Alternate, Short Phantom Turns

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Your lesson, "Alternate, Short Phantom Turns", will help you learn to make short turns using low-effort, simple movements. Effective short turns - those with balance on one stance ski and engagement of the stance ski early and throughout the arc of the turn - are the gateway to advanced skiing. Not only are they useful on narrow or crowded trails, short turns are the key to success in bumps, ungroomed, and steeps.
Short turns are a matter of quickening the pace of your movements, while maintaining their accuracy. If you resort to twisting, steering, or pushing the tail of the stance ski, you might make one or two short turns but your skis won’t hold, you’ll pick up speed, and you’ll be in trouble. Instead, stick to the Primary Movements Teaching System™ methods and gradually pick up the pace.

Preliminary
If you have trouble with this lesson, start with exercises GB-6 and GB-7 in our book, Primary Movements Teaching System™ Instructor Manual.

In Brief
Start on very gentle terrain, so you can work on the timing of your movements and turns without picking up too much speed. Aim both skis straight downhill with your feet close together. As you start sliding, lighten one foot and quickly tip it toward the little-toe edge so that edge just brushes against the snow. Immediately, set that foot back onto the snow and balance on its little-toe edge. Simultaneously, lighten and tip the other foot in the opposite direction. As soon as it is tipped over, balance on its little-toe edge and lighten the first foot. The stance ski remains passive through the turn. Avoid the urge to twist, edge, or push on the stance ski, since any of these actions will prevent engagement of the stance ski. Keeping the feet close together will facilitate the quick balance transfers that are required.
When you can link at least ten turns with clean balance transfers, consistent speed, and consistent turn size, go to slightly steeper terrain. Use the same movements to link short turns on the steeper terrain. You’ll need to tip the free ski far toward the little-toe edge to maintain speed control on steeper terrain.

Details

• The lightening and tipping of the new free foot is quick, aggressive, and complete. Your effort should be to lift the arch of the free foot completely off the snow. This will combine the lightening with the amount of tipping required.
• The faster you tip the free foot, the faster the stance ski will turn, and the sooner you’ll need to transfer balance to go the opposite direction. Keep your feet close so you can transfer balance from foot to foot.
• For a brief moment between turns, feel an effort to aim the bases of the skis at each other. This ensures that you have established balance on the little-toe edge of the new stance ski, and that you start your turn by releasing and tipping the free foot.
  

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