It is at the end of a swing made when running straight downhill that you are almost sure to find it necessary to lean inwards if the snow is deep and the speed high, but till you find a distinct tendency to fall outwards you need not concern yourself about it.
Of course, instead of coming to a standstill at the end of a swing, you can, if you wish, stop turning before the leading ski comes to a horizontal position, and can run on obliquely down the hill. In order to do this you have only, as soon as the leading ski is pointing the way you want to go, to shift the weight from the heel to the toe, stand erect, and bring the back ski to the front in the normal position.
As soon as you can swing both to left and right when running straight downhill, learn to make a downhill turn (“S” turn), which will enable you to join one tack to another when descending a slope in zigzags.
Downhill Turn to the Left.—In this use of the swing the skis are held as before, and weighted in much the same way, but there are one or two points to be noticed.
Run across the slope at a moderate gradient with the hill on your right, in Telemark position with the right foot leading (or start in normal position, and when you mean to turn, shift the weight from left foot to right and drop back the left ski).
Fig. 37.—Downhill Telemark swing to left at various stages.
The blackened parts are those which should be weighted.
Then, lifting the outer edge of the right ski, turn the right foot and knee inwards, and so place the ski at a slight angle with the other, as in starting an uphill swing. But, while in an uphill swing this angle should be very slight indeed and the body should immediately turn towards the point of the front ski, in a downhill swing the angle must be a trifle wider, and the body must remain facing the point of the back ski until both have turned far enough for the front one to point nearly straight downhill. The stemming of the front ski, in fact, and the combined steering action of both, which in an uphill turn should hardly be perceptible, should in a downhill one be more pronounced. The weight, moreover, must just at first be placed on the toe of the front foot to help that ski to turn downwards.