Recently, many beginner skiers have been confused by some of the terminology in our content. We hope to explain the commonly used terms. Alright, today I’ve compiled an explanation of some basic skiing terminology for everyone, to help you better understand skiing knowledge~~
Gravity:A skier’s body weight can be understood as gravity.
Center of Gravity:Refers to the point where the total weight of the human body acts. Its direction is toward the center of the Earth. In skiing, the center of gravity may sometimes be inside the body and sometimes outside. The direction of the center of gravity's movement in skiing is multidimensional, that is, a combined direction of forward, backward, left, right, up, and down.
Projection Point of the Center of Gravity:Generally refers to the point on the snow where the line connecting the center of gravity and the Earth's center passes through.
Weight Bearing (Load Bearing):Generally refers to the sum of the body weight and force borne by the ski (or the loaded leg/foot).
Weight Transfer:Generally refers to the shift of load between the left and right skis during skiing.
Applying Force:Generally refers to the pressure exerted on the ski (leg, foot) by the combination of gravity or gravity and muscle force. Weight bearing and applied force are roughly equal.
Supporting Area:Generally refers to the imaginary stable area formed by the position and shape of the ski on the snow surface (sometimes also considering the support of the ski poles).
Fall Line:The straight line down which a ball would roll from the top of a slope to the bottom without changing direction. The fall line is perpendicular to the contour lines (gradient lines) on a map.
Downhill Skiing:Refers to skiing straight down a slope.
Turning:Refers to the act of switching the direction of the ski’s movement from side to side while descending a slope. In competitive skiing, this is called a turn or slalom.
Climbing (Hillclimbing, Ascending):Refers to moving uphill while wearing skis.
Ski Pole Marks:Refers to the marks left on the snow after supporting with ski poles.
Turning Arc Track:Refers to the track left on the snow by the ski during a turn, usually in a semi-circular arc shape. The turning arc track is one type of ski track.
Turning Arc Line:The central curve of the turning arc trajectory. The protruding side is called the outer side, and the concave side is called the inner side.
Turning radius:Refers to the line connecting a point on the turning arc and the hypothetical center of the inner circle. The turning radius for a pivot turn generally ranges between 11 and 16 meters.
Turning arc (pivot arc):Determined by the turning radius. The larger the turning radius, the larger the turning arc; the smaller the turning radius, the smaller the turning arc.
Outside ski (leg, foot):Refers to the ski (leg, foot) on the outer side of the turning arc.
Inside ski (leg, foot):Refers to the ski (leg, foot) on the inner side of the turning arc.
Downhill ski (leg, foot):The ski (leg, foot) positioned on the lower side of the slope. Usually the outside ski (leg, foot).
Uphill ski (leg, foot):The ski (leg, foot) positioned on the upper side of the slope. Usually the inside ski (leg, foot).
Active ski:The ski that plays the leading role during a turning maneuver, i.e., the one bearing the most weight. Usually the outside ski or downhill ski.
Passive ski:The ski that does not play the leading role during a turning maneuver, i.e., the one bearing less weight or no weight. Usually the inside ski or uphill ski.
Ski edge:Refers to the metal sides on both edges of the ski’s base.
Inside edge of the ski:In the basic skiing stance, the inner edges of the left and right skis. Since there are two skis, there are two inside edges.
Outside edge of the ski:In the basic skiing stance, the outer edges of the left and right skis. There are also two outside edges.
Edging:Refers to the angle formed between the base of the ski and the snow surface during skiing. Edging is mainly reflected in the inside edge of the active ski.
Edge transition:Refers to the shift between the inside and outside edges of one or both skis during a descent or turn. Often refers to the weight transfer between the two inside edges of the skis during a turn.
Biting into the snow:Mostly refers to the ski edges firmly engaging with the snow surface while skiing. Mainly reflected in the inside edge of the active ski.
Carving into the snow:Generally refers to the ski edges standing steadily on the snow surface when stationary.
Edge angle (edge engagement angle):The angle formed between the ski and the snow surface when edging.
Ski attack angle:The angle formed between the ski and the original direction of travel during a turn. The attack angle is directly proportional to resistance.
Skidding (side skid):Refers to the phenomenon where, during a turn in alpine skiing, the downhill ski slides outward and backward while bearing weight on its edge.
Snow surface:Specifically refers to the snow layer surface suitable for skiing.
Snow resistance (snow drag):Refers to the resisting force exerted by the snow against the movement of the ski during skiing.
Leaning over:During a turning maneuver, due to centrifugal force, the body leans inward across both skis to maintain balance. This state is called leaning over.
Extension:At the moment of transition between two adjacent turns, by extending the knees (or single leg), the body’s center of gravity is lifted upward and forward, momentarily reducing the load on the skis to facilitate a change in ski direction and weight shift.
Forward lean:In the basic skiing posture, the actions of “pushing the knees forward,” “slightly leaning the upper body forward,” and applying pressure with the soles of the feet are called forward lean. The forward lean ensures that the center of gravity does not fall behind.
Sitting back:Refers to the hips sinking downward during skiing, causing the center of gravity to fall behind. “Sitting back” is the opposite of forward lean and is an incorrect movement.
Ski stance:Refers to the positional relationship between the two skis. When the skis are parallel to each other, it is called a parallel stance; when the front of the skis is narrower than the back, it is called a snowplow stance; when the front of the skis is wider than the back, it is called a V-shaped or scissors stance.