 ALPINE SKI LESSONS: LINKING SHORT TURNS |
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The short swing (also known as a wedeln) |
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| Linking shorts turns is becoming more popular than the more old school short swing. In a short swing turn, the flex phase of the end of the turn becomes the flex phase of the start of the following turn. We suggest you work on two exercises simultaneously: |
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 Exercise
Start with wide linked turns and progressively work on decreasing the radius of the turns. |
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Exercise
Practice ending your traverse with a short turn. Progressively reduce the distance you traverse. |
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The importance of the initial phase of the turn |
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| The initial phase of the turn: anticipation, plant of the pole, edging, flex is fundamental to be able to control your speed and link turns. Work on each of these aspects separately if you're not sure you fully master them. What's more, to be able to turn short swings rhythmically without excessive efforts, you'll have to use the different "flexibilities" at your disposal. |
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The body's suppleness
When your upper body is in anticipation, your body twists and is locked in this position by the edges of your skis that are across the slope. By doing so, your body is taking advantage of your muscular system's suppleness. As soon as your skis unweight, they'll naturally align with your upper body's axis. |
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Leg flexibility
When you're edging before the turn, the decreasing speed presses you down on your skis. Your legs will return this energy by relaxing to unweight and turn the skis. |
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The skis' flexibility
In order to minimise the legs' efforts in the weighting/unweighting phase, use your skis' natural flexibility. A well measured pressure will allow you to bounce with no effort to turn your skis. |
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