Your lesson will help you to balance on and engage the stance ski. Your feet will come closer together, the stance ski will carve and grip more, and you’ll be able to ski on steeper terrain or firmer snow without sliding sideways or picking up speed. Starting in a shallow to medium traverse allows you to practice the key movements of a strong turn finish, which you’ll then incorporate into linked turns. The lightening and tipping of the free foot, called the Phantom Move, will make the stance ski turn.

The Phantom Move, when performed properly, is smooth, progressive, and barely detectable, hence its name. All the activity starts with the free foot (for this lesson, the uphill foot). The tipping of the free foot activates the kinetic chain, up through the pelvis and over to the stance leg, producing the turning action of the stance ski. Efficiency and balance are diminished if the actions start higher in the body. Sensations from the feet tell us how the skis are behaving and how to adjust the feet. Consequently, focusing on the feet yields precise control.