By Dan Balkin
Being observant, you have probably noticed that ski slopes are angled – they have various pitches. An example of local steeper slopes would be The Wall at Holiday Valley or Greer Hill at HoliMont. How is skiing different from walking? We generally walk on flatter surfaces and ski on inclined pitches – for the snowy incline compliments the gravitational forces that propel us down a ski slope. The steeper the slope, the more the gravitational forces are magnified.
But there is a minor complication: Moving forward with our skis on a slippery pitch naturally pushes us backward. Every experienced skier has felt it – our skis suddenly jut out in front and our legs are pushed to the back of our ski boots. Our hips and entire upper body are pushed back and, until we regain our balance, we are riding on the tails of our skis.
Quite simply, we can hear and try to implement the greatest ski tips in the world, but if our ankles are not “flexed” we can never be in balance on our skis. It is the key to resisting the forces pushing us back. Flexing one’s ankles is ski instructor jargon, so let’s look at a few simple examples of what it means to flex. If you were standing on a garden ledge about 18 inches tall and jumped down onto the ground, your ankles would naturally “flex” to absorb the minor impact. Likewise, picture a football linebacker or a basketball player playing defense, and they have their ankles flexed so that they can spring into action. Put yet one other way, when we flex our ankles, our knees move over our toes.
Due to the warmer temps, many skiers in our region who have not ventured to New England or out West, will be skiing for the first-time during Christmas week. If you are among those skiers, do yourself a favor and as you head down the hill for the first time – concentrate on always keeping some flex in your ankles. I am trying to skirt all the skiing technical mumbo-jumbo, but your ankles will naturally flex a bit more as a turn progresses. The key, especially as you are transitioning between turns, is to always keep some “flex” and tension in your ankles so you are not tossed back. One easy way to accomplish this is to simply tighten the muscles a bit in your shins, which will move your knees forward and help keep your hips over your feet.
If we look at the photo, the man has never achieved or has momentarily lost his ankle flexion. Look where his hips are – way back. He is supporting his body weight mainly with his thighs, which would be rapidly exhausting. Let us never confuse, however, one’s ski technique with one’s character. What was this good man doing on the night of December 17th? I would like to think he was high fiving his wife each time the Bills scored during their 31-10 drubbing of The Cowboys. Sometimes life is good – very good!!
The woman, on the other hand, has her ankles flexed. This allows her to remain perpendicular to the ski slope, a prerequisite for balance on a ski slopes slippery incline. Huh? Think of it this way, as you walk into your favorite bar, restaurant, or shop in Ellicottville, you stay in balance by being perpendicular to the ground. You don’t try to tilt your entire body way forward or backward as you walk – you remain centered and perpendicular to the ground. In the 1980s, American Olympic medalist and skiing World Cup sensation Phil Mahre said that “Good skiing is good walking.” In other words, we should always rely on our natural sense of balance – even while skiing. Do we walk like peg-legged pirates? No, our ankles naturally flex as we walk, and they should naturally flex while we ski. Have a great – ankle flexing – season!