This article is reprinted from The Professional Skier.
All copyrights apply.
Please see our copyright and disclaimer notice page. Like the variety of equipment now available, options for creating assorted types of turns have never been greater. Short turns, in particular, can be performed several different ways, and the skier who is comfortable with more than one type is better equipped to handle diverse mountain terrain. To do justice to this discussion of three contemporary short-radius turns, I'll describe them in terms of the historical background of short turns and the impact of equipment design and slalom racing. Collectively, this will help explain how and why we ski short turns the way we do today.