How to optimise your alpine skiing technique

Do you want to reach your full potential on the slopes? Then it's time for you to develop your alpine skiing technique! We'll tell you how to go about it and what you should keep in mind in this article.

What is alpine skiing?

Of course, we'll start at the beginning - by answering what alpine skiing is all about:

Alpine skiing refers to all disciplines related to downhill skiing. In other words, it is a collective term for slalom, giant slalom, super-G, parallel slalom, downhill and alpine combined events. In addition to these skiing sports, alpine snowboarding is also included as one of the disciplines.

As a sport, alpine skiing is all about getting down the slope in the shortest possible time while travelling between marked gates (see photo example below). Practitioners of any of the alpine disciplines need to have great physical, mental and technical skills. In addition, as equipment continues to evolve, these sports will become increasingly demanding - just look at how fast the pros can get down the slopes!

Alpine skiing and technology

Alpine skiing, whatever the discipline, is a very demanding sport. The slopes can be steep, flat, narrow and wide - or a combination of all. What's more, the way the snow feels under your skis varies depending on where and when you go. As an alpine skier, you simply have to be able to adapt your movement patterns and skiing techniques to the prevailing conditions.

Because no matter what discipline you want to improve technically, the basics of alpine skiing are the same: the more awareness you have of your movements, the more chance you have of improving your alpine skiing technically.

Piste or off-piste, steep or flat, and good or bad snow - when it comes to alpine skiing technique, there are three basic areas you need to master:

• Increasing and decreasing the ski load - This is the basis of alpine skiing technique. By shifting your weight between the skis, you decide which way to turn.
• The right timing... For the weight shift to be as effective as possible, you need to actively shift the weight yourself. With the right timing, you will accelerate further.
• Balancing the body - To use the forces of the turns to your advantage, you need to learn when and how much to lean your body.

Read also: Alpine ski technique - improving the carving turn

Alpine in Stöten

Did you know that both Stenmark and Tomba have skied down our classic slopes? Since way back in time, our slopes have been very popular for World Cup competitions, SM competitions and Telemark World Championships, among others. Something that we are obviously very proud of!

Join the world's elite and enjoy The best skiing in Sälen with a visit to us in Stöten.

In conclusion

There you go - we hope you've learnt more about alpine skiing technique! If you want to improve your ability to balance your movements with the right timing, you can do it with us in Stöten. Book a private lesson with one of our specialised coaches or bring the whole gang and come here as a training group!