Stepping the Tips out of the Fall Line

Your lesson, "stepping the tips out of the fall line" will help you to change direction on your skis, to slow yourself down without a wedge, and will develop your ability to transfer balance from one foot to the other.

An important concept before beginning is the direction of your skis on the hill. The fall line is the steepest path downhill. If you aim your skis straight downhill, into the fall line, you will accelerate most rapidly. If you aim your skis across the hill (toward the side of the trail, not downhill), you will not slide. A shallow angle on the slope means that your skis are aimed mostly across the hill, and only slightly downhill. You’ll start sliding, but not very fast. A steep angle means that your skis are aimed almost straight downhill, so you’ll slide quickly.
Although you will be standing on one ski for only a short time as you step, it is long enough for the ski to react to the pressure developed on it. Shaped skis will often turn while you are stepping from foot to foot. This lesson may be your first experience riding on a turning ski. If the ski doesn’t turn for you, don’t worry - conditions may not be just right yet. Turning conditions depend on the kind of ski, speed, grade of slope, and type of snow.

Preliminary
If you have trouble stepping your skis, start with exercises 2.6 and 2.7A in our book, Anyone can be an Expert Skier.

In Brief
On a very gentle hill (perhaps at the bottom of a ski run), aim your skis at a slight angle down the slope. Allow your skis to slide across the slope. As soon as you start sliding, step uphill a few inches with the uphill foot. Move the ski tip more than the tail. Set that foot down on its little-toe edge. Balance on the uphill foot, then step the downhill foot next to the uphill foot. Continue stepping in this alternating manner until the skis come to a stop. Frequent, tiny steps yield success. Avoid large steps which are unbalancing.
Try the stepping in both directions. When you are confident stepping to a stop, aim your skis more steeply down the hill to begin.

Details
Fig. a. From a stable, balanced stance on both feet, start a straight run across the hill.
Fig. b. Depending on the terrain, you can start to step the uphill foot (here, the right) almost immediately after you begin moving. The ski tips will open slightly when you move the tip further than the tail.
Fig. b-c. Step onto the little-toe edge of the uphill ski, and balance on it.
Fig. c. Balancing on the uphill foot, step the downhill foot up to bring the skis parallel.
Fig. d. Step the uphill foot up again; balance on it and bring the downhill ski to parallel. Use smaller and frequent steps to yield positive results.

Summary
Use a lot of tiny steps to get the most direction change in the smallest distance. The result of the stepping is often an engagement of the shaped skis. If the downhill ski starts turning on its own in the direction you are stepping (in this case to the right), enjoy the ride. As the skis turn you will slow down. The movement focus is on the feet; the upper body stays very still. If you need the poles for balancing aids, you can drag them or hold them lifted at your side as demonstrated in the photos.

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