Gliding over the winter landscape on cross-country skis is great fun and great exercise. But sooner or later your path will take you up a slope, sometimes steep, and then things can get scary.
The best way to handle such drops is to use a technique called half snowplow in which your skis are placed in a wedge shape.
To learn it, you need a stretch of grooved track that slopes gently downward. It is important that the grade reaches flat ground, so that you can stop safely even if you do nothing to slow down.
Equipped with such an earring, he divides the technique into the following six elements. Then work through them one by one. Repeat each element several times until you feel confident.
1 Slide down the track
Get into a position where your knees are slightly bent, your shoulders relaxed, and your hands slightly in front.
Hold this basic position and just slide down the hill. Keep your skis in the grooves of the piste.
2 Shift your weight onto your right foot
Start down the slope in your basic position, and then gradually shift most of your weight onto your right foot. Your right foot, knee, hip, and shoulder should be vertically aligned.
Then, holding this new position, slide down the hill.
3 Lift the left ski out of the snow
When you’re happy with the position of the right weight, it’s time to start lifting the left ski briefly off your piste.
Practice lifting and lowering the ski as you glide down the slope. Keep your weight on the straight ski at all times. Repeat several times, lifting the left ski longer each time.
4 Shoe your left ski
Maintaining the position of the right weight, lift the left ski as just described. But now he place it on the snow in the form of a wedge, placing it to the left of the grooves of the track. His right ski is still pointing forward on his track. His ski tips will be close together.
At this stage, don’t worry about the width of the wedge. As long as the tails of the skis are further apart than the tips of the skis, you are making progress.
Now put the left ski back on its track.
Go down your slope several times repeating the sequence: Elevator; cradle; replace on track.
5 Gradually shift your weight to the left ski
Now, when you have locked in the left ski, move some of your body weight onto it. Do this gently and gradually. Feel your upper body moving from your right weight position through a core position and gradually to a left weight position.
Try it a few times. You may feel the wedge widen as your weight changes.
6 Gradually bring the left ski to its inside edge.
This last element requires a gentle touch.
Now, when you have stalled and weighted the left ski, force the inside edge down into the snow. To do this, gently push down on the big toe side of your left foot.
You should stop!
