Tip

Ski Tip: How to Ski Switch

Welcome to Mt Hood Summer Ski Camps! Like any sports related camp, we provide instruction in ski racing, moguls, freeskiing, snowboard freeride and snowboard racing. Our sessions are a week-long with our main business taking place during June, July, and August.

Learning how to ski switch is very important if you want to progress in the park. It is an excellent way to warm up, or ski around the mountain when the park is closed. In this tip you are going to learn the basics of skiing switch (backwards), and from there you can work your way into hitting rails and jumps switch.

Where to Learn?

When first learning, make sure you are in an area you are comfortable skiing. This can be either flat ground or a very slight downhill grade. Many people are scared to try because they feel they will not be able to see, but in the correct position you have most of your field of view. Starting out, it will be best to look over the shoulder that you naturally spin from. For most, that would be your left shoulder.

Stance

Skiing switch is all in the footwork, so start with your feet at shoulders width and staggered. The ideal switch stance is low with your shins pressing on the front of your boots. Always remember to keep your skis parallel. You want to stagger your foot back on the same side where you are looking over your shoulder. To help bring your head around open your shoulder and rotate your hips so you can see behind you.

Turning

At first, you may think it is a good idea to reverse snowplow to slow down, but it is an awful habit to develop. Turning while skiing switch requires you to initiate an edge the same way you would skiing forward. This can be initiated by slightly rolling your knee and griping the snow with your edge. When carving, make sure to switch the shoulder you are looking over so you can see the slope, and others coming down. Remember that you do have a blind spot while skiing switch, so be careful around others while learning!

Practice these basics and soon you will be carving all over the mountain. Once you feel comfortable skiing down steep hills and going fast you can start to attempt switch takeoffs for park jumps. You can also start going onto rails switch. At this point you are becoming a proficient freestyle skier. Learn tips like this and more this summer at Ski camp.