• Don't do this exercise if you have any existing injuries or physical problems.

Begin with your skis off

Out of the way of traffic, plant your poles on either side of you.

Holding your upper body, pelvis, and shoulders steady, hop and twist your feet to point toward one pole. Then, hop again and twist the feet to point to the other pole.

• Keep your upper body stationary and facing straight ahead throughout the exercise.

After hopping, stand for a moment and notice the twist of the legs in relation to the body. Feel a pinch on the downhill side of your body and a stretch in the back on the uphill side of your body.

With poles planted, hop a few times, then try adding a pole swing to the hop. The pole should touch the snow upon landing. When you hop up, swing the other pole.

• Use the flex of the legs upon landing to absorb some energy and act as the "coiled spring" to get you into the next hop.

With skis on

What you have done without skis is exactly what you will do with the skis on--start with your skis only slightly out of the flow line, on shallow terrain. Hop your skis with shallow direction changes.

As you find a bit of rhythm and really get some air, redirection becomes easier, hop your skis further across the hill.

• Try to keep a rhythm from turn to turn.
• Gradually tone down the hopping until you are just flexing and extending through the turn.

Tips:

• Keep your upper body facing straight down the flow line.
• Swing the pole down the flow line.
• Flex your legs only as you land, using the energy to propel you back up again.
• Let one movement flow into the next.
• Don't try too hard.

Once you've mastered the trick, progressively take the technique to steeper terrain. As you go steeper, you'll have to compensate as follows:

• Make sure you retract your legs fully--especially so that the tails don't get stuck in the snow.
• When you jump, make sure you jump forward and away from the slope--not vertically up.