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  • There's a lot of information out there about carving.

  • These days you can buy carving skis, carving gloves, carving underpants,

  • we're going to clear up some of these misconceptions

  • and make it nice and easier for you to understand.

  • A pure carved turn is a turn where the ski is gripping and biting and the shape of the

  • ski is turning you, and this is the important bit - there is no skidding.

  • The moment you have skidding in your turn it is no longer a carved turn.

  • Skidding is important in your everyday skiing but we are going to focus just on the carving.

  • So while we're on the subject of carving, let's take a closer look at the ski.

  • The ski is thinner in the middle than it is at the top and the bottom.

  • The skis creating an hourglass shape.

  • When I put that onto the edge, it's actually going to start to bend

  • and that is what is going to take me round.

  • It's not a new idea, skis have had sidecut,

  • which is what it's called, for over a hundred years.

  • If I put the ski onto the edge,

  • you're going to notice that there's a gap here through the middle of the ski.

  • If I then put pressure and push through it,

  • you can see the ski bending and flexing and

  • it's that that's going to take you round the corner.

  • I'm on the edge and the shape of the ski is making me turn.

  • In this turn the skis are skidding, creating resistance and

  • it's not a carved turn.

  • I've found myself a nice, easy slope, all I'm going to do is start to slide across and

  • roll those knees and ankles in towards the slope.

  • It starts easy, and then I'm going to gently build it up.

  • Feet hip width apart, hands nicely in front, and from here

  • I can just gently roll the skis on, I'm not trying to turn, just feel the skis turning you.

  • It's all about trust, as I roll onto the edge the ski will turn.

  • All I've done here is come slightly higher on the slope, my skis are going to be pointing

  • more downhill, but I'm doing exactly the same thing.

  • Start to slide down, now just feel those edges biting, but don't try and do too much,

  • just let it happen smooth.

  • I'm spending more time pointing down the hill picking up speed

  • but it's the same movement.

  • I've come even further up the hill and we're going to complete a whole turn.

  • The trick is to be patient at the start. Feel the ski engage,

  • and what I mean by that is feel the edge,

  • and then just gradually build it up through the turn.

  • So I'm starting to slide in, really smooth,

  • feel the skis come round, and gently build the edge through the turn.

  • This is now a complete turn.

  • I'm on one set of edges, then roll the skis flat, feel the new edges engage and start to turn.

  • Remember. Be patient.

  • A great way to feel the skis engage is to use a gentle slope

  • and then just roll the knees and ankles from side to side.

  • It's a very subtle movement, but an effective way to feel the ski working.

  • This is a great slope just to practice rolling those knees and edges into the slope.

  • You'd probably just go straight down here, so use it for training.

  • As your feel for the ski improves, you can start to link the turns and pick up the speed.

  • A patient start to the turn will stop the ski skidding,

  • roll the edges on gently and let the skis work.

  • All the things we've looked at there will help you in your general skiing,

  • it's not just about carving. Try not to draw a massive line

  • between carving and everything else, feeling that nice, strong edge, helping you

  • come round the corner, is a general skill that you're going to use all around the mountain,

  • and as it gets steeper you're going to have to replace a percentage of that carve with

  • a skid, but make it a nice progressive, controlled skid, and even if the ski is skidding,

  • the ski is still bending and helping you go round the corner. That's carving.

There's a lot of information out there about carving.

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