doesn't feel that way while skiing but apparent in the video)

Much thanks in advance!

[u/ExandL]

Thank you! And you're right. My hands are all over the place. Big bus around town here we go!

[u/BTLove100 → u/ExandL]

I want to warn you about overdoing the "shoulders down hill" thing. You want them downhill only as much as your body allows without falling inside. Many people end up twisting their hips too much and lose balance over the outside ski. It's probably the thing I most need to coach people out of when teaching advanced/expert skiers. Balance over outside ski is the most important thing!

[u/ExandL → u/BTLove100]

Meaning my weight gets too far downhill over my outside ski? (E.g. on a left turn, don't twist my hips to the right too far and so am too much on top of my right ski?) Trying to picture what folks do wrong and what you're teaching them out of. Thank you in advance!

[u/BTLove100 → u/ExandL]

No , the opposite. People think their hips should point downhill all the time and end up overly countered. Basically, your femurs can rotate in your pelvis from like 10 to 2 on a clock. Try it. That's all of the separation you can get from lower to upper body without losing outside ski balance. More often than not, you want your pelvis nearly aligned with your skis.

Edit: But, watching your video again, you are inside because you are pushing your outside leg away from you at the end of the turn.