When making the start preparatory for coasting downhill, the novice may, if the slope is moderately steep, face in the desired direction and assume the proper position by supporting himself with the stick. On most very steep slopes, where the best coasting is to be had, this is quite out of the question, and the skier must step around quickly by moving the lower ski first. This will be somewhat difficult to do until the novice gains more confidence, which will quickly come after a little practice, and it is a good plan to practice starting from the slope without the aid of the stick to anchor the body. Owing to the fact that the skis do not reach much speed at the start of the coast, even the slow novice will have plenty of time to make the turn and face in the right direction before much speed is attained. A comparatively crouching position, secured by bending the knees and the body at the waist, will much lessen the liability of a fall forward. This position enables the skier to control the balance of his body with more certainty, and especially when coasting on a hill where patches of ice, or crusted snow, and soft spots of unpacked snow are encountered, a condition usually found wherever skiing is enjoyed. When coasting, the stick, or sticks, should be firmly grasped at the upper end with the looped thong, or strap, over the wrist, and the end dragging behind. Balancing is done entirely at the waist, and for straightaway running, the weight of the body will rest largely upon the rear ski. The long running surface of the ski will carry the skier over many bumps and hollows without disturbing the balance of the body or causing a fall, providing the novice does not lose his nerve. It is necessary to practice on rough and uneven ground if the skier desires ever to attain much expertness, and plenty of falls must be expected, but not dreaded by the beginner. A fall on skis is by no means fraught with danger, and one may fall with impunity providing all muscles are relaxed. Many beginners find falling the easiest manner of stopping, but this should not be necessary, providing the hints given are well understood and practiced. However, the novice should have no fear of falling if he wants to become proficient on skis, and to offset any timidity, which so very often causes the novice to lean backward and fall in this direction, it is a good plan to lean well forward to check this natural tendency. Getting up after a fall is easily enough managed if the head is pointing up the slope, but when the position is reversed much floundering is necessitated. It would seem that this would be obvious to all, yet the majority of beginners often forget it altogether.
Braking with the stick is only effective when the body is properly balanced, and the stick is kept well forward and as nearly vertical as possible. Straddling the stick, sitting upon it, or leaning backward on it held at an angle, are slovenly methods which every novice should avoid.
The “snowplow” is most largely used by all good skiers for braking, stopping, and turning. This is accomplished by stretching the legs wide apart and at the same time turning the toes in as much as possible, thus presenting the side of the ski to the snow and retarding the speed. Aside from straddling the legs wide apart, the novice will have no trouble in learning this useful knack. For the first practice, pick out a fairly steep hill road, or a hillside where the snow is old and not soft. Begin the run as for coasting, and when good speed has been attained, spread the legs wide apart, turn the toes in and endeavor to control the speed with the skis rather than depend upon the stick. On hard snow the edges of the ski may be used to check the speed, but on ordinary soft and well-packed snow, the runner may be kept quite flat. This is well shown in [Fig. 8].
The knack of “stemming” is a variation of the snowplow, inasmuch as the skier runs straight downhill on one ski, and turns the heel of the other ski outward and downward and uses it as a brake, as in [Fig. 9]. This is a very useful movement, and is largely used when coasting down steep slopes, and when one has learned the knack of it, stemming will serve for braking and steering, and is useful for stopping by turning the skiing course uphill. To earn it, select a steep hillside, coast down at an angle, with the feet a trifle part, and endeavor to retard the speed with the stick and turn the heel of the lower ski outward. This makes the turn and the skier faces uphill and comes to a stop. By turning the heel of the lower ski outward and the heel of the upper ski inward, the skis will travel downhill with a sort of snowplow movement. When practicing these movements, the beginner should endeavor to use the stick as little as possible and learn to depend upon the skis for controlling the speed.
The “side slip” is useful on steep slopes, and is done by turning the skis so that the runners are at a decided angle to the course traveled. This affords the maximum braking by the skis alone, and is especially effective when combined with the braking done with the stick. Side-slipping may, of course, be done while the skier is traveling forward, by keeping the skis close together so that the edges almost touch. While this movement checks the speed in much the same manner as stemming, side-slipping is less tiresome, since the weight of the body gives the required braking effect, while, in stemming, the muscles are called upon to keep the heel pressing outward.
Fig. 11
The Swing is Made upon One Ski Instead of Using Both as in the Christiania Swing
Closely akin to side-slipping is the Christiania swing with the stick, which is accomplished by pressing with both heels at the same time, while the stick digs well into the snow above. This variation of the side slip is easily done, and the skier is turned sharply uphill to come to a quick stop. When a sharp hill is met with, that is considered a bit too steep to take straight, this swing with the stick may be made by taking a zigzag course down grade steering clear of any obstacles by snowplowing, stemming, or side-slipping; and turning the corners, or “tacking,” by making use of the Christiania swing and the stick, as shown in [Fig. 10].
The “S”-turn may likewise be used for turning corners, without the necessity for stopping to make the ordinary kick turn. A good way to learn this useful movement is to run straight downhill in a snowplow position, reduce the speed to a comfortable walking pace with the stick, and stem with the ski. If this is done with the right ski, the “S”-turn is made by throwing practically the whole weight of the body on the right ski, at the heel, and pressing it outward while the stick is carried ahead and below the skier. If the heels are kept well apart, and the toes close together, the skier will have no trouble about swinging around in a curve and be off on the other tack. About the only difficulty in making the “S”-turn is the position of the body, which must be thrown somewhat out and away from the hill. To the novice this at first seems to invite a fall, but a few trials will soon prove that the weight of the body must be thrown on the foot which circles on the outside of the curve, hence the apparently unnatural position of the body is essential for a good turn. By bringing the stick well forward and downhill, the skier uses his staff as a pivot upon which the turn is made.
The Christiania swing, made without the stick, is a favorite with expert ski runners when running on rough and steep ground and is a good way of stopping. The swing may be made both to the right and left. To make it to the right, keep the skis close together, the right a trifle in advance, with the weight of the body equally on both feet and with knees slightly bent. Now throw the weight more forward and upon the toes, while the heels are carried forward and outward to the left. The body must lean to the right—the direction in which the swing is made—and twisted somewhat at the waist; and the sharper the turn, the more the body must lean sideways to keep the balance. The swing to the left is made in the, same fashion, only the left ski should be a trifle advanced and the body thrown to the left.