When skiing, keep the following in mind:

• Keep your upper body facing slightly down the hill.
• Carve your turns dynamically in a balanced position.
• Practice makes perfect.
• Don't rush your turns -- be patient and relaxed!
• Keep terrain easy when doing exercises.

1. Keep moving your upper body down the hill
More than anything else, learn to keep a fairly stable upper body (from the hips up) relative to your legs. It's the feet and legs that turn the skis.

In short turns your upper body should always face directly down the hill. In long radius turns your upper body should always face slightly more down the hill (except when your skis cross the flow line) as it follows the skis around.

• Remember: Your legs should change direction under a stable upper body.

2. Carve your turns dynamically
Do yourself a favor and don't wimp along with skidded turns. Practice carving techniques outlined in Ski Smarts exercises and experience a world of difference.

3. "Mileage" in skiing is crucial
Remember to make it "quality" miles. Use Ski Smarts as a guideline and ask your favorite ski instructor to check whether you are doing exercises correctly.

4. Patience in your moves, especially during turn initiation
Remember that patience does not always mean slow. With the proper skill acquisition, there can be a more precise turn entry, giving the skier less of a feeling of having to rush around the corner. Rushing into a turn will bring out many bad habits.

5. Ski easy terrain when doing exercises
Practicing below "your current level" is the only way you'll get substantial benefit from doing exercises. Once you've "mastered the move" you can progress to steeper terrain to try out what you have learned.

Print this out for future reference and remember to have fun!

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