Shifting your weight forward is the most fundamental element of skiing. The small turn is a difficult maneuver, and many people, while practicing it, find their weight gradually shifting backward. Moreover, the movement may seem increasingly smooth—why does this happen? Let me offer my speculative analysis.

Take traversing as an example: when your weight is kept in the middle, the skis will slide sideways along the fall line. While sliding sideways, shifting your weight forward drives the skis forward; shifting your weight backward drives the skis backward.
The small turn based on sideway sliding is the easiest to learn. The core movements are: sideway sliding – shifting your weight forward and toward the downhill side to initiate the turn – rotating your lower body to make the turn radius tighter – slightly shifting your weight backward when exiting the turn to apply pressure on the skis, carving an arc and decelerating – then lifting your weight to initiate the next turn.
This whole process involves shifting your weight both forward and backward, as well as laterally, and requires synchronization and coordination, which takes a lot of practice.

The above movements can also be achieved by “cheating” with a backward-weighted stance.
Again, using traversing as an example: when your weight is shifted backward, the skis move rearward. At this point, if you twist the skis, they will easily pivot and face downhill. This can be likened to reversing a car while turning the wheel, then moving forward.
The “advantage” of this movement is that it’s “simple” and “convenient,” and you don’t need to shift your weight backward when exiting the turn—one simple sit-down motion slows you down.
There are downsides too. First, your weight has to be shifted very far back—not only do your calves and skis form a right angle, but your upper body also needs to be parallel to your calves, with no forward lean at all.
Second, since your weight isn’t shifted forward, you can’t actively control the skis, so you have to rely on your upper body—like twisting your hips, bending your waist, flailing your arms, and so on. Of course, once you get skilled at it, it has its own unique charm.

Choosing between the traditional forward-weighted small turn and the flashy backward-weighted small turn—that’s the question, haha.