There's a lot of information out there about carving. These days you can buy carving skis,
carving gloves, carving underpants, we're going to clear up some of these misconceptions
and make it nice and easy to understand.
A pure carved turn is a turn where the ski is gripping and biting and the shape of the
ski is turning you, and this is the important bit - there is no skidding. The moment you
have skidding in your turn it is no longer a carved turn. Skidding is important in your
everyday skiing but we are going to focus just on the carving.
So while we're on the subject of carving, let's take a closer look at the ski. The ski
is thinner in the middle than it is at the top and the bottom. So you're creating, the
skis creating an hourglass shape. When I put that onto the edge, it's actually going to
start to bend, and that is what is going to take me round. It's not a new idea, skis have
had sidecut, which is what it's called, for over a hundred years.
If I put the ski onto the edge, you're going to notice that there's a gap here through
the middle of the ski. If I then put pressure and push through it, you can see the ski bending
and flexing and it's that that's going to take you round the corner.
I'm on the edge and the shape of the ski is making me turn. In this turn the skis are
skidding, creating resistance and it's not a carved turn.