The straight plow is more than just a beginner's technique. It's also used by seasoned skiers to slow down if there's not enough space to make a braking turn. It's even used by athletes in certain circumstances:
The basic instruction is this: turn the tails of your skis out, while keeping the tips close together but not touching. It's best to keep the tips a fist width apart. Practice it first in stance:
You may do that on a bit flatter slope than in the video, but it goes easier on a slope than on a completely flat surface. When the stationary exercise goes well, go up a beginner's slope and descend, whereby you should come to a stop at the first plow (you may assume the plow posture sooner than in the video):
For even more speed control, push your knees towards eachother. That will edge the skis more. Try it a more aggressively, too: speed up - stop abruptly - speed up - stop abruptly. If you cannot stop and your technique is good, the slope is too steep, the snowdeck too hard, or your ski edges are dull. And if you're deviating from your intended line, see if you're descending along the natural fall line, which you should.
When that goes well, train your muscles further by doing the plow-schuss-plow, whereby you may continue to glide in the plow posture:
Again, try it a more aggressively, too. Then, continue to a bit steeper slope. On that slope, you'll notice that you have to be more 'in the back seat', to generate the necessary braking power (see also Technical Reference):
And stopping can be quite difficult on such a slope, even with a wide plow. That's normal, even for advanced skiers. However, do practice wide plows, even if they won't make you stop. Just slowing down can also be valuable, being able to make and hold a wide plow will be of great value in the next lessons.
Technical reference
Some sources say that for a plow one should put the hands on the knees. But as the top image of the athlete shows, that's not at all necessary. It can even have a counterproductive effect. For a plow with strong braking power, one has to be 'in the back seat', as this photo additionally proves:
Continue to Plow Turning →
Change log
- V. 1.1: shortened text.
- V. 1.2: shortened and edited text, added videos.
- V. 1.3: changed parts about medium steep slopes.
