Let’s talk about ski stance. Is there one correct stance? What is your preferred stance?
For most of us OGs, we learned decades ago to ski with our skis so close together that our boots were touching. Then came a revolution in ski design that made independent leg action much more advantageous for high performance. So, we all had to almost completely relearn our technique and try to get our feet a bit further apart.
So where are we today? I would say if you’re teaching someone to ski, you would start with trying to have their skis about hip width apart. This makes sense to me. Having the leg shafts basically vertical with a slight separation seems to be a very balanced position to start with.
In my experience, this slightly wider stance is very effective on groomed terrain. It allows a comfortable rolling of the ankles and knees to create the higher edge angles we look for when attempting to carve a turn.
But what about other terrain and conditions? I personally prefer to slightly narrow my stance in powder, moguls, and crud. Why? Two different reasons.
In powder, I’m attempting to attain about a 50/50 weight distribution on the skis. If not, it may easily result in one ski sinking and the other rising. Having them closer together enables me to more easily create a single uniform platform with both skis.
In moguls and crud, another reason comes into play. Any time you are in variable conditions where different snow consistency or terrain can be encountered even just inches apart, you risk one ski dealing with something totally different than the other. Very challenging! Obviously, the closer your skis are together, the more you can minimize this from happening.
Would you ever want to widen your stance? Possibly. I know that I do it when I find myself in a survival mode. I’m going for maximum balance over all else.
On very steep terrain, your skis are likely to be physically further apart. But this can be a bit deceiving because while they are vertically more separated, they are probably still laterally about normal.
In conclusion, I would say there is no one correct stance for everyone and/or all conditions. I recommend playing around with different stance widths and seeing what works best for you. Ski ya later!
