2. Snowboard stance

The problem

In snowboarding, everything is more complicated on the one hand and simpler on the other. Most people, when they start snowboarding, can't even ride down the slope because they don’t really understand how to do that. It’s quite a weird feeling when your feet are bound to the board and you can’t rely on either foot if you fall down. It’s as if your shoelaces are tied to each other while you’re trying to move.

So most snowboarders get used to a somewhat position as they try to find their way around with these boards fastened to their feet.Their feet are perpendicular to the board (while they shouldn’t be), and their body tends to look sideways while in fact, it should look forward, along the slope.

How to fix it

Getting this position right does two things. First, it enhances safety as it either protects you from falling or at least makes any fall less serious.Second, with the right carving position of torso and feet, a skier can better control speed and choose to run faster or slower.That’s why the SkyTechSport simulator is a magic stick for beginners. It helps you understand exactly what you need to do and get your technique right while minimizing the risk of injury.

SkyTechSport helps you to practice this technique within a controlled environment which is a lot harder to get going down the slope.

3. Edging

One of the most important issues is that beginners don’t understand what edging is, what carving is and how it’s done.

Carving is a modern ski technique, allowing one to move back and forth across the slope in parallel, S-shaped tracks. This movement is generated by the edges of your skis cutting into the snow in a slight arc. The skis follow the edges, letting you complete a turn.

Edging is tipping the ski on edge, either to slow down or change direction. Most recreational skiers reckon they can do these at the same time with ‘skidded turns’, but advanced racers can change direction without actually showing down.

Edge angle is what you need to balance your weight, create a high ski bend and tighten the radius to create a smooth turn.

This is what makes the difference between someone who is just starting out and a person who’s mastered their technique and can create beautiful, perfectly carved turns with such skill that the tail of the ski follows the exact path they want it to.

How to fix it

Proper edging starts right before the turn. To be a high-performance skier, you need to get your edging right, then focus on perfecting your edge angle.

• When carving properly and leaning into the turn, the body's weight should be transferred to the middle of the outside ski.
• The body should also be kept more upright than the legs to enable the edges to be dug into the snow as much as possible. This also makes it easier to switch between turns as the body does not need to be moved so far.
• The shoulders are brought flat to the direction of the skis, as the direction we are now traveling is straight forwards.
• Experienced skiers will also use the inside ski when carving to an extent, but this is only when the conditions enable them to really dig the edges on both skis into the snow.

Here, SkyTechSport simulators help beginning or intermediate skiers to clearly experience what carving is like, focus on these separate techniques and master them with high quality.

It takes literally ten minutes to grasp this movement on the simulator, but as a result of indoor skiing sessions, you will learn how to let the ski do most of the work while you get to have fun gradually increasing your speed and still making smooth transitions.

1. Stance

The problem

Сommon problem for almost every skier and snowboarder. In our everyday life, we have our feet flat on the ground while relying heavily on our heels. If we do that on the mountain, we would immediately fall down and go head over heels.

Yes, literally. That’s the problem with having the wrong position when skiing down the slope.

One of the most basic aspects of skiing is getting the stance right.

It can quickly turn into a serious problem if you consistently lean in the wrong direction, especially when you’re making rapid movements on the slope.

How to fix it

When skiing, you need to balance both feet while keeping them roughly shoulder width apart. This helps keep a stable form while giving you enough flexibility to initiate several movement variations.

You also want to make sure your weight is on the balls of the feet with your ankles flexed and knees bent so that the shins are properly engaged.

Your hands and forearms should then find themselves slightly angled outward and forward. You want to keep that right position with a mid-stance and of course, some pressure on the front of the boot.

This will help you to make quick turns and move rapidly in response to snow conditions and the slope relief.

Now all this isn’t as easy to remember as it looks. In fact, when a skier runs down the mountain slope, it can be very difficult to monitor their position, leading to poor stance.

With the SkyTechSport simulator and a certified instructor, however, this mistake can be corrected. It’s important to note that all our instructors are certified and licensed to help you or your customers get your techniques right. We’re also happy to teach your instructors following the special program developed by PSIA-AASI if you buy a simulator for any business purposes.

The stance is the number one thing we track with the SkyTechSport simulator. With a highly qualified instructor keeping an eye on such issues, you’ll be prompted to master the right position.

And once you’ve got used to this stance, you will be aware of how to feel on the ski run.

We also have a copy on that on our Instagram — check it out!

4. Edge Angle

The problem

As an advanced skier, you have to know how to get that supreme edge angle. Honestly, many skiers really can’t get the right edge angle anytime they’re to make a carved turn.

Yes, literally. That’s the problem with having the wrong position when skiing down the slope.It’s rather a skiing peculiarity than a mistake, but it’s still worth being corrected. Many people ride at 10°, which can hardly be called a turn.

This might be because they are worried about keeping their balance while making the turn. But expert skiers would argue that you need to focus on getting the weight distribution right if you want to nail this technique.

In a proper carved turn, you have to aim to produce the appropriate edge angle to create a shorter turn and the perfect ski bend.

How to fix it

To do this, you need to learn to keep your balance over the outside turn while you turn.

It’s just like changing the direction while running — you’d need to lean predominantly on your outside leg to keep a secure balance and create a smooth turn.

This also means you unweight the inside ski by flexing on it while keeping most of the pressure on the external ski.

Sounds like real work, doesn't it? For this, you’d need practice. You can do it on a slope in about 5 workouts, or you can do it x5 times faster and master the basics just in one 30 mins workout on a SkyTechSport machine.

SkyTechSport is the only alpine sports simulator that can monitor dynamics of both legs and helps increase the edge angle up to the recommended 30-40°.

This angle is considered to be adequate turning for high-quality carving. This skill can be monitored not only by the instructor, but by the simulator itself, as it’s equipped with a variety of sensors.

With SkyTechSport software, you can easily plan the required drills and trace progress of the edge angle of the right and left leg — on your own or with your instructor.

You can also customize the turn length with the simulator.

Short turns are actually the most difficult to master because the knees come to the fore without affecting hip movement. It’s really very hard to develop this technique without any advanced help.

But with the SkyTechSport simulator, you can practice long, mid and short turns and that’s exactly how you get yourself to be a natural, even a ‘pro’ skier.

5. Work of muscles on the slope

The problem

Skiing is a high-intensity full body motion and most of the body’s muscles are activated at one time or another. Downhill skiing challenges the body with a much wider range of muscle activation and movement than most other types of exercise.

Your quadriceps work to extend the knee and flexing of the hip, the hamstring (back of the leg) for flexing your knee up and down, and the foot and ankles muscles for edging your skis during parallel turns.

Many really athletic people, even those who go in for powerlifting, often feel too tired after the first day at an alpine resort. They feel pain in the muscles they didn’t even suspect they had!

How to fix it

To prepare your muscles for a load and be ready to enjoy every minute on the slope — you need to train your body the right way. What is even more important, unprepared muscles can lead to injuries in the first days. Regular workouts at a gym or cardio won’t do all the work, but there is something you can do in the weeks leading up to your ski trip to prep your body to hit the slopes to gain more energy and stamina and lower the chance of injuries.

• Split squats and regular squats are great for building stronger quadriceps. Ideally, add some weights: a dumbbell or a kettlebell or even a backpack with books.
• Glutes — your butt muscles — can be strengthened with clam exercise: Get on the floor and lie on your side with your knees and hips bent. Keeping the bottoms of your feet together lift your top knee and then lower it slowly. (You’ll look like a clam opening and then closing.)

• Propulsion is something very much worth improving too, and you can do so by simply using a low step. From a basic ski position (see the ‘Stance’ section), jump on and off it sideways, and gradually start using a higher platform.
• Cycling, stepper or any good cardio will prepare your heart and lungs for operating in a thinner mountain air, as they will need to work harder there than they’re used to. (You’ll look like a clam opening and then closing.)

On a SkyTechSport machine, your body experiences the same sensations and gets used to these particular movement patterns, while gym exercises are something that can only partly simulate the loads. So not only do you adapt to the load, but also increase your safety and master your skills and technique. So step up on the slope prepared and ready to enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

6. Torso Training

The problem

Our body doesn’t naturally let us go down the slope the way we should.

The first common torso mistake is beginner skiers tend to lean back, not forward.

The second mistake is leaning back with legs and torso going in one direction. In this case, the body becomes a lever that automatically turns.

How to fix it

The way to get rid of this mistake is to work out with a coach. They see your posture and help you to improve the stance, so you become more aligned with your body and more confident on the slope.You can work out on the slope during the season, or save your time and get trained on the SkyTechSport machine all year round. Our certified coaches have special training programs to train your torso right.

Consistent training is extremely important because:

• It develops the muscle memory that will prevent dangerous injuries
• You learn to cope with the unevenness of the slope
• It develops the skill of balance, when legs and torso actually go opposite thus counterbalancing each other. Even if the skier faces any bumps, the torso can then help keep them stable.

With SkyTechSport simulators, it’s much easier to get the exact same sensations and skills anytime and anywhere. You can even choose from a variety of snow conditions, like bumps, slush or ice!

7. A-Framing

The problem

Before carving, people practiced the skiing technique we now call the classical move. Earlier, the skis had quite a different geometry, and to make a turn on classical skis, a skier had to jump slightly and release the heels.

This way, skiers were going down the slope, but their legs were too close to each other. After carving skiers with different geometry appeared, it became necessary to learn to keep legs parallel to each other.

Equipment wise, boots out of alignment is another cause of many A-frames. Some skiers grow out of it, some get used to compensating.

Speed can also be an issue. Usually when the speed is too high or the environment too gnarly, technical finesse goes out the window and all kinds of bad tendencies come out.

Even though best practices have changed, there are still many people who have already mastered the classical technique.

How to fix it

SkyTechSport simulator can definitely help here if this remains an issue for you. With workouts on this simulator, you can develop the perfect carving technique.

We have a copy on that on our Instagram and Facebook, check it out!

You have three options when it comes to improving your ski technique. You can:

• try to teach yourself
• work out with a professional coach on the slope
• master your skills and technique with SkyTechSport simulators.