We often hear the phrase "Go back and practice your snowplow turns," and personally, I have no objection to using snowplow turns to improve skiing skills. However, the term "go back" alone is hard to accept. Therefore, I oppose the simplistic slogan "Go back and practice your snowplow turns" unless it's clear which type of snowplow turn is being practiced? This article compiles and summarizes six methods of practicing snowplow turns. There are actually more snowplow turn practices out there—this is just to start the conversation. If you have better snowplow movements, please share them too!
Snowplow turn: Generally refers to any skiing movement where the tips of the skis are closer together than the tails. Usually done in a forward direction; the reverse would be skiing backward.
Why are snowplow turns suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers? Because in a snowplow turn, the two skis form a triangle, providing a larger contact area with the snow compared to parallel turns, making it easier to maintain stability. It also naturally creates inside-edge snow sweeping, which helps with controlling speed. But if performed incorrectly, it can have the opposite effect and lead to bad habits.
Below are six types of snowplow turns, combining three movements: pressurizing, edging, and rotating. Each movement has its own focus, ranging from simple to complex. I will describe my understanding of each one in detail. Often, you don’t need to perform the movements perfectly—just getting the feel is enough. We’re not instructors—we don’t need every move to be textbook perfect.
Straight run with tail opening and closing
Straight run with tail opening and closing (beginner move) This is the only practice that does not maintain a constant snowplow turn (basic snowplow straight runs are too basic and not introduced here). All other practices below keep the skis in a continuous snowplow state—the real deal snowplow turns. The straight run with tail opening and closing is very helpful for first-time skiers to get a sense of the ski sliding on the snow.
Key points:
1. Move both legs simultaneously to push the tails outward into a snowplow, then bring the skis together into parallel. Leg strength should be even.
2. Keep your weight centered on the skis—front-to-back center and left-to-right center. Lean your upper body slightly forward and maintain proper posture.
3. Use tail opening to slow down and bringing the skis together to speed up. When slowing down, do not increase edge angle by inward knee rotation; instead, open the tails more widely.
Location:
1. Only do this exercise on beginner slopes.
Objective:
1. Get a feel for how the skis slide. Experience acceleration, deceleration, and the continuous feedback from the skis.
2. Learn snowplow braking in emergency situations.
3. Develop proper posture habits.
Basic snowplow turn (PSIA: Basic Wedge Turn)
Basic snowplow turn (beginner move, practice under guidance) Over the past few decades, this turn has evolved quite a bit and is a required skill in all xSIA systems. The version I’ve selected is closer to the basic snowplow style used in the U.S., New Zealand, and Canada. In contrast, the snowplow turns in Japan, Switzerland, France, and other Nordic countries are closer to the next exercise: pressurized snowplow turn.
Key points:
1. Keep your weight centered between both skis—front-to-back and left-to-right. Lean your upper body slightly forward, maintaining proper posture.Maintain proper posture.
2. Only use your thighs to rotate—rotate both legs in sync.
3. Key point: Look ahead toward where you want to go, not fixated on the ski tips.
Location:
1. Only do this exercise on beginner slopes.
2. Initial turns can be relatively wide; later on, you can freely control the size of the turns.
Objective:
1. Feel how the most stable gliding happens when your weight is centered.
2. Keep rotating continuously, using the turns to control your speed.
3. Develop the habit of maintaining proper posture.
4. Begin building the separation between upper and lower body.
Pressure Carving Turn (Basic)
Pressure Carving Turn (Beginner to Intermediate Practice Move) Utilizing the characteristics of modern skis, apply pressure to bend them. The movement resembles the traditional stem turn technique, but without lifting (standing up) and shifting your center of gravity—instead, you directly shift your weight by pressing on the skis. Typically, when skiers say they need to "go back and practice stem turns," they’re referring to this exercise.
The difference between a Pressure Carving Turn and a basic stem turn is that the former involves the concept of shifting weight between both skis, and at later stages may even require actively moving your upper body to create greater ski pressure. Additionally, the difference in distance between the ski tips and tails is greater than in a basic stem turn, allowing for more stable weight transfer.
Key Points:
1. Shift your entire upper body to apply pressure on the skis—don’t just move your shoulders or hips.
2. Keep the pressure on the outside ski concentrated on its sweet spot, with the tongue of your boot snug against the ski. Your ankles, knees, and hips should all be bent. Simply put, your shoulders should be above the ski tips (perpendicular to the skis), your hips above the heels, and you should complete the turn by applying pressure to the skis.
3. You can incorporate rotation to control the size of the turn. Note that, as with the basic stem turn, rotation is achieved solely by rotating your thighs (refer to the Firehawk pivot video for reference).
4. Maintain consistent and steady pressure on the skis, and keep your upper body stable as well.
Slope Conditions:
1. Beginner slope or an appropriate intermediate slope.
2. Actively control the shape of the turn, using uphill rotation to manage your speed.
Goals:
1. Establish the correct feeling of gliding generated by applying forward pressure on the skis, and get used to the stability of gliding when the outside ski bears the main load.
2. Develop the habit of controlling direction and speed through turn shape, and avoid bad habits such as leaning back, twisting the outside ski to turn, or flailing your arms.
3. Achieve balance over the sweet spot of the outside ski, with the inside ski eventually able to lift off the snow during the glide.
Stem Christie (Carved Stem Turn)
Stem Christie (Intermediate Move) Makes full use of the sidecut design features of modern wide skis. It’s a foundational carve turn move, used to experience the feeling of skiing along the ski edges. Note: This exercise has higher terrain requirements—only practice under safe conditions.
Difference between Stem Christie and Pressure Carving Turn: Reduces rotation of the skis and keeps the pressure entirely on the middle of the skis, using the natural arc of the skis to complete the turn.
Key Points:
1. Minimize active rotation of the outside ski (the downhill/loaded ski) until you can ski entirely along its inside edge.
2. Keep your weight pressed on the center of the outside ski, with the inside ski lying flat on the snow.
3. Do not increase the edge angle by pushing your knees toward the ground. Instead, increase the edge angle by bending your inside leg and straightening your outside leg.
Slope Conditions:
1. Only perform this exercise on beginner slopes.
2. Practice in relatively wide and less crowded conditions—never at excessive speeds.
3. If your speed increases too much, brake after a few turns to bring your speed down to zero, then start again.
Objective:
1. The outer edge can leave a clear mark on the snow.
2. Reduce the radius by increasing the edge angle and control speed through turn shape.
3. Establish balance on the sweet spot of the outside ski, allowing the inside ski to eventually lift off the snow.
Advanced Snowplow Edging
Advanced snowplow edging (advanced move) requires significant ankle engagement. This drill helps you experience independent ankle movement. It’s a fun exercise—outsiders might see someone in a snowplow stance not moving much, yet drifting smoothly from side to side across the slope.
Key Points:
1. Maintain a snowplow braking stance, facing downhill, with minimal upper body rotation. Alternate flipping the ankle of one foot to slightly edge the inside of that ski while flipping the other foot in the opposite direction to flatten that ski for sliding.
2. Keep the snowplow stance as consistent as possible. Do not inwardly rotate your knees, avoid using your upper body, and edge solely through ankle movements without steep edge angles.
3. Keep your weight over the sweet spot. Once you feel you're gliding along the inside edge of one ski, switch sides.
Location:
1. Only perform this drill on beginner slopes with flat terrain.
Objective:
1. Feel the sensation of edging with your ankles and skiing along the edge.
2. Master the flipping motion of the ankles.
Super Snowplow (Power Plow)
The super snowplow combines all previous elements while adding new movements during the transition phase. I learned about the Super Snowplow from the JFB video tutorials—it's arguably the most advanced version of the snowplow and quite challenging. The execution in the videos isn’t perfect, but you can refer to JFB’s videos (translated into Chinese subtitles by Firehawk—thank you, Firehawk).
Weight transfer is fundamental to snowplow turns, just as it is in parallel turns. For expert-level parallel turns, so-called weight transfer refers to the control of pressure shift between the two skis. The pressure sensation in the super snowplow is similar to that in expert parallel turns, so you can use the super snowplow to extend the transition phase and better perceive subtle pressure changes.
Key Points:
1. In the snowplow stance, apply pressure to the outside ski by shortening the inside leg—the movement should be continuous and stable. Often, we have the habit of abruptly releasing pressure from the old outside ski, which is hard to unlearn. The super snowplow helps you practice gradually releasing pressure from the old outside ski.
2. Actively rotate the new outside ski, but only after pressure has been established.
3. Maintain the correct stance; no matter how your feet move, your upper body posture must remain steady.
Location:
1. Intermediate or gently pitched advanced slopes.
Objective:
1. Learn to shift pressure to the outside ski by slowly bringing in the inside ski, and feel the natural buildup of ski pressure.
2. Develop separation between upper and lower body, actively controlling turn rhythm and shape.
3. Maintain proper stance under rapid pressure changes.
In summary, the above covers six types of snowplow exercises and key points. Except for the last one, all are performed on beginner or very gently pitched intermediate slopes. I strongly oppose practicing snowplows on advanced slopes—there are more efficient and safer advanced parallel techniques to learn there. Stick to the beginner slopes to get a feel for snowplow movements.