Up & Over Ski Drill: Making 'C' turners out of 'Z' turners

The Up & Over drill was probably the biggest 'ah-ha' moment I've had on skis.  I think for most people it is difficult to understand and conceptualize.  Let's think about this in everyday skier terms.  Next time you ride the lift over a steep trail, count the number of skiers you see pushing their heels around at the top of the turn, with a heavy edge-set at the end of the turn to control speed.  This is usually accompanied by bracing against the outside leg/ski.  The stereotypical 'Z' turner (turn shape looks like the letter 'Z').

At this point, if you're not a contemporary ski coach, you're probably saying "what's wrong with that as long as they're having fun?!"  Well, you'd be right, but it is not a smooth or efficient way to slide down the mountain, especially when considering the technology in modern ski equipment.  Modern skis are parabolic in shape, so they naturally want to turn in an arc or the shape of the letter 'C'.  Why are we fighting that?  More so, how do we make 'C' shaped turns instead of 'Z' shaped turns?

The key here is spending longer in the top of the turn, or an equal amount of time above the fall line as below the fall line, while using ski performance to shape the turn.  We have to stop the quick rotation of the feet at the start of the turn, or prevent a big heel push (stem) to get the skis on edge.  One way to accomplish this is with the Up & Over drill.  Terrible name for a drill by the way, as you're really trying to promote the opposite of an upward movement at the start of the turn.

Let's start by thinking about the 3 phases of the turn; initiation, shaping, finishing (Fig. 1).  If you draw two turns together you can see how the finishing phase of one turn leads into the initiation phase of the next (Fig. 2).  The goal of the Up & Over drill in this application is to make the new outside ski grip the snow above the fall line, allowing for a smoother arc in the snow.

You can start the drill by having your students traverse across the hill and pick up the downhill ski.  This is forcing them to balance along the little toe edge of the uphill ski.  If your students are struggling to stay balanced, remind them to balance over the middle of the ski with positive shin pressure.  A visual cue that they're struggling is the tip of the downhill ski pointing upwards, or the inability to keep the downhill ski off the snow for more than a split second.

Once they're comfortable with that, have them try it while making a series of turns.  See if they can pick up the downhill ski through the finishing phase of the turn and into the initiation phase.  To accomplish this, they will need to roll the old inside ski from its little toe edge to its big toe edge while remaining balanced along the length of the ski.  This also promotes an early weight transfer to the new outside ski, while it is still the old inside ski.  When they enter the shaping phasing of the turn, have them place both skis back on the snow before repeating the process for the next turn.  The act of rolling the ski from its little toe edge to its big toe edge, with the other ski off the snow, is physically making them push the ski down into the snow.  This allows the ski to grip the snow and ski design dictates we travel in the path of an arc.

In this sense, the finishing phase of one turn blends into the initiation phase of the next.  A term I like to call 'finishiation' (Fig. 3).  There is no clear end of one turn and beginning of another.  In my personal skiing, I think about skiing apex to apex, as once I exit the fall line I am already initiating the next turn by feeling the pressure build along the little toe edge of the inside ski.

Try it with your students and I'd be excited to hear your feedback.  You can use this in long, short, carved, and skidded turns, as well as in the bumps.