Inclination and Banking

Years ago the term “Inclination” was used synonymously with the term “Banking”, to refer to the act of leaning the entire body, straight like a telephone pole, into a turn to put the skis on edge.  Many coaches still use the 2 terms interchangeably, and I will too in this glossary entry.

Inclination/Banking is sometimes a useful way to put your skis on edge to make a turn, but usually it results in too much weight being directed to the inside ski.  Take note of the following photos.

In the “Stationary” photo above, you can see how gravity works on my Center of Mass. I am not in lateral balance, and if I were to remove the support of my poles, I would pummel to the ground.

In the “While Skiing” photo, centrifugal force comes into play, and allows me to remain balanced on my inside ski as I ski.  Unfortunately, centrifugal force is not strong enough move the balance point of my Center of Mass over to my outside ski, so if that is my goal, I need to do something other than Inclination/Banking.

Angulation is the tool skiers use to move their balance point towards their outside ski.  Angulation moves their Center of Mass towards their outside ski, taking their balance point with it.  See photo below. 

Click here for a more detailed explanation of angulation, in all it’s forms.