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SKI SCHOOL: Give your wedge the 'brush'

By Craig McNeil, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 4, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Copper Mountain's Union Creek area is ideal terrain for first-time, beginner and advanced beginner skiers because it's completely separate from the advanced, expert and extreme terrain found higher on the mountain.

It's also an ideal place to watch developing skiers.

While skiing these gentle slopes and riding the Kokomo and Lumberjack lifts, I couldn't help but notice the number of families skiing together. Most of the families had small children who appeared to range in age from 4 to 8. In every instance I witnessed, these young kids were locked into a wedge or snowplow to manage their speed control or turning ability. But whether they learned it from their parents or in ski school, the wedge is a technique that's outdated and has lived beyond its time.

Even at their young age, these kids demonstrated they were strong enough to turn and stop. So why were they still skiing in a wedge or snowplow? With a few simple techniques, these kids could have been "brushing" their skis to parallel and making better turns than their parents were.

Attaining the ability to ski parallel is really where skiing begins and when the sport begins to be fun. It's what everyone on the hill should aspire to - and the sooner the better.

The use of the wedge actually inhibits your skiing and encourages poor movement habits on the hill. It will also suck the energy out of you (and your legs) and, once you've reached the point of fatigue, diminish your enthusiasm. The faster you can drop the wedge or snowplow, the faster you'll improve as a skier.

1. No pizza, no pie

* The "pizza" or "pie" position is bad nutrition for your overall skiing health, especially for young skiers. For those who rely on the wedge at any point in a turn, it's a limiting maneuver that will only lead to frustration. And such frustration is completely unnecessary when you or the children can very easily be skiing parallel.

* Skiing with or making turns from a wedge is like trying to step on the gas pedal in your car while applying the brake at the same time.

* Why? Shaped skis like the ones in the photo are designed to turn once the ski is put on edge. Notice in the photo that, in the wedge position, the skier is on the big-toe edge of each ski and the skis are turning in to each other. The big-toe edges oppose one another and contradict how the skis were designed to work. It also puts unnecessary strain on the legs, especially the knees.

2. 'Brush' foot, lose wedge

* The greatest disservice to any skiers, especially children, is to keep them in a wedge. If they can perform the wedge, they can easily learn to make parallel turns. The fix is to eliminate the wedge by learning to shift balance to the outside, or stance, ski and "brush" the inside or "free" foot and ski of the turn.

* Eliminating the wedge from your skiing requires a bit of balancing and "brushing." In the photo above, the skier is finishing the turn and beginning to "brush" the skis together.

* As balance shifts to the stance foot and ski (the right ski in the photo), begin to flatten the opposite, or free, foot (left in photo). As the free foot moves toward the stance foot, feel that you're "brushing" the snow with the little-toe edge. (Note: The key here for children is that they have boots that actually fit their feet. If their feet are flopping around inside their boots, they will have a difficult time controlling the skis regardless of their skill level.)

3. Tip to the little-toe side

* Initially you and your children can practice tipping to the little-toe side while standing still, so there's no fear about going too fast or getting out of control.

* Establishing balance on the stance ski (the right one in the first photo) is the key to breaking the wedge habit. The left foot is "brushing" the snow and tipping to the little- toe side as the skis become closer to parallel.

* The tendency, once you begin "brushing" the skis closer together, is to stop tipping to the little-toe side. You must keep actively tipping (second photo) the "free" foot even as the skis and feet draw closer together.

Craig McNeil is a certified Primary Movements instructor. To order his book, How to Ski the Blues and Blacks without Getting Black and Blue, or to contact him, go to his Web site, HowToSki.net. Photos taken at Copper Mountain.