Skiing with stiff, straight legs can lead to a loss of control on the slopes, sending you falling in any number of directions. Bending your knees lowers your center of gravity and allows you to use your hips and core to better maneuver for turning. Think of bent-knee skiing as similar to sitting in a chair. That will help you to better center yourself over your skis and improve your time on the powder.
Step 1
Practice the technique of bent-knee skiing without skis to learn the technique and get the feel and balance of the movement. Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder width and your arms bent as if you were holding poles. Hold poles if you have them.
Step 2
Move your buttocks backward, keeping your torso straight, lowering yourself as you slightly tilt your upper body forward. Gently bounce up and down while keeping your eyes straight ahead to get the feel of the motion
Step 3
Move your right knee toward your left knee as you shift your weight onto your left leg to practice turning. Move your weight like this from left to right several times. Keep your torso straight as your hips rotate left and right. Keep your weight back to prevent you from falling over the front of your skis on the slopes.
Step 4
Keep your feet parallel. Pointing your toes together will create a "snow plow" that will slow you down and stop you. Pointing your toes away from each other will create a V that will cause your skis to move away from each other and cause you to do the splits or fall. Keep your weight centered on your feet from your heels to the balls of your feet, not on your toes.
Step 5
Practice the bent-knee technique on level terrain when you get to the slopes. Practice the squatting and weight-shifting movements you learned off the slopes. Practice taking short and long strides from your semi-sitting position.
Step 6
Practice your technique on a shallow grade, cheating toward a snowplow foot position rather than a V if you get into trouble. Practice turning left and right as you go down the hill.
Step 7
Ski down a steeper hill starting out moving to the left or right. Turn frequently to prevent generating too much speed. Starting down the hill straight ahead may cause you to pick up too much speed too soon and lose control.
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