Proper Posture on Skis

A tax strategist by profession, Bruce A. Willey serves with American Tax Law Planning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In his free time, Bruce A. Willey of Iowa is an avid outdoorsman and an enthusiastic snow skier.

Correct posture and positioning play a vital role in a skier's ability to turn correctly. A skier has the most control when he or she approaches a turn with bent knees and a slightly forward lean, so that the chest is directly over the toes. The weight should stay fully over the feet, which a skier can feel as the shins pressing into the front of the boot.

The skier should maintain this basic stance throughout the turn. The upper body should remain vertical and not twisted to face the side of the slope. Instead, the skier should keep the chin up and the eyes facing downhill, so that the body naturally remains in the diagonally downward direction of travel.

Correct use of the poles can help the skier to initiate this turning posture. The pole should be planted firmly in the snow near the tip of the ski at the beginning of the turn. Keeping the legs in a crouched stance, the skier shifts the weight slightly so that the edge of the newly uphill ski digs into the snow and helps to guide the skier around.