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.
