Flexion

Flexion A component of the flexion/extension family of skiing skills, it refers to the flexing that occurs in various body joints.  Commonly in skiing, it happens in various amounts and combinations at the ankles, knees and waist.   Flexion results in a shortening of...

Extension

Extension A component of the flexion/extension family of skiing skills, it refers to the extension that occurs in various body joints.  Commonly in skiing, it happens in various amounts and combinations at the ankles, knees and waist.   Extension results in a...

Skid Angle

Skid Angle Skid angle of a turn refers to the difference between the way you are travelling and your skis are pointing. If I employ a large skid angle my skis are pointed more across the direction I am travelling and so I make a wider track and travel slower. A...

Carve Zone

Carve Zone Any ski has a limited range of turn shapes it can carve.  We call it the ski’s carve zone.  The radius of the circle a ski would produce if the curvature of its sidecut were projected into a full circle, represents the radius of the largest turn that...

Fall-Line

Fall-Line It’s direction a ball travels if released to roll freely downhill.  Skis pointed downhill, and placed flat on the snow, will slide straight down the fall-line.  If you’re traversing across the slope, or finishing a turn,  and roll your skis off...

Apex

Apex It’s the point at which you’ve completed half of the direction change you’ll be making over the course of an entire turn.  It can be at the same point at which your skis are pointing straight down the falline, as in the drawing above, but it...