How to carve

Many people buy or hire carving skis and proceed to ski in exactly the same way as before - wondering when the elusive 'carve' is going to miraculously kick in. Unfortunately, carving is not a passive process and involves some subtle alterations in technique.

- When you make the switch to carving, it is important to realise the new role that your inside ski will play. Rather than a shift of weight from one ski to another, carving is more about a smooth and seamless change of edges.

- Point your inside knee in the direction on the new turn and push the inside knee forward into the boot. This will engage the inside ski as well as the outside one, and also distribute the weight more evenly between the skis. Carving skis really work better with weight on both of them.

- Get your feet apart. Focus on carving and generating pressure in the top half of the turn, releasing in the bottom half of the turn. Extend in the top half, flex in the bottom half. The greater the pressure on the ski and the tighter the angle to the snow - the more extreme the carve.

- By decreasing the pressure at the end of the turn and by flexing the legs, this will ease the change of edges and facilitate the movement of the body across the skis. This is what happens (left) if you take the carve turn to the limit..!