Skating Ski Tips

These tips are sponsored by these national and international sponsors:  Infinity Ski Poles, Backcountry Access, Toko Ski Waxes,  Rossignol.  I thank them for their assistance.                   

If you have a ski technique that you would like help with then send me an email at     knicol@swgc.mun.ca  Also if you are a manufacturer/distributor of a product that nordic skiers might use then let me know.

My qualifications include: Level 4 CANSI Trail Instructor, Level 3 CANSI Telemark Instructor, Level 3 CSIA Alpine Instructor and Level 2 CAA ( Canadian Avalanche Assoc. Certification). At the present time I hold the highest overall CANSI certification in Canada. I have taught in the largest Masters Camp in Canada at Silver Star, B.C. and have helped thousands of skiers from beginner to expert improve their nordic skiing. As well I have been on 4 Canadian INTERSKI Nordic Skiing Demo Teams and run the Winter Outdoor Pursuits Programme at SWGC.  Check out the Links above to find CANSI's, INTERSKI's  and related WEB sites.

NOTE: The MPEG videos are fairly large, and are best viewed on computers on campus.  The MPEG video may appear to be choppy if watching from home. If you would like to watch the video on your home machine, try watching the WMV version.

When skating try to push off through the ball of your foot so that your foot comes of the snow parallel to the snow as shown here. Note that my right ski has just pushed off and that it has begun to lift off the snow surface as I move to my flat glide ski. The ski is rising off the snow parallel to the ground. All to often I see skiers will leave the tip dragging in the snow (too much push off the toe) or the tail of the ski never leaves the snow (too much weight back). Think--parallel to the snow.

Sometimes to ski better we need to take off our skis. I like to teach people how to develop a good strong push off by simply hopping from side to side. Try to land on your outside boot - hold the position for a nano second and then push off with the other out side foot. Start with your feet close together and then try hopping with your feet further apart. As you spring back and forth note how your leg flexes and extends to achieve this push off.

The diagonals skate is a much over looked skate for many skiers. It is great for getting up hills and is like a herringbone with a glide. Use alternate arm action and foot action and start off slowly with a short arm and skate motion and then as the timing is reinforced begin to skate and pole more strongly. At a slower tempo or when you are tired you will find that facing the glide ski really helps as shown in these images. Like all skating actions be sure to follow through with your arms.

The 2 skate (V2 Alternate) is a great skating technique for those fast conditions when you also want to take it easy. I use it on slight downhills when the glide is good but not too fast. Alternately for faster snow it is good on the flats. The key point here is the pole timing since you double pole only on 1 side. In my glide phase (shown on the left) I am getting ready to double pole by swinging my arms aggressively forward. This helps me get my hips forward. Then I begin to push off with my skating action and poling action-right photo.

As with diagonal stride, it is important to bring your hips forward while gliding. Here I am doing the 2 skate (V2 alternate for my American readers) and am gliding on my right ski. To help get ready for the next poling action I am actively bringing my arms through and at the same time I am standing taller and bringing my hips forward. This will let me activate a strong poling action and it also helps get ready for a strong push off with my legs. So don't leave your hips behind when skating--a good drill to practice this can be seen in the classic skiing portion of this web page. It is called 'Getting Hip' and is a great drill for both techniques.

Getting the most from your poles

All too often I see skiers barely double poling -- often getting their arms barely past their waist. Although good leg power will really boost your ability to skate - good solid poling action will also help propel you down the trail. Remember the skating double poling action is very similar to that for classic skiing so it may be useful to check out those tips on my classic web page. But here are some key points to remember: start from a tall position with the hips forward-arms should be about shoulder width apart and your arms should be extended to 120 degrees or so (photo 1 ). Crunch with the torso and add good follow though - finishing with your arms well past the hips. Release your poles as you extend your wrist (photo 2). Here I am doing the 1 skate (V2) and so my arm extension is slightly less than if I were doing the 2 skate (V2 alternate).

Getting beginners to commit themselves to each ski while performing the offset skate (V1 for my U.S. readers)  is generally quite a challenge. I often tell skiers to "lead with the head" since that usually helps project the skier’s weight over the ski. In the first photo  you can clearly see the left ski and the 2 poles will hit the snow at the same time (the trademark 3 point touch associated with offset) and the head aligned over that ski. A few moments later I have now started to drive off the left ski committing all my weight to the right ski (see photo 2). Again notice how the head "leads the way". It also helps to have your head stay relatively low until you have finished poling. So use your head - tip that works well in any of the skating techniques and life in general.

To improve your free skate (ie skating without poles) remember to fully commit your body weight to the new gliding ski-my right ski in this case.  This means getting your torso and head aligned over that ski. This produces a toe-knee-nose alignment that can be easily seen in this photo. Many skiers have trouble with this so I often get skiers to swing their hands to help with this projection. It also helps to make sure that your gliding ski goes down as flat as possible. A flat ski will glide better and it will be easier to balance on.

Video Clip:
MPEG  - 1 min. 3 sec. [10.5 MB]
WMV   - 1 min. 3 sec. [2.67 MB] home view

Once you have gotten good at free skating on the flats then try the hills. It is good practice to try skating both up and down small hills. Shown in this photo is skating uphill which will develop your leg power. I am a big fan of doing alot of free skating, especially early in the season and skating uphill is a great workout. Notice that I still fully commit my body weight and head over the glide ski and that I use my arms for extra propulsion. To maximize your leg push, flex sharply at the ankle and knee before pushing off. Once you have free skated up a hill it will seem very easy once you add poles. Like a batter swinging 2 bats before they step up to the plate.

Video Clip:
MPEG  - 46 sec. [7.73 MB]
WMV   - 46 sec. [1.97 MB] home viewing

Getting Power from your legs

One of the reasons people like to skate on skis is the feeling of speed. There is no stop - start action as in diagonal stride. To really get the most from skating remember to flex your ankles and knees as shown in the photo prior to pushing off or extending. This leg flex shouldn't be excessive - but about the amount shown here. Then when you quickly straighten your leg you have some power to work with. All too often I see skiers who barely flex their legs and they wonder why they can't skate up the hills or fly across the flats. Of course all this force needs to be channeled on to a flat ski and you also need the ability to glide. So practice the free skate drills noted above to improve your balance and gliding ability.

Marathon Skate

The marathon skate is a forgotten skate which comes in handy at times. If the tracks are faster than the trail or if you need to overtake some one quickly this technique really comes into its own. Resist the temptation to scooter along with the angled foot-- the key is to push more to the side than back and to rise up tall to take advantage of the glide. Use an offset timing--ie both poles and the angled ski come down together. The marathon skate also is great for taking corners on flat sections of the trail.

Use the 1 skate (V1 for those in the US) for those times when you want to accelerate or to maintain speed on slight uphills. It is the fastest skate going but it puts a premium on balance since you have a double poling motion with each skating push off. The double poling action should initiate the movement forward and as the arms pass your hips your body weight should move to the new glide ski. As your speed increases, your V will narrow and the arm action will happen sooner. But take your time - think double pole - skate double pole - skate concentrating on balancing on one ski at a time.

When the snow goes you can do lots of things to stay in shape but if you want to improve your skiing then you should spend some time roller skiing. For several years I tried narrow tired roller skis but then last summer came across the V2 Aero and found it to be very well suited to our rough, bumpy roads in Newfoundland. The large inflatable tires seem to ride over pebbles and stones that would normally send you for a face plant. They also come with speed reducers so that you can slow your self on the hills. Nevertheless play it safe and wear a Rudy Project helmet and gloves at a minimum. Check out Jenex for more info.

Video Clip:
MPEG  - 49 sec. [8.31 MB]
WMV   - 49 sec. [2.12 MB] home viewing

Using Shadows

We often don’t get feedback while we are skiing unless we are doing a ski lesson. However I use shadows where possible to see where my arms are or where my head is positioned. Shadows can tell you if you are getting good weight transfer and if you are following through with your poling. Shadows can also tell you how much winter remains if you have a ground hog nearby on Feb. 2.