Kick turn
>>
A number of years ago during a winter
in New Zealand, I was surprised to over-
hear a Boy Scout leader explain that he wanted
his boys to learn to do a kick turn. I thought, “No
one does a kick turn anymore.”
tip
If you watch old black-and-white ski footage
from 30 or 40 years ago when skis were incred-
ibly long and straight, you’ll notice people using
kick turns all the time. Some skiers may even
CHRIS LENNON remember being taught the technique in lessons
a couple of decades ago. Somewhere along the
way, probably with the development of shorter
and more manoeuvrable skis, the technique fell
out of mainstream use.
Then came the late ’90s with the growth of
Freeride and Big Mountain skiing and a return
to long, straight and (this time) fat skis. As
skiers like Shane McConkey began skiing steep
billygoat lines previously thought impossible,
the kick-turn was reincarnated as a specialized
tactic.
While it is unlikely that the technique will ever
re-enter the ski school progression, it’s a tac-
tic that proves incredibly useful for those who
explore new areas of the mountain. If you get off
the beaten track, inevitably the time will come
when you need to change direction without
PHOTOS GILLIAN MORGAN moving down the fall-line.
Situation: I have encountered a cliff that is
not to my liking and the best “out” is directly
to my right. Making another turn would put
me below my escape route, if not into the
rocks below. While this is a far cry from some
situations in which a kick-turn becomes manda-
1 2 3
tory, it makes the point.
1. While standing on your uphill ski, kick your
downhill foot into the air placing the tail of your
ski in the snow near the tip of your uphill ski.
2. Open your body down the fall line and start
to point the tip of your lifted ski in the new direc-
tion. As your lifted ski turns, allow it to fall to
4 5 5
the ground, becoming parallel, though opposite
to your uphill ski.
3. As this downhill ski lands on the ground,
ADvERTORIAL
stand and balance on the new ski. The only
difficult part of this manoeuvre is committing
Ski getaway to Banff! to standing wholly on the new ski. Think of
actually stepping off the old ski and onto the
As the only ski resort in North America located in a United Nations World Heritage Site, Ski Banff
new ski as it falls to the ground.
- Lake Louise - Sunshine is a ski resort anomaly. Internationally noted for the pristine landscape
4. Lift your uphill and now unweighted ski
and abundant wildlife, development in Banff National Park is closely monitored, providing a careful
off the snow, and bring it around to face the
blend of mountain wilderness and cosmopolitan luxury. Conveniently, skiers and boarders enjoy
new direction…
over 7,700 jaw-dropping acres of terrain in the heart of Canada’s protected playground during low
season – the most affordable time of the
5. … and ski onward.
year. Banff National Park’s unique heritage,
coupled with the ability to ski three world-
class resorts on one lift ticket, is a
“Skiing is a dance, and the
combination not found anywhere else.
mountain always leads.”
Author Unknown
www.OttawaOutdoors.ca OTTAWA >> WINTER 2007/2008 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48