Janis Williams
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So I said there are 2 portions of turn shape you can control... the last post was about the radius. I think we were all agreed that larger radius = faster turn and shorter radius = slower turn. Higher edge angle = tighter radius = slower turn.
Onto the second part of that. What we like to call the degree of turn.
It is all about how much we "finish the turn" as ski instructors like to say. Silly words because when I stop turning I've finished - even if I'm pointing straight down the fall line!
Back to it. So I can chose to stop turning soon after I turn out of the fall line, or to continue on until I'm facing across the hill (at 90 degrees to the fall line) or even until I'm facing uphill.
https://www.yourskicoach.com/glossary/SkiGlossary/Degree_of_Turn.html
As I said earlier the fastest way to ski in straight downhill in a tuck. This is beacuse gravity acclerates us more when we are pointing skis down hill. If I really want to slow down when I'm carving a way to do it is to have my skis point uphill at the end of my turn. Then gravity is working against me for part of the turn and I slow down.
If I do this 120 degree of turn my ride will be a little like a rollercoaster - I'll accelerate while in the fall line and slow down a lot as I turn back uphill. Make large radius turns like this - even steered ones and you will soon discover you can go faster in one bit of the turn but not so fast in "down the hill to lift" terms of reference.
Onto the second part of that. What we like to call the degree of turn.
It is all about how much we "finish the turn" as ski instructors like to say. Silly words because when I stop turning I've finished - even if I'm pointing straight down the fall line!
Back to it. So I can chose to stop turning soon after I turn out of the fall line, or to continue on until I'm facing across the hill (at 90 degrees to the fall line) or even until I'm facing uphill.
https://www.yourskicoach.com/glossary/SkiGlossary/Degree_of_Turn.html
As I said earlier the fastest way to ski in straight downhill in a tuck. This is beacuse gravity acclerates us more when we are pointing skis down hill. If I really want to slow down when I'm carving a way to do it is to have my skis point uphill at the end of my turn. Then gravity is working against me for part of the turn and I slow down.
If I do this 120 degree of turn my ride will be a little like a rollercoaster - I'll accelerate while in the fall line and slow down a lot as I turn back uphill. Make large radius turns like this - even steered ones and you will soon discover you can go faster in one bit of the turn but not so fast in "down the hill to lift" terms of reference.