Ski Technique – Outsider Perspective & a Few Lessons Learned
Quote from jamiemaratx on March 23, 2025, 9:28 amHey everyone!
I’m not officially part of the Warren Smith Ski Academy (yet!), but I recently spent a couple of weeks skiing in Verbier and got hooked on improving my technique—so I’ve been following the Academy’s content online and lurking around this forum for a while.
Coming from a fairly recreational skiing background (basically holiday skier + a few YouTube rabbit holes), I realized pretty quickly how much of a difference real technique makes—not just in performance, but also in how much fun you can have on the mountain without getting wrecked by lunchtime 😅
Here are a few things I noticed that completely changed my skiing:
✅ 1. Ankle Flex = Game Changer
I always assumed I had decent form, but I never thought much about ankle mobility. Once I started consciously working on flexing through the ankles instead of collapsing into my knees, everything from turning to absorbing bumps felt smoother. I saw Warren’s clip on ankle range and realized I’d been doing it wrong for years 😬
✅ 2. Steering With Legs (Not Shoulders!)
This one blew my mind. I used to twist my upper body to turn—looked dramatic, felt powerful, but it was horribly inefficient. Shifting to proper leg steering, keeping my upper body quiet, made carving turns actually feel controlled for the first time. Still working on this, but what a difference!
✅ 3. Core Stability
This is where I’m still struggling. After a couple of days of back-to-back skiing, my core would just give out. I started doing some basic strength training and mobility work at home, and now I see why everyone says skiing starts in the gym long before you hit the snow.
❓A Few Questions for You All:
- Any drills or habits that helped you really nail down your stance or leg control?
- Do you train off-snow during the off-season to stay sharp?
- Has anyone here done the full Technique Lab program? Worth it for someone trying to move from “holiday skier” to “solid all-mountain skier”?
Anyway, just wanted to share as an outsider and say thanks—lots of the Academy’s resources (and this forum!) have already helped me tons. Looking forward to chatting with more of you and maybe even joining a course this season 🤞
Cheers,
Hey everyone!
I’m not officially part of the Warren Smith Ski Academy (yet!), but I recently spent a couple of weeks skiing in Verbier and got hooked on improving my technique—so I’ve been following the Academy’s content online and lurking around this forum for a while.
Coming from a fairly recreational skiing background (basically holiday skier + a few YouTube rabbit holes), I realized pretty quickly how much of a difference real technique makes—not just in performance, but also in how much fun you can have on the mountain without getting wrecked by lunchtime 😅
Here are a few things I noticed that completely changed my skiing:
✅ 1. Ankle Flex = Game Changer
I always assumed I had decent form, but I never thought much about ankle mobility. Once I started consciously working on flexing through the ankles instead of collapsing into my knees, everything from turning to absorbing bumps felt smoother. I saw Warren’s clip on ankle range and realized I’d been doing it wrong for years 😬
✅ 2. Steering With Legs (Not Shoulders!)
This one blew my mind. I used to twist my upper body to turn—looked dramatic, felt powerful, but it was horribly inefficient. Shifting to proper leg steering, keeping my upper body quiet, made carving turns actually feel controlled for the first time. Still working on this, but what a difference!
✅ 3. Core Stability
This is where I’m still struggling. After a couple of days of back-to-back skiing, my core would just give out. I started doing some basic strength training and mobility work at home, and now I see why everyone says skiing starts in the gym long before you hit the snow.
❓A Few Questions for You All:
- Any drills or habits that helped you really nail down your stance or leg control?
- Do you train off-snow during the off-season to stay sharp?
- Has anyone here done the full Technique Lab program? Worth it for someone trying to move from “holiday skier” to “solid all-mountain skier”?
Anyway, just wanted to share as an outsider and say thanks—lots of the Academy’s resources (and this forum!) have already helped me tons. Looking forward to chatting with more of you and maybe even joining a course this season 🤞
Cheers,