Instructions: Pivot Turn

Pivot turns are, as the name suggests, doing a pivot, or turning, while in place.  You have some options on how to do this – you can use the tip pivot or the tail pivot and you can also decide if you want a tight pivot turn or a wide one.  The tip pivot is when you move the tails while the tips are kept in place, while in the tail pivot, the tails are the ones kept in place.

You can do this by first extending your legs, then you should unweight and flatten your skis.  This would cause your skis to pivot across the fall line.  As you do this, you should keep your torso at a position which faces down the fall line.  Meanwhile, your legs, as well as your skis, should pivot under your body.  What happens when you do this?  There is a dynamic tension that will be created by your legs and your upper body.  The abdomen and back muscles then help in enabling you legs to pivot, even as the skis are flattened.

This is comparable to the “follow-through” that happens in golf.  When the spine is relaxed, it is able to curve in the proper way, which in turn enables the legs to counter-rotate.

Here are some reminders:

-    To pivot on the line, be sure to relax and not to rush it.  Keep your thighs open, as this will help you turn both the outer and inner legs.  Allow the feet and the legs to unwind in such a way that the skis face the direction of the fall-line, even when you pivot your legs, negotiating one turn after the other.
-    You can also use poles to help you do a pivot turn.  To maintain support of the lower ski, you can use the pole to remove your body’s weight off of the ski.  Be sure to simultaneously turn your legs and skis and push down on the pole.