Improving your ski racing times by cutting off fractions of a minute is not particularly difficult. In most cases, you accomplish this by further developing basic slalom or downhill techniques. The challenge is cutting seconds and fractions of seconds off your race time. In racing, turning slows you down. You can improve your ski race times with the right skis and a technique that gets you in and out of a turn quickly and on to the next turn faster.
Step 1
Obtain a pair of racing skis that have the optimum side-cut for quick turns. The length of the side cuts between the wide tip and tail of a race ski is proportionate to your height and weight. Taller and heavier skiers need a longer side cut, but not necessarily longer skis.
Step 2
Set up a downhill course that has long equidistant sections between six slalom poles. Offset the poles 20 feet on each side of the slope line. The course must have a 100-foot run from the starting line to the first pole so you can get up to speed.
Step 3
Ask a friend or fellow racer to time your first run. The goal is to negotiate the course at a fast clip, but not your fastest, and learn the fastest racing line through the turns. The fastest line begins within a body-width from a pole with both skis flat on the snow.
Step 4
Start downhill toward the first pole. Plant the inside edge of your downhill ski and lift your uphill ski for balance as you start a turn. Push with the outside ski pole and immediately rotate your body around the pole and in a line toward the next pole.
Step 5
Complete the course using the technique of planting the downhill ski and pushing with the outside ski pole as you rotate your body. Note your time on the run.
Step 6
Return to the top of the hill. Evaluate your performance in terms of getting into and out of turns quickly and maintaining speed toward the next pole. Understand that you go the fastest when the skis are flat on the snow and your body is directly over the center of the skis instead of back or forward.
Step 7
Take several timed runs through the course. Concentrate on keeping your body centered on the skis, turning correctly and flattening both skis immediately after a turn. You will ski faster by applying the correct technique.
Step 8
Make several more timed runs. Note your times after each run and evaluate your performance each time. Plan on turning a fraction of a second sooner and getting both skis flattened out quickly if your fastest times are within tenths of a second. If your times vary by one or more seconds, work on maintaining a consistent racing line.
Tips and Warnings
- Go into your tuck between turns and flex your knees as you turn instead of standing erect. Learn to race with controlled abandonment.
- Always wear your safety gear when practicing to go faster. The fastest racing line is not always the safest.
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