Tom GellieBig Picture Skiing Pty Ltd · Coach/Director

Mastering the mountain - Fore and aft balance for skiing (Preview)

9 Sept 2019 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:22

In this instructional preview, Tom Gellie and a coaching partner discuss the nuances of fore‑and‑aft balance while skiing. They explore how torsional forces affect ski edge engagement, emphasizing the importance of minimizing ski twist to prevent loss of edge grip. The conversation highlights the role of the ankle joint in achieving better edge control, describing the sensation of the ski flattening when the ankle is positioned correctly. They compare the feeling of pulling the toes up versus pulling the heel up, noting that many skiers find the heel‑up motion (working the tail) more challenging and new. The dialogue also covers how weight distribution toward the backside creates a distinct sensation, and how improved upper‑body separation allows the skis to break away cleanly from the edge, resulting in smoother turns. Throughout, the coaches use vivid, experiential language to convey subtle balance cues and corrective strategies.

Chapters

Roughly here, there's the least amount of torsion through the ski, so twisting, and the twisting is what breaks the ski off the edge.
It comes on a lot later, and it's more of the ski washing away from me. As opposed to me implementing or forcing the ski into a skid. You can even see that what's happened down at the ankle joint, I've got a better edge grip along here. This actually looks like the ski is being flattened.
You trying the two, can you feel that the backside-heavy part is the more difficult one for you to feel? Like that's the more obvious one new sensation, like pulling the toes up? Yes. Yes, like the forward one, yeah, you've done that a lot, but, but the way to, to work the tails and pull up is a new sensation. Yes, yes. To a lot of people, that's what it'll feel like. It'll feel like you are pulling your heel up But you're pulling the heel up most easily.
Better upper body separation, more following the skis because of the ski breaking away on the edge. See that, where he's facing? He's able to come out much cleaner.
When you push to try and get backside heavy versus when you just, just, yeah, yeah, just put your weight there. Yes, and that's the difference. Most people