Skiing Switch Help

nikoosh

nikoosh

Member
Yo NS,

I'm looking to progress on my switch skiing this season and I would like some advice.

As of now, I can ski switch decently on slight downhills but I can't tackle any real hills switch. Also my only means of slowing down switch is sort if switch pizza-ing, insteas of carves like when I'm skiing regular.

So any tips on what made you feel more comfortable skiing switch and on anything I can do to make my switch skiing better would be great.

Thanks!
 
Instead of pizza'ing, turn your skis in the direction your head is, like a switch hockey stop.
 
while this threads here i guess ill ask something toohow come every time i try to carve switch i just skid around back to forward it grinds my gears
 
the answer to switch skiing problems is...... ski switch more. if you know how to make a good turn going forward, you understand edge control and where your weight should be, and so all you gotta do is put your time in to get those turns in going backwards
 
I'm also not very good at skiing switch, so I understand where you're coming from OP. I think I will just start skiing switch more often, like what the others have said.
 
try learning to carve and stop, look at it exactly the same as skiing normally and you'll be able to go faster as well if you want to hit jumps switch as well
 
Just get in the groove and keep doing it every run then you'll get the hang of it. Just like riding a bike
 
practice more looking over both shoulders and fully commit--just like carving forward you wanna get on that edge and let it carry you around. if you're washing out and turning around it's because you're not truly committing to that edge.

some technical advice: stagger your feet!

if you're looking over your right shoulder, make sure your right foot is downhill of your left foot; the opposite for looking over your left shoulder. The bigger the stagger, the more control and better sight you'll have.

Always have it like this--it's not like skiing forward when you (should) change your leading foot when carving to the right vs left UNLESS you switch to look over the other shoulder for every turn, which is necessary when it's steeper, in which case you would then stagger the other way.

if you're on flats and don't look over the opposite shoulder, make sure you exaggerate the stagger, especially during an 'inside' turn (looking over the right shoulder turning towards downhill skier's left). it feels weird and you're kinda locking your downhill knee, but it's the best way to stay in control cause it's usually best to not switch shoulders if it's a crowded trail.

as you gain confidence, practice looking over both shoulders as well as switching between them and 180ing back to regular both ways. then you'll have better control and transition better into hitting jumps/rails switch.
 
I had this problem for a while, you have to make sure you aren't leaning too far forward, stay centered over your boots/bindings.
 
Make sure both your feet stay straight. If, when you turn towards your backside, you end up going back straight, it's because your leading ski is turning relative to your trailing ski.
 
As just about everyone else has said keep practicing. If you are having problems with staying switch try looking over your other shoulder. I know that when I ski with or hit jumps switch i look over my left shoulder because that is the way I spin. When I ski switch I typically look over my right because that way I can keep my body more aligned and I don't feel like I am going to spin back to normal.
 
I always feel like an asshole just cruising by people who are struggling to get down the mountain when I'm going double their speed switch
 
Hi -

All of the above responses are good. Here's what I can add.

To ski switch on steeper runs, i.e.. steep blues, make sure to shorten your inside leg as you come around. Really bring that knee up and you'll come around quick, stay stable, and control your speed. You can make short individual turns that way, stopping each time your skis come fully around, until you learn to link them. That short uphill leg will make you feel much more stable just like it does when you're going forward on steeper terrain. Let the hill push your leg up so you feel like you're standing up vertical at the end of each turn with the uphill leg shortened.

Also, practice skiing switch outside the park on normal runs. Do full blues top to bottom backwards, even the steeper top faces. Skiing top to bottom switch forces you to deal with all terrain for many turns rather than just picking and choosing the easier sections. Plus, you don't have to worry about obstacles like in the park. If you really want to get comfortable, try doing occasional whole days backwards, on everything. (You can skip the blacks, bumps, and trees, but keep going through sloppy snow.) This forces you to negotiate entire mountains backwards. And ski every ski day with a large percentage switch. I do most days at least 50% backwards, usually much more including many runs top to bottom. By the end of the season, you'll really get the feel and be comfortable at pretty high speeds making smooth curves.

Oh, ski under the lift when possible. You'll ski better and get a few "Hell, Yeah's" from the lift as a reward.

Btw, when your quads are burnt from skiing forward on too many steeps, bumps, tree runs, you can still ski backwards just fine. It uses different muscles. I use this method to ski 8:30-4:00 every day without having to take rest days.
 
Just keep practicing. Usually having a distinctive lead with one ski helps. When you're first getting into it try twisting your upper body arount a bit and look over your shoulder where you want to go it'll help you initiate the turn. It also helps a ton of your bindings are center or forward mounted a bit.
 
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