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Reprints From The Professional Skier

Fall 1999 - "Short Shapes Turn Skiing Into The Big Easy" by John Root

This article is reprinted from The Professional Skier. All copyrights apply. Please see our copyright and disclaimer notice page.

No matter how you look at it, the introduction of shaped skis a few years ago indelibly altered beginner ski lessons, offering a way to significantly accelerate the student's learning progress. Enthusiastically received by skiers and instructors, the design made it easier to select turn size and shape than on conventional skis, and simplified turning by rewarding commitment to an edged and pressured ski. The fact that shaped skis required far less effort in walking, climbing, and maneuvering on the slopes didn't hurt either. Recognizing a good thing, ski schools across the country began to incorporate shaped skis into beginner lessons, and today the resort that doesn't offer them is the exception rather than the rule.

But ski equipment manufacturers can't resist the urge to tinker with their wares, and this season more than a few beginning skiers are destined to benefit from this perseverance. Even though shaped skis for beginners are at the 140- to 150-centimeter range (down from the traditional 160 to 180 cm), in some situations they prove to be somewhat difficult to tip on edge or produce a wobbly feel. In an effort to perfect the progeny of the shaped ski lineage, two manufacturers have now delivered "short shapes" (for lack of a better term), and they appear to present none of the problems of their forebears.

Currently produced only by Rossignol, Elan, and Hart in the 110- to 135-cm range, short shapes offer a more subtle sidecut than their predecessors as well as a modest lifter to give beginning students the advantages of shaped skis. In addition they're easy to engage and release at slower speeds. According to the manufacturers, students with short shapes can gain access to progressively more difficult terrain more quickly, thereby increasing their access to the mountain. Moreover, areas can use short shapes--as a cornerstone of an overall successful beginner program, of course--to help increase skier retention (see "Jiminy Peak Shapes a Success Story").

Variations On a Theme

As an instructor you should be open to trying new approaches with students on short shapes, but you needn't fear that the shelf life on all your tried and true teaching tactics just expired. Rather than panic at the notion of starting from scratch, realize that the new short shapes require merely a modification of your approach.

At many areas, for example, typical lesson objectives for a first-time skier are stopping, controlling speed (usually using a wedge by default), turning left and right (again using a wedge), and riding the appropriate lift. In teaching beginners on short shapes, the outcomes are the same, except for one notable difference: you may not need to teach the wedge at all. I know .. it sounds like sacrilege. But you might discover that skipping this step is appropriate, and here's why.

Traditional teaching methods (such as using a wedge with predominantly rotary movements) will work on the new short shapes, and many of these maneuvers are even significantly easier to perform than on the conventional skis. However, spending the first lesson teaching the wedge fails to take advantage of the ski's design and the opportunity for rapid and comfortable progress. That's because the short length, sidecut, very flexible forebody, and riser plate enable the skier to make small-radius carved turns at slow speeds--and with very little lateral movement--on gentle terrain.

The goal of an open-track turn on short shaped skis for first-time skiers has many advantages. No time is spent on wedge and wedge turns using opposing ski edges as is necessary on traditional length skis. This frees the guests to learn to ski on corresponding edges from the start, eliminating the transition from skiing on opposing edges. It also allows the introduction of lateral balancing skills at an early stage. In addition, turn shape can be introduced as the primary method of speed control in the first lesson. The wedge may evolve or be shown as an "emergency brake" where a turn may not be possible (e.g., in the lift line), but should not be the only means of speed control. Moreover, "parallel" skiing from the beginning makes the guest feel like a real skier, boosting their self-image and confidence that they can master this sport and have fun doing it.

Nevertheless, it is still up to you as the individual instructor to identify and tap into student motivations and to adapt your teaching approach to the individual's needs. Lessons on this gear focus on guided discovery rather than a linear plan. You give students whatever they need to help them reach their objectives.

Lesson Guide

As with any beginner lesson, before students scramble onto their skis, take the time to explain what will happen on the hill. Once you've double-checked everyone's boot fit, you can familiarize guests with the tipping movements they'll be using. Depending on your area's facilities, you can do this inside, or you can perform similar activities in line-up before students get on the skis.

Whether indoors or on snow, the first item on the agenda is boot work. Here are some drills you might consider incorporating into your own program. If you're outside, be sure to do this on flat terrain.

The purpose of these activities is to help students get comfortable walking over ankle/boot flex to prepare them to use the new equipment. On this first day, you are essentially introducing students to higher-level movements on a more basic level-before they even get onto skis.

Now it's time to put your students and yourself onto the new short shapes. Again, you should be on flat terrain; that is, an area with no grade whatsoever. (Most areas have at least a small amount of flat terrain, but if you don't have access to this, perhaps you could convince snowmaking and grooming to create some for you.) With skis on, you and the students simply repeat the drills you used while students were in boots only. Make sure you use drills that illustrate tipping skis onto an edge.

At this point your students are beginning to cover ground without poles, and this is an excellent time to introduce them to movements easily performed with their hands free. First, you can teach them how to skate and herringbone. Then you can introduce the lesser-known "wheel turn."

To begin a wheel turn, the student steps/angles the skis out into a "V" or wedge position. Maintaining pressure on the tips of the two skis, the student will keep the tips together and in one place as a pivot point. Lifting one heel, the student pivots the ski several inches to the outside and then places the ski back on the snow to create a widening of the original "V". Using the same motion, the student then picks up the other ski and pivots it closer to the first to bring the angle between the two skis back into a smaller "V". Always using the tips as a pivot, the student fans out the skis this way one step at a time through a complete circle. If performed properly, the skis' tracks will radiate like the spokes of a wheel from its hub.

Using maneuvers such as skating, the herringbone, and the wheel turn have the added benefit of forcing students to stand in the middle of their skis. Leaning back on the heels can result in tipping backwards, thus giving instant negative feedback.

Before moving your group to the slope, make sure they feel comfortable on their skis, are familiar with what it takes to stay in balance, and can confidently step through a turn to a stop-even on a flat slope. Overall, they have to demonstrate coordinated, relaxed movements, and don't forget to check a primary indicator of this: a smiling face. It may sound rather unscientific, but a grin can be an excellent sign of a person's comfort factor and joy. If students aren't having fun, they probably aren't ready to move on to the next challenge.

At Jiminy Peak, Massachusetts, where I teach, the beginner facilities are perfect for introducing students to the slopes. After leaving the rental shop the students walk directly over to a rustic cabin that's been set up specifically for first- or second-time lessons on the short shapes. The cabin (we call it a "sugarhouse") is situated about one-third of the way down on the right side of the beginner hill. That way, when students are ready to start moving around on skis, they can walk directly out of the cabin and onto the terrain. Our beginner slope is approximately 800 feet long with an 8-degree pitch containing ample width for cross-fall-line maneuvers. This approach helps alleviate anxiety about having to ride all the way to the top and then worrying about how to get down.

The next experience is crucial to the success of your students. Students must now slide across the hill on their skis in a traverse and learn to stop. First, they will walk/shuffle/slide directly across the slope, turn around, and return. When your students are comfortable with this, you can add a stepping motion. They slide across the slope and simultaneously (and gently) step up the hill, building on the sidestepping uphill movement they practiced earlier without skis on. This resembles walking around a comer in an uphill direction. Note that stepping up the hill should tip the downhill ski onto its uphill (or inside) edge. The uphill ski contacts the hill with its uphill (or outside) edge. Because the student is sliding with pressure down the hill to its base, it's a good time sure on the inside edge of the downhill ski, to have them practice skating to reinforce the short skis will tend to turn (carve) up the movement patterns they've just the hill (photos 1-4 below). Continue this exercise in a shallow traverse until your students discover that their skis are turning.

You might note that a hip-width, open stance allows better balance and easier tipping of the ski onto an edge (photo 5 at right). Learning to stop immediately by turning up the hill and skiing across the hill rather than straight down it can alleviate students' anxiety. As students gain confidence, they may - choose to increase the angle of traverse downhill and assert a stronger turn uphill to stop. Instructors should encourage subtle lateral movement to allow the skis to carve while stepping. Realize that students are stepping very slowly so they can feel the ski turn. Eventually they no longer have to step to turn the skis up the hill. Once the students have traversed down the hill to its base, it's a good time to have them practice skating to reinforce the movement patterns they've just learned. After some practice, put them on the lift for the first time and use the second run to continue to refine the new-found uphill open track turn to a stop. (Clearly, because each area has a different lift setup, teaching people to ride the lift is area specific.)

Maintaining the open stance of the previous exercise, have students practice moving in both directions to create an increasingly steep traverse on their approach to the fall line. Because this can be a challenge, take the time necessary to help build the students' confidence in their turning and stopping skills. Some students may choose to start to cross the fall line and can share their findings with the group. If not, a little follow-the-leader back and forth across the hill will often do the trick. This is a great time to use the 1,000 Steps exercise (in which you use successive, quick stepping movements to create turns), stepping them down the hill. Remember to choose terrain that is appropriate to students so they won't be intimidated by the pitch.

As the students refine their stepping movements and begin to make the transition into tipping movements, it's important to encourage them to allow their, skis to move through an arc. At this point, you can try to get your students to tip the inside foot in an attempt to draw the outside foot onto an edge--which is basically the same thing instructors teach students in a parallel breakthrough lesson. The ultimate objective of the first lesson is to link turns. Here are a few directions to help students achieve linked turns:

aTip the boots in the direction desired.
aPoint the inside leg, knee, toe, and/or ski in the direction desired.
aUse the long leg, short leg ("bike pedal" movements).

In addition to these suggestions, you can experiment with other metaphors for movement to see what works best for the individual. Okay, now back to the issue of the missing wedge. Again, this maneuver is made conspicuous by its absence. Because the short shaped ski allows an open-track parallel turn at very slow speeds, at Jiminy we find that spending time teaching students to learn braking wedge and wedge turns (only to struggle to unlearn them later) is unnecessary. One of the primary advantages of short shapes is that guests can learn that turn shape is a brake in their very first lesson. In the past, beginners and most intermediates depended on the wedge as a crutch for speed control. This resulted in a plateau, blocking further skill development, thereby frustrating students. The braking wedge and wedge-to-a-stop promoted heel pushing and a rearward-biased stance, especially on other-than-gentle terrain. How wonderful it is to avoid these roadblocks to advancement!

Further, because of the short shaped skis' performance characteristics, you will probably find that focusing on edge/pressure movements is sufficient for the first lesson, and that you don't need to focus on rotary skills. Students use rotary naturally when stepping up the hill, and also when they point their inside knee, foot, or toe in the direction of the new turn. In this respect you're introducing the concept to them but on a very subtle level. Rotary skills are among the most difficult to acquire properly, and edge/pressure movements seem to be more natural for students at this stage.

Finally, if your slope doesn't have this particular slope configuration and lift access, don't dismiss this approach. Again, either talk to snowmaking and grooming about creating the right terrain for you, or just give it a shot on the terrain you have. At Jiminy, we found that it was still effective to teach these techniques on steeper terrain.

Conclusion

Despite the focus of this article, realize that short shapes aren't just for beginners. The fact is, not all short shaped skis are alike. They range from designs for the entry-level skier to high-performance carving models for the experienced snowslider. As an instructor, you need to know the correct tool for the job at hand, and you need to make sure the student is using it. So go ski. Go play. Go have fun. Above all, stay hooked up with equipment innovations like these, so you can help your students do the same!

John Root has been teaching since 1962 and has been a Level III instructor since 1964. He is the GLM (guaranteed learning method) supervisor and staff trainer at Jiminy Peak, where he has worked since 1983. Root and his wife, Edith (a Level II instructor and the supervisor of the Women's Program at Jiminy), live on their horse farm in Old Chatham, New York.