Extreme Skiing

Lovely corduroy cruisers are all very well, but if you're serious about your snowsports, the time will come when you want to push the boundaries and ramp up the incline. It may look near-vertical but, breathe deeply, you can do it.

Your first day on the snow, that green nursery run seemed steep. Now you've progressed, steep means double black diamond, vertigo-inducing slopes. Don't worry, it's all about confidence (and a little bit of technique).

A dizzying steep can all too easily induce a severe case of the wobbles. I'll never forget the time I was 'stranded' at the top of a particularly scary-looking black run because I froze with fear. It wasn't that I didn't have the skill or the ability to ride it, I just didn't have the confidence, and that's half of what skiing the steep stuff is all about.

As the terrain gets steeper, the more your rational mind screams 'no!', the heavier your skis or snowboard feel and the harder it is to get into your next turn. The solution? Make your riding more dynamic and aggressive.

On skis, point your planks down the fall line so you pick up some speed. Keep low and make sure your legs are acting independently. Then, turn your feet, legs and skis across the direction you are travelling (your skis will be parallel but should turn independently of one another). This will force you into a sliding, skidding motion; as the skid slows, turn your skis back down the fall line and repeat on the other side. Don't worry about edging - your skis will automatically edge when you turn them.

Of course, the quickest, and most stylish way to change direction on the steeps is to jump turn. Coming up to a jump turn, fl ex your ankles, knees and hips, feel for the outer ski, check your speed and anticipate your pole plant. As you uncoil into the jump and extend your legs, push downwards on your pole to unweight the skis. Lift the heels of the skis very slightly if the slope is very steep. While you are in the air, turn your feet and skis towards the fall line. Then land softly and start to feel for your new outer ski immediately to direct your new line.

Try to focus on extending up and forwards down the hill as you start your turn. This will 'lift' your skis so that they feel lighter and turn faster. As you make the turn, plant your pole firmly into the snow and project your hips and shoulders forwards down the hill.

Extend by pushing forwards and up from the balls of your feet, as if you're about to dive into a pool. As you keep extending, the skis will leave the snow momentarily, so that you are almost jumping to turn. As you land, steer the skis across the hill as much as you need to control your speed.

DROPPING IN

Just as jumping your turns on skis can help you tackle the blackest of blacks, so lifting your board off the snow can ease your passage down the steeps.

The drill is simple: jump to unweight your board, pivot in the air, then land on the opposite edge. Practise doing this on a more gentle incline first so that you're ready for the steeps when you hit them.

When jump turning, on one plank or two, always visualise your descent before you take the plunge. Look down the slope ahead of you and picture exactly where you're going to make your first turn and visualise how you're going to do it. As well as preparing your mind for the path you're about to take, this will also boost your confidence by 'tricking' your mind into feeling you have tackled the slope before.

Concentrate fully on your turns, building up a rhythm that forces you to make turns regularly. Attack the slope positively, not conservatively, and believe that you are the one in control. The more you think about what you're doing, the less likely you are to get psyched out by the steepness of the slope.


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