Inclination: Building up big angles. Published in BASI NEWS edition 59: Copywright David Morris

Inclination means big angles. Big angles mean using the hip and whole body to get the maximum out of the skis sidecut. Modern equipment allows us to use skis, perform turns and employ techniques in such a way that was not imaginable in past decades.

In talking with people over the course of the season there seems to be a little confusion over where inclination fits into carving performances. I think there’s a simple way to explain this and make the subject clear and it will hopefully help us when teaching skiing or thinking about our own technique.

Inclination: Good and bad interpretations

Often when people hear someone talking about inclination, there are lots of negative ideas that get expressed.

Isn’t it just ‘banking’?
Won’t you just fall inside?

The answer to both of these above questions is ‘yes’- if you do it badly. There is a great difference between ‘banking’ with all its clumsy connotations and skilful inclination.

My interpretation of banking often starts with a skier who is tall at the top of the turn and has used up all his vertical [stretching] movement before really entering the new turn. This means that between the start of the turn and the fall line he will increase the angle on his skis in a very ‘passive’ way. The first half of the turn will be more of a ‘topple’ than a well built up turn.

A more skilful build up of the angle to an inclined position in the fall line starts with a skier with flexed legs at the top of the turn. More specifically, there must be some flex left in his uphill/new ski leg as he rolls onto his new edges and enters the new turn. This means that any subsequent angle increase can be done with a stretching of the outside leg between the turn initiation and the fall line [middle of the turn]. This is a much more ‘active’ way to build up an edge angle. Typically, people refer to this as reducing the vertical movement but it is just putting it in the right place.



To incline skilfully and build up a big angle, the start of the turn needs to be initiated carefully. Particularly important is having some flex in the upper leg to help you feel the start of the turn through stretching as the angle increases.

The differences between the two are vast. The second method allows the skier

• More ‘feel’ in the first half of the turn. More kinaesthetic awareness as more ‘messages’ are being sent to the brain and so better lateral balance at big angles.
• More ability to control the build up into an inclined position as a flexed position at the start allows gradual sequencing of lateral movements.
• Better fore/aft balance as the hip and centre of mass advance better.
• A strong outside ski/point of contact which means more constant and smooth pressure control.

The disadvantages of clumsy inclination or banking are also numerous.


• No ‘feel’ in the first half of the turn and so much less kinaesthetic awareness.
• Less ‘feel’ often means less balance as angles increase.
• Limited vertical or stretching movement in first half of turn increases the likelihood of skiing in a retreated ‘back’ position as less advancement of hip and COM.
• A light, floating outside foot that often means less success in building up the angle skilfully [likelihood of falling inside] and inferior pressure control.


Here we see again how the skier keep his hips from rising to high, limiting the vertical movement between turns. This allows the stretching movement to be part of the new turn as the angle increases.

The reasons for inclination are simple. Using full or nearly full body lean allows maximum sidecut angle and so maximum steering capacity of the ski. The skeleton also stays aligned and so in maximum strength. In many ways, both these reasons only become an issue to competitors of a certain level in certain situations. However, they are also highly relevant to efficient carved turns even for mere mortals.

Getting the most out of the sidecut of the ski is what I spend a lot of time trying to get athletes, eurotest candidates and BASI course members alike to do. Encouraging people to build big angles means shorter turning time and maximum straight running time. It also means we are testing and improving our balance through using the hips and beyond to move far into the turn. Often I see skiers so keen to ‘separate’ that they build nothing into their turn and click into a static, frozen pose when carving. The lateral movements of the body should increase and decrease fluidly throughout the duration. Keeping the body in ‘maximum strength’ – the other advantage of inclination - often means as little as moving efficiently with the centre of the skis without getting twisted or collapsed.


Getting the most out of the sidecut of your skis means using the hips and above well.

Separation?
Inclination is not exclusive of separation. It is not a choice of one or the other. Often an inclined position by mid turn is combined with separation to balance and exit the latter stages of the turn. Often the balance of the two depends on the physical make up of the skier; taller, longer limbed skiers often need to separate more. Sometimes, skiers will incline throughout the whole arc: Accurate dosing of the inclination and enough speed will allow the ‘forces’ in the turn to ‘straighten up’ the skier and complete the arc. Often, skilful inclination can be seen by the quickness that the skier ‘straightens up’ as opposed to staying laid out. It is however, the accuracy of the input that gets a skilful result. Neither artificial separation that stifles fluidity and limits sidecut use or clumsy banking are signs of skilful skiing. It is having the ability to incline or separate well and in the appropriate situation that makes a good performance.

Separation has been around since downhill skiing began and so has inclination. We must, as ski professionals, strive to understand the real reasons behind all the labels. As long as skiing is about a body, a hill and two slippy planks nothing will change the physics behind skiing. Inclination and separation are used by all good skiers. It is, as always, our capacity to use them well that is the sign of a skilful skier.

Dave Morris
BASI Trainer
www.podiumski.com

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On this page, I'll highlight some areas of importance that it may be worth considering with your training. They will touch upon subjects that we can cover in more depth on courses or over the email. Feel free to email Podium for any further information.

 

 

Factor in fatigue!

When planning your autumn training bear in mind that glacier training is tiring for the body. Often you are very tired on day 3 of the first week and then you acclimatise afterwards. However, training without sufficient rest days factored in can make you feel your skiing is deteriorating rather than peaking. There are many things that can counter these effects such as hydration, stretching and sufficient rest [that is why we train/rest to a ratio of 5:2] but at the same time be wary of planning six weeks of solid training without advice.

Periodising your training

Anyone training intelligently for a sporting/athletic goal will tell you of the importance of periodising your training. In any one camp, or training period, there is only so much benefit that you can reap before fatigue or a 'staleness' sets in. Periodising your training can become a complex issue but the principles of it are simple and will make a difference to your training.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking 6 consecutive weeks in the autumn is the same as e.g.

2wk train in summer / 1 wk break / 1 wk summer train :

2 wk autumn train / 1 wk break / 1 wk autumn train :

The rest and recuperation help physically as well as the refocussing time mentally. This helps you to make the most out of your training on the hill. Also, in this way, you can have clearly defined macro & microcycles aimed at one particular target. e.g.

basic technical improvement / speed work & gliding / race practice /steep terrain

Periodising your on hill training over the year can have excellent results. Speak to Dave for fore advice on how to do this. The same principles apply to mental & physical training.

 

Which skis?

Choosing your skis is one important thing and then preparing them regularly is another. It is too complex and individual an issue to give general advice but for the Eurotest most males uses a women's GS ski of circa 185cm [180cm -185cm] and women are circa 175cm. Many people are torn between a shorter turnier ski and a straighter, longer ski. This will depend on technical level and strength amongst other things. If you are new to the training and estimate a couple of years training or more, it may be worth using a ski with a bigger sidecut to begin with such as a race carver.

Feel free to contact Dave to discuss a ski that may be good for you and I may be able to find you a good deal through various contacts.

 

Physical preparation.

Physical preparation is a massively important part of performance skiing. The ISTD exams and Eurotest are just at the entry to performance skiing but nevertheless, looking hard at your physical capacities may make the difference to you. The physical factor will play a differing role in every individual's success or failure but if you know that you could improve your fitness, your strength, power, coordination or balance...then it can only make a positive difference.

Climbing up Alpe d'Huez 08 on summer camp

Preparing for the winter ski season starts in the summer and good physical prep will make a telling difference to your performances on skis. You can plan to train all sorts of relevant areas for skiing and Dave will help you with a programme if you need.

Get the free ski technique.

Carving is one thing - and it's relatively easy to carve in some form or other with today's equipment - but carving with a high degree of accuracy is what is needed if you want to direct your skis well. For a start you need to be central all the time. Look in pic one how the skier maintains a neutral stance, a strong balanced starting point upon which to initiate the turn.

Lateral balance needs to be optimum as you build up the turn. Particularly in the first half of the turn, the skier needs to be balanced laterally against the outside foot and still centred fore & aft. Active movement to find and feel a centred and solid platform with the right leg is the important movement in this stage of the turn. Notice that the upper body stays naturally more upright as it is the legs that are being active first with the upper body staying balanced to get the 'platform'.

In the third shot, the skier needs to maintain balance against the right foot at the point when the ski is reaching its maximum angle. Maintaining or increasing separation against the outside ski will allow this to happen and will avoid falling to the inside accidently [often shown by increase in stance width.] This will maintain the outside ski steering to completion of the turn.

From the fall line the ski will close the turn quickly with the combination of sidecut used and the continuous centred position of the skier. The speed of the direction change of the ski will be faster than that of the body. This is shown when you look at the direction of the ski tips and compare it to the direction of the skiers sternum. This leaves the skier in the right place to exit the turn and fluidly link into the next.

Using the sidecut well is how we steer and tighten the radius of a carved turn. More ambitious use of the sidecut in modern ski racing shows racers using the body to come further and further inside. Many people find knowing when to separate and when to incline somewhat of grey area. The following article helps to clear some of that up.

Skilful use of the side cut: Inclination and separation [click]