Rebound

Goal: Dynamic short radius turns
Level: Expert
Suggested terrain: Not applicable
Author: Suzy Chase-Motzkin
Summary: Play with snow spray to decamber the ski at the right point of the turn. Learn to determine the optimal time to "load" the ski for a helpful rebound into the new turn.

Photos and Videos coming soon!

IMPORTANT! Understanding our approach and philosophy is important if you'd like to successfully use the drills in Ski Smarts
 ... read more.

Position a ski on edge on a carpet at 45 degrees and notice that only the tip and the tail touch the floor. While keeping it at that angle, press down on the ski where the binding is mounted--the middle of the ski bends away from you until the edge in the middle touches the carpet. Do this hard enough and the ski bends backwards into a "decambered" position. This is what happens when we make a turn on snow --the skis are edged and decambered.

When a ski is decambered, it is "coiled" like a compressed spring-loaded with energy. Release this energy and it bounces right back--we call it "rebound."

In our quest for efficiency, we should put this energy to use. Racers know how to put rebound to good use by releasing the stored energy in their skis when they're pointing down the flow line--release it there and the energy helps move the body across and down the hill, toward the next gate.

Wait for the rebound to happen after the skis have passed the flow line and you could end up being bounced up into the air--a no, no for efficiency. Recreational skiers normally handle rebound by letting the energy of the rebound flex the legs.

  • Always strive to decamber the skis as early as possible, making the snow spray early in the turn.
  • Work on getting the snow to spray with the skis pointing down the flow line. If the snow sprays down the hill, you are not putting enough energy into the ski before it enters the flow line. The snow should be spraying toward the sides of the slope.
  • If you are skiing on hardpack, listen to the sounds your skis are making. Most of the noise should be happening in the arc of the turn. The transition between turns should be relatively quiet.

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