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Reprints From The Professional Skier

Spring 1997 - "Shaped Skis: The New Ski Of Choice For Kids?" by Pam Melone

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

The excitement of using shaped skis is catching on among children and the ranks of children's ski instructors. My colleagues and I at Vail are seeing a larger number of children showing up on shaped skis and have witnessed dramatic results in their skiing everything from increased confidence to a quicker learning rate - compared with their peers on conventional skis.

Mom and Dad are pleased with their children's skiing progress, and the kids are enjoying their ski holiday more. While equipment options are a bit limited for our youngest students, shaped skis for children as young as three years old will be available next season. With more and more manufacturers producing shaped skis in smaller sizes, we will likely see the same effects on children's skiing as we have with adults, namely improved turning ability in different conditions and a newfound ability to perform a carved turn at relatively slow speeds. In the simplest of terms, shaped skis can be an excellent tool for helping students gain awareness of new sensations. Of course, a child's ability to achieve these results can depend on his or her level of development, skill acquisition, or the size of the sidecut in the ski.

Since shaped skis are a new option for children, you might need to -go back to school" yourself to discover how your students will learn on skis with deeper sidecuts. This article serves as a quick primer on kids and shaped skis. Keep in mind, however, that shaped skis are no substitute for a solid grounding in the fundamentals of skiing. Regardless of what skis they have on their feet, children need lessons that teach them the basics.

When children ski on shaped skis, none of the basic skills disappear from the skill blend. Children continue to use pivoting, skidding, and steering in their turns while also exploring edging movements. It is still important to teach children appropriate movements of the lower extremities to allow them to feel the skis' edging powers.

Immature movement patterns are still possible on shaped skis. In other words, proper movement patterns will not magically result from putting a child on a pair of shaped skis. It's just as important to promote a solid blend of skills for the child on shaped equipment as it is for the child on traditional skis.

A wide stance-feet at hip width (or more) apart-is conducive to skiing on shaped skis because it allows children to tip the skis more easily onto a greater edge angle. While skiing on a shaped ski, younger children-approximatcly 3 to 6 years old-may not have to adjust, their stance too much because they already use a wider stance to accommodate their lack of strength and provide a send base of support.

At this age, children have not yet refined their motor skills and they have relatively little muscle strength. Therefore, you may see them brace a straight leg against the outside ski and use their hip to initiate edge angle and keep the skis on edge. By taking this two-footed approach (as opposed to one with definite weight transfer to the outside ski) they are using their skeletal structure for strength to ride the outside ski. The sidecut of the shaped ski allows them to leave a fairly clean arc in the snow, which, in turn, promotes turn shape and speed control. This is a new sensation for most children, who may not have been able to carve with a traditional ski before.

As children mature, they gain strength and coordination. You will recall from the CAP model (which addresses cognitive, affective, and physical development) that older children-approximately 7 to 12 years old-have developed more muscle strength, coordination, and cross-lateral movements. It is still important, however, for them to stand with their feet at hip width or wider to allow the skis to tip onto a greater edge angle.

In addition, these older children should still work two-footed but allow the inside ski to become more active by steering it throughout the turn. By being two-footed and having a wide stance, children are in a better position to make an easy transition from side to side. The shape of the ski, in turn, helps the skier steer the skis throughout the turn. Simply put, even though the outside ski is the principal ski in every turn, the inside ski becomes more active-and the sidecut of the shaped ski helps this occur. With shaped skis making inroads into children's lessons this season, my colleagues and I have formulated the following general observations and teaching tips. Keep in mind, however, that these observations are not definitive-it may be too early to offer any concrete statements at this time.

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Shaped skis allow children to perform the skiing movements involved in a carved turn at slower speeds than with conventional skis. This magnifies the impact of sensations (such as feeling the ski come around in a turn), which allows these young skiers to gain stability and speed control more quickly. This, in turn, helps them gain confidence in their skiing sooner. To promote these sensations, try edge locks, in which the child makes an exaggerated move to produce an extreme edge angle. from a gliding wedge position, have the child tip one ski on its inside edge and move in the direction it tracks. The child should then release that edge and increase the edge angle of the other ski on its inside edge. A ski with a deep sidecut will leave a noticeable arc in the snow.

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Children may achieve or refine parallel skiing mote quickly than they would on conventional skis. The shape of the ski may make it easier for the child to turn both skis. To encourage this achievement, help the child ski a fan progression in which he or she performs uphill christies across the fall line, gradually working into the fall line.

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With a wider tip and tail, shaped skis tend to float more in powder and crud and turn more easily for children. Because of this, instructors can help children with shaped skis explore a wider variety of terrain and snow conditions. To demonstrate this new accessibility, have your students do a "porpoise drill," in which they traverse over the new terrain by using small hops to make their skis "porpoise" (sink, rise, sink). As student skill progresses, have them bring the "porpoises" into the fall line with a small hop for each turn.

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The instructor can easily see the child's movements from tam to turn. And from the child's perspective, desired movements are generally easier to see, which helps children imitate them more readily and, therefore, learn at a faster rate. To take advantage of this, incorporate a "follow-the-leader" drill into the lesson. Since children tend to imitate what they see, be sure to make accurate movements in order to produce the desired outcomes.

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Beginners may progress faster due to the shape of the skis. With too deep of a sidecut, however, children may find it difficult to hold the skis in a wedge, especially a braking wedge. Therefore it may be necessary to alter your lesson plan to work out of the fall line and do wedge wiggles in which the children perform small wedge turns on flat terrain in and out of the fall fine (or back and forth across the fall line). With a ski that does not have as large of a sidecut, you still may need to alter your lesson, depending on the physical strength of the child.

g

Skills acquired on shaped skis will transfer to conventional skis. The different sensations that can be discovered on the shaped ski will help reinforce movement patterns that, in turn, can be transferred to any type of ski. To explore as many of these transferable patterns as possible, use the mountain as a playground. Help your students go out and explore a variety of terrain and snow conditions.

More than likely, the same snowball effect that has characterized the shaped-ski phenomenon among adult skiers will apply to children. The results will be dramatic, but children's instructors need to be aware of a few key points.

Because our students may progress quickly, we must guard against moving students onto more difficult terrain too soon. This holds true, whether the child is on a shaped or traditional ski, for safety reasons and for the child's own skill development. The quality of the child's turn shapes doesn't necessarily reflect his or her overall skill level. just because a child may be able to perform a parallel turn more quickly on shaped skis than on conventional skis does not mean that he or she has mastered all the movement patterns that usually precede an ability to make parallel turns. It is very important to spend time exploring a variety of exercises and games-the same exercises and games you would use with children on conventional skis-on terrain that is within the child's comfort zone. Spend time on flatter terrain, which will help children acquire the skills they need to attain upper skiing levels. Provide the mileage and lateral learning that is necessary to reinforce positive movement patterns.

Although the shaped ski may perform differently than the conventional ski, the way we teach and the need to develop children's skills are still the same. And lastly, the outcomes are still the same-to help children have fun and enjoy the sport of skiing.

Pam Melone is a certified Level III instructor and trainer at Vail in Colorado. She is chairperson of the PSIA-RM Children's Education Committee and is also a children's clinic leader for PSIA-RM.

g	Shaped skis allow children to perform the skiing movements involved in a carved turn at slower speeds than with conventional skis. This magnifies the impact of sensations (such as feeling the ski come around in a turn), which allows these young skiers to gain stability and speed control more quickly. This, in turn, helps them gain confidence in their skiing sooner. To promote these sensations, try edge locks, in which the child makes an exaggerated move to produce an extreme edge angle. from a gliding wedge position, have the child tip one ski on its inside edge and move in the direction it tracks. The child should then release that edge and increase the edge angle of the other ski on its inside edge. A ski with a deep sidecut will leave a noticeable arc in the snow.
g	Children may achieve or refine parallel skiing mote quickly than they would on conventional skis. The shape of the ski may make it easier for the child to turn both skis. To encourage this achievement, help the child ski a fan progression in which he or she performs uphill christies across the fall line, gradually working into the fall line.
g	With a wider tip and tail, shaped skis tend to float more in powder and crud and turn more easily for children. Because of this, instructors can help children with shaped skis explore a wider variety of terrain and snow conditions. To demonstrate this new accessibility, have your students do a "porpoise drill," in which they traverse over the new terrain by using small hops to make their skis "porpoise" (sink, rise, sink). As student skill progresses, have them bring the "porpoises" into the fall line with a small hop for each turn.
g	The instructor can easily see the child's movements from tam to turn. And from the child's perspective, desired movements are generally easier to see, which helps children imitate them more readily and, therefore, learn at a faster rate. To take advantage of this, incorporate a "follow-the-leader" drill into the lesson. Since children tend to imitate what they see, be sure to make accurate movements in order to produce the desired outcomes.
g	Beginners may progress faster due to the shape of the skis. With too deep of a sidecut, however, children may find it difficult to hold the skis in a wedge, especially a braking wedge. Therefore it may be necessary to alter your lesson plan to work out of the fall line and do wedge wiggles in which the children perform small wedge turns on flat terrain in and out of the fall fine (or back and forth across the fall line). With a ski that does not have as large of a sidecut, you still may need to alter your lesson, depending on the physical strength of the child.
g	Skills acquired on shaped skis will transfer to conventional skis. The different sensations that can be discovered on the shaped ski will help reinforce movement patterns that, in turn, can be transferred to any type of ski. To explore as many of these transferable patterns as possible, use the mountain as a playground. Help your students go out and explore a variety of terrain and snow conditions.