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The ‘Counter - Turn’ is one of the most useful ski manoeuvres
for controlling your speed without losing your rhythm on steep
slopes and on slopes with bumps.
Recommendation: This turn is also known as a ‘J’ turn
or ‘S’ turn, since the track in the snow resembles either a
‘J’ or ‘S’. To make this turn you use your feet and ankles to
turn your skis up the hill just prior to executing a downhill
turn. Since the skis are continually turning on their edges,
this is a smooth way of controlling your speed without resorting
to hard edge-setting or sideslipping. Also, by twisting and
untwisting your skis, you make use of the torsional resistance
of the skis to aid the turn. On a bump field you can control
your speed by doing ‘counter-turns’ around the bumps, losing
your speed on the plateau before the bump and turning in the
trough around the bump. This maneuver is called a ‘counter-turn’
because the skis turn uphill, away from the turn, just before
executing the downhill turn, but it is really nothing more than
an uphill turn combined with ‘anticipation’. ‘Counter-turns’
can be made with the weight over the outside ski or over both
feet.
Ski Exercise: Counter-turns around bumps
On an intermediate slope that has some small bumps, ski toward
a bump. As you approach the bump, start to drive your skis up
the hill on the plateau just before the bump. (This is the ‘counter’
movement of the turn). As you reach the lowest part of your
flexion, turn your upper body in the direction of the downhill
turn and plant your ski pole on the top of the bump. This position
is known as ‘anticipation’. Now extend and make a downhill turn
around the bump. Try to make a large turn in the trough around
the bump. Finish your turn in a good traverse position and then
aim for another bump and make another controlled ‘counter-turn’.
Try to ski the entire slope, making slow speed ‘counter-turns’
around as many bumps as you can.
Special Tips:
1) Try to time the pole plant so that you are planting the
pole as you reach the lowest point of your flexion movement.
2) Be sure to roll your feet and ankles up the hill as
you make the ‘counter’ movement, so that the skis are well edged
and can carve into the snow rather than skid around as they
turn.
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