Life on the Edge

Edging, edge set and edge change. If you take ski lessons, you’ve heard these terms used constantly, but what do they mean? Let’s start by talking about edging. As the name implies, edging involves placing the edge of the ski on the snow. It is one of the fundamental movements of carving.

In a smooth, carved turn, the skier will fluidly roll his or her skis from one edge to the other. In a not so smooth turn, the edge initiation will be abrupt, causing the skier to lose balance.

As the Ski Turns

In his book The Complete Encyclopedia of Skiing, Bob Barnes, director of training at Keystone, describes the progressive edging of the skis as they progress through the cycle of the turn. According to Barnes, there are three factors that affect edge angle.

1. Centrifugal force: Centrifugal force is the force that pushes the skier to outside of a turn. Everyone has experienced centrifugal force when a car takes a sharp turn around the bend. In fact, after a day of ski lessons, some skiers report a potentially dangerous tendency towards edging their feet, as opposed to turning the wheel of the car.
2. Body position: Good skiers know how to increase the angle of their knees, hips and ankles in order to increase edge angle. This is where balance comes in handy. In order to have the guts to shift your weight to the outside of a turn, you need top have confidence in your dynamic core stability.
3. Slope angle: The slope angle will change as the skier crosses the fall line.

Edge Change

Skiing from edge to edge requires an enormous amount of lateral and transitional balance.  You can practice this by traversing across the slope, and periodically lifting first your uphill, and then your downhill ski. Of course, be sure to practice the pattern in both directions. Most people have one side of the body that has poorer balance. This may be due to practice, an injury which impeded proprioception on that side, or to a genetic imbalance. Fortunately, balance can be retrained by practicing off-slope balance exercises.

The Edge Set

The edge set is a progressive increase of pressure on an edge ski. "Progressive" is a key word.  Begin by gently setting the ski on edge. Then, add pressure, as if you were trying to slice the snow. You can add pressure by shifting your body weight on to the edge, or by pointing your knee in the direction of the turn.

Final Words

None of these movements are completely intuitive. However, with consistent practice, and periodic feedback from a certified instructor, you are bound to improve. If you find that you are not improving, be sure to have your boots checked. Sometimes, a few adjustments will make a world of difference.