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   "SKIING IS A SLIDING SPORT":
 Conventional Skiing Wisdoms (CSW's) 

by Bill Jones, Ski Instructor
Certified Professional Ski Instructor (Registration #110478), Level III
How to reserve private ski lessons with Bill Jones

 CSW # 17: "Bend your knees while you ski."

Sk boots are made with an upper cuff that is tilted slightly forward so that when you ski your knees will automatically be pressed slightly forward to produce a bend in your legs. This provides a stronger position for the leg.

Yes, bend your knees while you ski, but allow them to bend because you have bent your ankles to cause your knees to bend. Bending only your knees and not your ankles will cause your weight to shift rearward, whereas focusing on bending the ankles so that the knees bend will keep your weight centered on your feet, a good thing.

But don't just keep your ankles bent--flex them and unflex them and therefore your knees to meet and/or anticipate changing conditions and intents.

Can you bend your ankles in your ski boots? Probably you cannot bend them as well as in your street shoes, for there will be stiffness as you bend more. But if you cannot bend your ankles at all, or hardly at all, you will need to get different ski boots or forego the skiing advantage you could otherwise have. If you rent boots, test them for bending, and if they cannot bend  or bend much get a different pair. This is a good reason to buy boots early in your ski career, for it may be difficult to find a good bendable rental boot.

And how much should you bend your ankles to bend your knees? As you bend your ankles and therefore your knees and press the ski boot tongues forward, stiffness will increase until a point at which your ankles will bend little or no more. Go no further to bend your knees, for bending them further will send your weight toward the dreaded rear.

Why do we want to bend our knees while we ski? Among the reasons is to absorb unevenness in the terrain. Another is to allow a slight rise at turn initiation in order to give room for our lower legs to move from one side of the skis tto the other. And a really important related reason is to allow our knees to be moved sideways so that we can increase the tilt of our skis against the snow, "edging" them.

These considerations are based on human anatomy, and there is much more to the subject.

main CSW contents
prior CSW #16:  "Fast skiers are out of control"
next CSW #18: "Turn the new outside ski first"

"SKIING IS A SLIDING SPORT"--a skiing web manual:    Skiing Web Manual Contents   Why Read This Skiing Web Manual  That First Skiing Lesson  A Little Skiing History   Motion in Skiing  CONVENTIONAL SKIING WISDOMS  Skier Excuses  Fear in Skiing  Conditioning for Skiing    Equipment and Technique  Skiing Equipment  How Skis Work   How to Develop Balance on Skis  A Skiing Turn Simplified  The Final Skiing Skill: pressure management  Tactics for Terrains and Snow Textures and Racing  Skiing Tips and Tales--a potpourri    Exercises for Developing Skiing Skills  Children and Skiing  Age and Skiing  Gender & Skiing  Culture & Skiing Skiing Ethics and Survival  Slope Safety    Skiing Environment  Glossary Acknowledgement SkiMyBest Website Contents  

This "CSW #17: 'Bend your knees...'" page last modified January 9, 2022. Did you come here from a link on another website? For latest version of this page, copy to your browser: http://www.SkiMyBest.com/skiCSW17.htm. Copyright © 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. William R Jones.