Edge hops
Pub
This is a great tipping exercise, to get a feel for a clean switching of the edges, edge engagement, carving and overall building balance and range of movement. You can't do an edge hop if the skis are not engaged well and also on the landing side, you won't land in a "pizza"... so it's a good pizza cure as well.
On a green run (progress to blue) do regular carved turns. At the end of the turn, hop off of the old edges and switch the edges in the air, landing on the other set of edges.
The hop does not have to be high, in fact the lower the better, but make sure the edges are switched in the air and make sure the skis do not pivot the skis while in the air, just tip the skis over to the new edges, maintaining the same direction.
Do this for at least 10 turns. The more, the better balance and edge feel you develop.
You can start standing still, with stationary edge hops to get a feel for it, then progress to gliding on a green, then a blue etc. The crucial aspect of the edge hops is to come out of the previous turn with a clean carved engagement, maintain stance and tip to the new edges in the air, and "land" on a clean edge as well. Start small and progress to faster and more edge performance, but focus on clean edge throughout.
This is a good example of starting out stationary to progress to clean edge changes. With these, as with most drills, paying attention to a correct execution is paramount:
Evaluate the following aspects of your execution against the examples above:
- parallel shins throughout
- landing on the new set of edges in balance
- separation and upper body counter-balancing to allow lower body edge angles
See
Sessions:
Drills:
By: Razie | 2015-12-15 .. 2024-01-26 | Tags: drill , tipping , balance , improve-skiing , green , blue
"Rolling the ankles" in Edge Hops is incorrect. Ankle motion is limited to dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. The ankle moves only in one plane. Inversion-eversion moves are related to supination and pronation of the FOOT, NOT the ANKLE joint. This is a common error in ski teaching historically and must be corrected.
Thank you for the correction, Kim. I've updated several topics with those notes, but missed this one.
cheers
