This video addresses a common barrier preventing intermediate skiers from achieving high-performance carving: the habit of extending the body upward during the transition between turns. The central argument is that to achieve high edge angles, lightning-fast transitions, and tight turns like World Cup racers, skiers must reverse their instinctive movement patterns.

The Central Problem: The Upward Extension

Many skiers, including experienced racers, suffer from an ingrained pattern of extending up at the edge change (up-unweighting) to pivot into the next turn. This is often reinforced by old coaching cues regarding an "athletic centered stance." While valid in some contexts, extending upward during the transition in high-performance carving kills speed and delays edge engagement.

The Solution: Flex to Release

Instead of standing tall, high-level carving requires flexing through the transition. The speaker emphasizes that World Cup racers do not stand straight up between gates; they retract their legs to release pressure.

• The Old Pattern: Extend into transition, flex throughout the turn.
• The High-Performance Pattern: Flex (retract legs) at transition, extend legs into the turn.

The Optical Illusion of Height

The video clarifies a common misconception: while racers may appear to go "up" during a transition, this is due to the center of mass traveling over the skis and the mechanics of the legs vaulting from side to side. While their center of mass rises, their legs are actually flexing/retracting, not extending, to facilitate a quick switch of edges.

Practical Drill: Reversing the Movement

To fix the extension habit, the video prescribes a specific drill performed on an easy groomer:

1. Start: Ski across the slope in an extended position.
2. Transition: Flex down deeply (dropping into a low "toilet seat" position) to release the current edges.
3. Engagement: Roll skis onto the new edges while still low.
4. Turn: Extend the legs diagonally/laterally into the turn (pushing yourself toward the next gate) to generate pressure.

Conclusion

By mastering the "flex to release" technique, skiers can achieve earlier pressure in the turn, maintain an undisrupted flow of their center of mass down the slope, and carve significantly tighter, cleaner turns.

Mentoring question

When you visualize your transition between turns, do you instinctively lift your body upward to unweight the skis, or do you actively retract your legs to stay low and switch edges faster?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=gTvcFiIy_74&is=oJLncgD5zl61hkzM