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I have been asked whether there are ski authors or books on ski instruction whom and/or which I would recommend.
Yes!
I recommend several authors: [A parenthetical note is that my bias is toward ski authors who analyze rather than tell how they do it, for often for all of us an existing habit may work well but still not be the best. The ones I list below best meet my bias.]
One is Lito Tejada Flores. I once lived in the same triplex as Lito when he was training director at what was then Squaw Valley (now Palisades). Breakthrough on Skis or Breakthrough on the New Skis are very helpful, coming with the thesis that once we have reached a certain level in skiing with techniques that most of us have learned, to advance requires not making our current technique better but learning a new technique, which he calls “how to break out of the intermediate rut.” Lito also has some you-tube videos. Lito explains his suggestions well and in an encouraging way. Some of Lito’s videos were made with Jerry Berg, an outstanding skier and ski teacher/analyst. I have also skied in clinics with Jerry (he failed me in an exam once) and had the opportunity to ask whether he endorsed Lito’s approach. He did. Jerry died a few years ago in a bicycling accident and left no books; his contributions were recognized when 400 fellow instructors came to a memorial that was not hosted by a ski resort. A criticism of Leo’s approach has been his emphasis on early weighting of the uphill ski as a turn begins. For years this was not endorsed by the Professional Ski Instructors of America, yet in the last few years they began suggesting it (and such weighting is fine to do so long as the ski has been turned off its uphill edge before such weighting, a point overlooked by many instructors. Early weighting gets the ski to bend earlier in the turn so its stronger arc can help with the turn.)
Another is Ron LeMaster. His Ultimate Skiing is my go-to bible of ski technique. Ron’s approach is to start from basic mechanics of skis, physics of motion and of snow, and aspects of kinesthetics and anatomy, and then add observation of effective skiers in motion to see what they do in body positions and movements at certain times and under varying conditions. I have been fortunate to ski with Ron in several of his clinic sessions over the years. Ron was not only involved in training at Vail but also consulted to international ski teams. He took many photos of top skiers and racers in analyzing what they do and presented them in montages that show in a single picture their various positions during a ski turn. These are in his book: his website is still up for now: ronlemaster.com but it is no longer working well. Ron died in a ski accident a few years ago.
The third is Ski the Whole Mountain: how to ski any condition at any time. by Eric and Rob Delaurier. These brothers are masters of the topic and have led clinics on the topic. I have never skied with either but know people who have taken their clinics. They, like Lito and the Professional Ski Instructors of America, at least now, endorse early weighting of the uphill skill. And on this point you will see racers do this as they extend Into a turn to increase their speed, almost jumping forward.
Fourth, there is The Anatomy of Skiing by Richard Sanders. "Synopsis: Written by a doctor and expert skier, this book enables the reader to improve his down-hill, powder, or cross-country ski technique by providing a detailed explanation of exactly how the muscles of the body work.” With this knowledge, one can understand better the biological reasons why certain skiing positions/movements will provide different outcomes than others. It also helps understand that while some positions/movements provide better results for certain purposes, that those positions/movements are not always better for other purposes. There is a compromise among them and a need to apply the best position/movement for the purpose. A criticism of the book is that it reflects a technique of 1979 when a stronger up-movement was needed to initiate a turn on the stiffer skis of those days than is usually desirable today. While all of the above books are instructional, a few more are suggested as being more in the ski instruction class: There is Skiing Right, by Horst Abrams. Horst is in the American Ski Hall of Fame. He takes an approach to teaching skiing by emphasizing the nature of the learner more than the instructor. And so skiing right had to do with applying the rhythmic characteristics of the brain (at the time it was thought the right side of the brain was more involved in this; now we know the brain has other regions devoted to various tasks) to skiing and not just the techniques of skiing. He includes the topic of fear in skiing and gives methods of dealing with it. I have never skied with Horst but have attended talks he has given. Skiing and the Art of Carving by Ellen Post Foster presents analysis and many drills that assist in learning how to make a ski carve a turn and feel the delightful sensations that result. She is a major writer of manuals put out by the Professional Ski Instructors of America as well as exam standards developed for instructor certification. I have skied with her several times in her clinics. She also has a video. Skiing: an art…a technique. By Georges Joubert. Lots of ideas, discussions, diagrams, and drills for skiing in a variety of situations. Joubert is known for describing bracquage, or leg rotation, as a means of turning the lower body to turn the skis, requiring a stance that is not too narrow as had been practiced in much skiing for many years. This skill is fundamental In the history of developing ski technique and essential for many modern maneuvers. A few other master authors are Geoge Twardokens and Juris Vagners; their material is more in the form of manuals with limited production and academic use. I cannot close without mentioning this book by Nic Fiore, So you Want to Ski. Nic was the long-time ski school director at Badger Pass at Yosemite National Park. While the book itself might deal more with an older style of skiing and with older equipment, having skied many times with Nic I remember two adages from him. One is “You ski with the feet!” (or at least the feet and lower legs for all forces are transmitted through them to the boots and then the skis.) And the other is, that in doing a ski turn, it is “Down/Up/Forward” (so long as these movements are directed with respect to the forces involved and/or needed) . There is also Bob Barnes and his Encyclopedia of Ski Terms. Bob is another skier I have known well and an outstanding ski instructor and trainer and examiner of skiers for certification. Bob’s work was to standardize our use of terms so we could communicate more precisely, but in the process it becomes a bit of an instructional work as well .
And now that I have recommended some ski books and their authors as well as some good ski teachers, let me say they are not all of those I have come to learn from, but also let me say that there are some that I do not recommend or would even recommend against. Just because their words are in print or uttered, does not mean they understand their topic—even though they may be great skiers--or that it will work for you. To understand ways to ski one must question, analyze, and even experiment (the latter being the fun part).
I have always had a wish to write a book on learning ski technique and have made several starts that did not go anywhere. Even now I have another started/ There are so many variables with importance that it is hard to write without citing too many of these and maintain a thread and reader interest.
Bill Jones This "Book Reviews" page was last modified
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