XC Skiing: Teaching Cue for Downhill Cross-Country Ski Turns

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

A key when using the snowplow to make downhill turns is to point the knees in the direction of the turn. Students can make even better turns by keeping their knees apart as they point their knees. This keeps the skis flat instead of riding on their edges, which in a snowplow will slow or even stop the skier.

Teaching Cue
A good teaching cue for snowplow turns is for students to pretend there's a basketball between their knees and to point the ball in the direction they wish to turn. This keeps the knees apart for flat skis and will automatically weight the skis to produce effective turns.

References:
1. Bridget Doos & Anne Rykken, Teaching Cross-Country Skiing, Human Kinetics, 2011.
2. Laurie Gullion, Nordic Skiing: Steps to Success, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1993.

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