Skiing occurs for about a half a year, from as early as October until late March, when the snow begins to melt and the seasons progress. When you're on the slopes, though, there are many areas to focus on in order to increase your performance on the hill. It is important to understand some of these tips in order to improve both your technique and how much fun you can have when you're racing down the hill.
Keep Your Skis Parallel
When going down the hill and, more specifically, when turning, keep your skis parallel and don't split them apart. When you keep your skis a few feet apart and in different directions, it becomes extremely hard to keep your balance. By keeping them parallel, you lower your chances of falling and can also ski down the hill much more smoothly. Parallel skis allow for faster speeds as well, since there is less friction.
Keep the Correct Balance
When you're making a sharp turn when skiing, the majority of your weight should be on the inside ski. For example, if you are turning right, about 80 percent of your weight should be on your right leg, while about 20 percent of your weight should be on your left leg. By putting the extra weight on your inside leg, you are giving your body the proper leverage in making turns on what can be extremely slippery snow. Doing this also produces higher speeds when coming out of the turn.
Keep Your Legs Straight
Keeping your legs straighter and more extended when turning is extremely important in downhill ski racing. By keeping your legs straight, you reduce the amount of stress being placed on your knee and greatly reduce the chances of developing a knee injury. In addition, keeping a straight leg allows the ski to carve into the snow much more effectively, resulting in faster speeds and quicker race times.
Down-Unweighting
Down-unweighting is a technique used by ski racers in order to create a "virtual bump" to get down the hill much faster. When going down the hill, retract your legs as if you were going over a bump, then extend into the turn. This works more effectively on shallow turns, and results in faster skiing through the moderately flat portions of the course.
Skating
During sections of the hill that may be straight for a lengthy amount of time, using your skis as ice skates to push yourself can drastically improve your speed and ski time. To do this, put one ski straight, then push off in a diagonal motion with the other ski. Switch off skis, being careful not to step on the back of your other ski.
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