The ability to ski a double black diamond trail distinguishes experts from advanced skiers. Such factors as pitch, moguls, conditions and width give a trail a double black rating. Skiing double black trails requires refined ski skills, strategy and rhythm. Although you might be able to survive a black diamond run by combining short and long radius turns, safety on a double black demands skilled, short radius turns. Mont Blanc guide Ruedi Beglinger warns that skiers must be able to link 30 short-radius turns to be safe on the Mont Blanc slopes. Confidence and attitude are crucial because they affect your functional stance. Bob Barnes, training director at Keystone Ski Resort, says that expert skiing involves changing your attitude from "no" to "go."
Step 1
Look down the trail and plan a strategy. Note any potential hazards. Ski mountaineer Kim Havell suggests assessing the trail and planning your next three turns.
Step 2
Point your skis directly into the fall line. Flex your knees and press your shins against the tongues of your boots.
Step 3
Flick your wrist and tap your pole into the snow. A right pole tap initiates a right turn, and a left pole tap initiates a left turn.
Step 4
Shift your weight in the direction of your pole touch and place your skis on their edges. Pivot your skis in the direction of the turn.
Step 5
Extend your legs as you extend the turn. Then, tap your pole and repeat the process in the other direction.
Tips and Warnings
- Making your first turn into the fall line may seem counterintuitive, but it's actually the safest way to ski a double black diamond. Joey Stoger, Professional Ski Instructors of America clinician, warns that if you start with a traverse, every turn becomes your first turn, because you have to make a quick direction turn at the edge of the trail. Keep your upper body facing downhill at all times. Make sure to edge both skis simultaneously. Most resorts have an amateur race course, which is an effective training ground for short radius turns. Practice on the race course. When you ski the double black diamond, imagine that your ski pole is the gate, and you are turning your skis around the gate. If you reach a point that is too challenging, go to the edge of the slopes, turn your skis parallel to the slope, keep your upper body facing downhill and let the skis slide down the hill. When you regain confidence, place your weight on the downhill ski and begin a new turn.
- Some double-black trails combine numerous challenges, such as White Heat, a steep mogul run in Sunday River, Maine, or Corbet's Couloir, a narrow, ungroomed cornice in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Stick with trails that have only one challenging feature on your first black diamond run.
Things You'll Need
- stiff skis
- stiff boots
- ski poles
- ski helmet
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