In recent ski trips, I often hear fellow skiers on the lift discussing the inside edge, and many have asked me whether they should lean inward and use the uphill ski, or whether they must be able to use the inside edge of the downhill ski regardless of skill level. The inside edge and outside edge have become marks of an expert, just as carving is seen as essential to skiing...
Here’s my personal opinion:
1. Mastering the inside edge should only be practiced after you’re proficient with the outside edge (downhill ski). Many skiers start blindly learning to lean inward and pursue a greater tilt before they can fully press the inside edge of the downhill ski. The result is often falls and difficulty controlling speed on steep slopes — very dangerous.
    You can observe Japanese teaching videos closely — they all include exercises for pressing the outside edge, and these come before inside edge practice. Whether it’s lifting the inside foot to press or using a semi-plow stance, it’s a crucial training step.

2. The importance of the outside edge: Being skilled with the outside edge allows you to handle various snow conditions — groomed runs, chopped powder, off-piste, even moguls — all while actively using the downhill ski, regardless of whether you can make small turns or keep your legs together.
    The snowplow turn is the foundation of using the downhill ski. Rushing into parallel turns can lead to many bad habits, such as turning your upper body first, rotating your hips before your legs, or leading with the uphill ski to form a V-shape.


3. Regarding the Japanese-style leaning-in technique, I personally find it quite comfortable on well-groomed runs, as it reduces excessive muscle strain. But mastering this technique requires a lot of practice (downhill ski → hip movement → outside edge of the uphill ski). I don’t think it’s suitable for off-piste or high-speed steep skiing. It’s just one way of skiing — you can learn it, but there’s no need to blindly follow it.

A bit of personal experience: Set yourself a goal and stick to it when learning. Try to avoid switching techniques every day — today this method, tomorrow that one, the next day you’re off-piste. You should book at least three lessons with an instructor: the first to properly learn snowplow turns, the second to progress to parallel turns after semi-plow, and the third to refine your parallel technique. After that, you can exchange tips with other skiers. This helps you avoid taking detours. Once you develop bad habits, correcting them is harder than learning from scratch — sometimes it can take an entire season to fix just one issue.