Gliding down is the characteristic part of ski-running, as distinct from the use of pattens, Canadian snow-shoes, &c. It is the reward reaped after the labours of the climb. The ascent is, indeed, a struggle against gravity, but the descent is the highest advantage that any physical exercise can safely derive from terrestrial attraction.
Let us imagine ourselves on the top of some long Norwegian mountain ready for the plunge. There is a clear course between the steep rocks near the top, and an open run across the glacier below to the terminal moraine a mile off. We can see every yard of the way, and all is fair going, yet we feel just the merest tinge of nervousness, for the incline is steep, and looks steeper than it is. But there is really no danger, so it is over the edge and off! In an instant all fears are left behind, for now balance and quickness of eye are to be put to the test, and the wind is whistling and the snow dust spurting. We whiz past the rocks and over a few inequalities, negotiated here by a spring and a flight of a few yards through the air and there by a compensating yielding of the knees. Now we rush out on to the smooth surface of the glacier, where there is no jar and no vibration. Our feet seem to have vanished, and we lean, as it were, in space, with the ice-wind pressed against us. There is no more need for balancing, and no thought of falling, so even is the motion and so trustworthy the snow. Smoothly our wooden wings bear us onwards, and the furlongs lie behind! But the end approaches, the slope becomes less steep, the pace slackens, and presently we glide gently up the opposite slope of the moraine and turn to watch our companions.
Such is the best picture we can give you of a good straight glissade on ski; but there is not the slightest reason, friend novice, why you yourself should not enjoy the reality ere long. You must, however, learn to walk before you can run, and we would have you make your first attempts on some quite easy slope, removed if possible from the public gaze. A few obstacles, such as trees, scattered about do not matter, as you are not in the least likely to run into them, and they serve to accustom the eye to their presence. If possible, let there be a gradual outrun at the bottom of the hill. Practise there awhile, and as soon as you can run down without a fall move on somewhere else to a place where the ground is steeper and more uneven.
To start on steep ground is a little difficult at first. Stand horizontally to the direction of the slope. Then as quickly as possible lift round first the lower and then the upper ski. Lean forward and off! If you are quick and lean forward, the ski will not bolt from under you; if you are slow and hang back, they will.
Fig. 18.—Gliding on ski.—1. Correct position; 2 and 3. Dangerous and incorrect.
The correct position for descending a hill is that shown in [Fig. 18] (1) above. Keep the ski parallel and as close together as you can (touching if possible), advance one foot about twelve inches, and let the main weight of the body rest on the ball of the “hind” foot; feel your way, so to speak, with the front foot. Lean forward. Bend the knees slightly, and be as free and as elastic about them as possible. Practise with either foot leading. Avoid any affected and ridiculous pose. Do not, for example, if you are running without a stick, hold the arms straight out from the body as though you were walking a tight-rope. To do so may slightly assist the balance, but you cannot run like this with a stick in your hand, and it is far better not to get into bad habits. No. 3 in the diagram (p. 63) is a very common attitude, but it is as bad as bad can be. The wide spoor is a cause of instability, the extreme bending of the knee is a source of weakness, and there is a very fair chance of the runner (if he falls forward) knocking out his front teeth against his stick. Hold that article clear of the ground in a safe position as shown (No. 1, p. 63), and practise sometimes without it. Above all things, do not lean backwards on to the pole, for the consequence of so doing is that the upper part of the body is retarded in its speed, and, being thus left further and further behind, a spill on lumpy ground becomes inevitable. There is a right way of using the pole for braking and turning, which will be explained further on, but until some little skill in simple straight glissading is gained it is best not to trouble about this. We strongly advise you in the meanwhile not to use the stick at all, but, for reasons previously stated (see pp. 44 and 45), to practise with it held in the hand clear of the ground.
Double sticks should be held up one in each hand or trailed behind.
The position shown in [Fig. 18] (1) is the safest position for running over unbroken snow, for by advancing the foot one lengthens the running surface and so glides more easily over any inequalities, and by holding the ski together one is less disturbed by any lateral irregularities. But on an icy road it will be found easier to run with the feet more level and somewhat apart, for there another disturbing factor, side slip, comes into play.
So, again, when changes of the snow’s surface are likely to occur, causing the ski at one time to run freely and at another to stick, it will be found better to crouch close down to the ground, for by doing so one lowers the centre of gravity, and is less likely to be pitched forward when entering the slow snow. And there will be other occasions when the runner will find it necessary to more or less modify the position shown in Fig. 18 (1). Nevertheless, this attitude may safely be considered the normal one for descending hills on ski, and the beginner is recommended to study it carefully, and to adhere to it as closely as circumstances will permit.