{"id":460,"date":"2025-10-29T20:22:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/?p=460"},"modified":"2026-01-10T02:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T02:04:15","slug":"elements-of-a-ski-racing-turn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/elements-of-a-ski-racing-turn\/","title":{"rendered":"Elements of a Ski Racing Turn."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>MORE THAN CARVING<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>September 14, 2025. In skiing, and particularly in racing, the carved turn is the fastest turn, but what\u2019s a carved turn, exactly? A true carved turn leaves parallel clean lines in the snow, one line from each ski. How you apply pressure to the outside ski as you roll it on edge bends into the shape of the desired turn as it makes the arc without skidding. The inside ski matches the outside ski, usually with little or no pressure on it, but it\u2019s still on the snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Giant Slalom Training Run in Bariloche, Argentina\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dj0TbNRgpQw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lisa running a GS practice course during the 2024 South American Masters Camp in Bariloche, Argentina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Carving is faster and gives you much more control, especially on hardpacked snow or ice, than skidding. It\u2019s a critical skill toward becoming a great skier and racer. Once you can consistently carve turns, there are only two ways you can make time in a slalom or giant slalom course: 1. pressuring the ski in the fall-line during the apex of the turn, and 2. moving aggressively through the transition between turns. Let\u2019s break down these two opportunities, starting with a review of the three phases of a ski racing turn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Three Phases of a Ski Racing Turn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Initiation<\/strong>: The turn starts by applying pressure to the ski tip, then building pressure more and more as you progressively roll the ski on edge and apply pressure progressively from the ski tip to mid-ski. The tail of your ski will naturally follow. Tip pressure occurs at the rise line above the gate. Highly skilled racers take it even \u201cdeeper\u201d, meaning, they have the strength, timing, and sense of line to initiate the turn slightly past the rise line. However, unless you\u2019ve raced at a high level, stick with initiating the turn at the rise line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Apex<\/strong>: The apex or middle of the turn is at the point when your skis are pointing down the hill in the fall line, and where maximum pressure and edge angle occurs. The ski bends under the pressure, like a loaded spring under tension, while it presses against (carves across) the snow surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Release<\/strong>: In fact, your skis are like springs as you release pressure you\u2019ve built up in the turn. This rebound provides the energy to accelerate you toward the next turn, if you control it correctly, using it to move forward, not upward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cool birds eye view (drone view) during the women&#039;s GS in Solden, Oct 28, 2023\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vP2q8MqQ3uY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From this bird's eye view, you can see the points where top World Cup racers start the turn, apply pressure, and then release it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To accomplish this, you need to do the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Maintain a balanced body position over the middle of the outside ski (not sitting back) as pressure builds in the turn. In addition, from a balanced position, you have the best chance to react to a challenging or unexpected situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Move actively forward as you transfer your weight to the new outside ski. (Be careful not to turn too early or go too straight in the rush to ski faster down the course.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Shape the turn appropriately and put it in the right spot to avoid a line that\u2019s too high, too early, or too low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Actively and progressively put weight on the outside ski, bending the ski in the fall-line (loading the spring).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Keep the upper body quiet, with level shoulders (don\u2019t lean in) and without breaking at the waist. Your torso should be counter-rotated to the direction of your skis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">\u2022 Be as fluid as possible as edge angle increases through the apex of each turn and then decreases as you finish the turn. The goal is to ski \u201carc to arc,\u201d without an excessive pause between turns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Federica Brignone Skiing Giant Slalom Technique by Alpine Ski Racing Coach&#039;s Corner Training Zermatt\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yFx4yPQbAgQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:6px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Through all three phases of a ski racing turn, you must have:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Flexed ankles: Your ankles should flex progressively forward as the knees drive into the hill, followed by the hip. High inside hip: Your inside hip should feel \u201chigh\u201d, i.e., pulled up, not dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Balanced position: Your hips move continuously forward such that pressure is through the forefoot (metatarsal), not the heel, of the outside foot. Your upper body needs to keep up with you feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Upper body stability: Your upper body should remain stable, oriented down the hill, without excessive overall movement, tipping, or rotation into the hill. A stable upper body allows pressure and edge angle to build progressively through the apex of the turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Hands forward: Your hands should be relaxed and forward, ideally with the downhill hand feeling \u201cheavier\u201d than the uphill hand to aid weighting and balancing over the outside ski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Parallel shins (skis): Both skis should be rolled on edge the same amount to promote fluid arc-to-arc skiing down the course. Parallel shins also allow you to continue a turn and maintain line should the outside ski accidentally lose contact with the snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Constant contact between your shins and the tongues of your ski boots: Shin pressure on the front of the boots promotes correct fore-aft balance. Your shins should never leave the tongues of your boots. But shin pressure should not be static. As a turn progresses, shin pressure should increase, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Snow contact: Skis only respond and gain speed when they are in contact with the snow. Rebounding skis that pop you into the air, rather than forward toward the next gate, might feel snappy but don\u2019t help you go faster.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lisablog5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-468\" style=\"width:480px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lisablog5.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lisablog5-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lisa Ballard bends the ski in the apex of a GS turn en route to a bronze medal at the 2024 FIS Masters Criterium at Reiteralm, Austria. Her shins are parallel. Her upper body is oriented down the hill, countered against the direction that her skis are travelling, allowing her skis to carve cleanly through the turn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>You should feel the following sensations during each phase of a turn:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Top of the Turn = Building Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Initiate the turn with the tip of the outside ski but then quickly let the entire front of the ski draw you into the turn. Loading the middle of the ski all at once can cause the ski to chatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 The inside ski matches the edge angle of the outside ski. Think \u201cperfectly parallel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Establish a balanced platform on the middle of the new outside ski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Initiate edging by driving the knees and ankles, and then the hip, through the top of the turn. This is known as \u201ctriple flexion\u201d. Pressure and edge angle should build from the ski up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Begin to separate the upper and lower body at the hips, keeping the inside hip pulled up (not dropped) as you build pressure on the outside ski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Apex of the Turn = Bending the Ski in the Fall Line<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Edge angle and pressure continue to increase in the fall line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Shoulders and hips are square to the skis, meaning the torso and skis are facing down the fall line at this moment even though your feet are out to the side, not under the torso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 The feet separate vertically, not horizontally, as needed based on the pitch of the slope and the offset of the course. More pitch and\/or more offset requires more vertical separation of the feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 From the side view, the hips are in a balanced position over the middle of the ski, with the hands forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 From the front view, parallel lines can be drawn through the feet, knees, hips, hands, and shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Release of the Turn = Managing Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 From the apex of the turn to the end of the turn, the edge angle and pressure on the ski progressively decrease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 As pressure and edge angle decreases, separation of the upper and lower body decreases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 The skis progressively flatten as they pass underneath the body. Weight transfers to the new outside ski (edge), starting with tip pressure again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Transition Between Turns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 The core moves actively toward the top of the new turn, \u201cup and over\u201d (though it\u2019s really \u201cforward and over\u201d), to keep the athlete in balance, and so the new outside ski is immediately available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 The skier moves fluidly from turn to turn, releasing pressure so that the energy built up in the turn accelerates the skier into the new turn. No jerks or jolts! The faster and smoother the athlete can cover the transition distance while maintaining appropriate line and turn shape, the faster the run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Weight transfer occurs with the skis are parallel and on the snow, without a step to the new outside ski or spring into the air. A step is used only rarely as a way to recover line if the skier gets too low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mikaela Shiffrin slalom training in El Colorado La Parva Chile August 2022 alpine skiing ski coach\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ugaHFs7JbOQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A word about hitting gates:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lisablog5second.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-472\" style=\"width:473px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lisablog5second.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lisablog5second-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Slalom<\/strong>: In slalom, the gate is cleared just before the turn is released but before the pole plant: Clear. Plant. Move!&nbsp;Ideally, the feet should be outside the pole, and the body should inside it so that the clear with the outside hand is natural and quick in front of the sternum. No reaching past the zipper! That said, it\u2019s okay clear with either hand or any part of your body. REMEMBER: Clearing is a function of line. A clean, carved turn without clearing the gate is always faster than a skidded turn with a clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Giant Slalom<\/strong>: In GS, the inside forearm, shoulder and\/or side of the back can brush the gate, but there should be space between the feet and the gate to avoid \u201cstacking up\u201d over one\u2019s feet, i.e., no separation of the upper and lower body. \u201cStacking up\u201d flattens the ski at a point in the turn when the athlete should have the most edge angle. Mowing over or clearing panels is generally slower unless the athlete is particularly big, strong, and skilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Photo to the right<\/strong>: Lisa Ballard clears a gate during the 2018 FIS Masters Criterium (world championships) at Mammoth Mountain, California. Her level shoulders are facing down the hill, countered against the direction her skis are going. Her left (outside) hand is in front of her chest as she\u2019s about to clear the gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Got questions or more to add?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MORE THAN CARVING: September 14, 2025. In skiing, and particularly in racing, the carved turn is the fastest turn, but what\u2019s a carved turn, exactly? A true carved turn leaves parallel clean lines in the snow, one line from each ski. How you apply pressure to the outside ski as you roll it on edge [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technique-tactics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":543,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460\/revisions\/543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lisaballardoutdoors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}