Center of Mass

It’s the single point that represents the central average point of a skier’s body mass.  If a person’s body were completely rigid, it would be the point at which that body could be balanced on the head of a pin.  Any and all forces acting on a skier can be recognized by their individual and combined affect on the skiers Center of Mass point.  That point can be moved about the body, depending on a skier flexes and bends.

Skier standing tall with flexion at ankles and little at knees. Centre of Mass is marked in the hips. A vertical arrow from the centre of mass to skis touches under the ball of the foot and is labelled weight under front of foot.

Flexion at ankles to move centre of mass foreward

 

In skiing, a skier moves their Center of Mass through a skill called angulation.  By angulating and moving their Center of Mass, they can move or maintain their balance point however they want.  It’s how a skier determines how much weight they assign to their inside or outside ski, or to the front or back of their skis.

Phot of skier in a turn with hips to inside of turn, with knee and hip angulation moving centre of mass to outside of skiers body

Using angulation to move the Center of Mass away from the center of the body.