STEM TURNS

Stem turns are a halfway point between snowplough turns and parallel turns. In Stem turns the skis are parallel as we come across the slope, but the snowplough is still used as we turn through the fall line.

With the snowplough you may well have found that as you go across the slope the uphill ski can be very awkward, as it is almost sideways to the direction you are traveling in. The snowplough position is based on controlling speed as we point down the slope though. When we go across the slope, the snowplough is not needed as we have more control with both skis sideways to the slope. So with stem turns we maximize our control coming across the slope by having the skis parallel and sideways to the slope, yet keep control of our speed as we pass through the fall line, by using the snowplough. This gives us a lot of control the whole way through a turn, and when used well will get you down relatively steep slopes with no problems.

Traverse Position

As we have our skis parallel when we are going across the slope now, it is important to explain the correct traversing position for this, and why this is the position. The reasoning behind this is also covered in the stance section. As shown in the diagram below, we are going across the slope, which means there will be a downhill ski and an uphill ski. Your weight should be mostly on the downhill ski, as explained in lateral weight distribution, with the skis hip width apart. As you are going across the slope it means that the downhill ski must be below the uphill ski. In ski boots though you can not move your ankle, which means to keep the ski flat to each other we must bring the uphill knee forward to make the uphill ski higher than the downhill ski. This leaves us with the uphill ski slightly in front of the downhill ski. The position for the body that allows the most movement and flexibility with the feet in this position, as well as comfort, is to have the shoulders parallel with the position of the feet. This makes the whole body face slightly down the slope and also gives you a better view of where you are going. You should also be learning slightly forward to put your weight in the middle of the ski (longitudinal weight distribution), and to the downhill side (lateral weight distribution), which is what puts the weight on the downhill ski. Obviously the steeper the slope is, the higher the uphill ski will be, and therefore the further in front the uphill ski will be, making the body point even more into the fall line. As we ski across the slope we don't dig the edges into the slope too much, so that the skis slide slightly sideways as we are coming across, which also helps us lose any extra speed.

We initiate and perform the stem turn in mostly the same way as with a snowplough turn, with the only real difference being that we have to initiate the snowplough as we turn down the slope, and take the snowplough away as we turn back across the slope.

Walk Through Explanation

Below is an explanation of how to do a stem turn, assuming we are starting by going across the slope from left to right with our skis parallel, and our body in the position just described.

As we are going across the piste, the first thing we need to do is initiate the turn. To do this we bring our weight evenly onto both skis, and lean forwards to get the front of the skis to start falling down the slope, making sure the edges of the skis are not digging into the snow too much so that the skis can slide and turn. As the skis start to turn down the slope we bring our skis into the snowplough position, so that we have a full snowplough by the time we are nearing the fall line. We then bring our weight back to the middle of the skis lengthways (longitudinally), and lean to the right putting our weight on the right ski. The right ski then falls down the slope first making us turn left, bringing us back across the slope in the other direction. As you turn back across the slope start bringing the skis back to parallel, so that they are together by the time you are coming back across at the angle you want to be, keeping your weight in the middle of the skis lengthways and weight over the right ski (downhill ski). Then continue across the slope and repeat the process but the other way round the next time you want to turn.

The diagram below shows the major steps in the stem turn.

Stem Turns Animation

The animations below shows the 3D skier doing a stem turn in each direction on a piste in the virtual ski area.

If you make stem turns when going a bit faster, you can put your weight onto the new outside ski earlier. This is because you already have enough speed to get a reaction from the ski, instead of having to rely solely on gravity at the start of the turn.

Common mistakes:

• Leaning back - It is important to make sure you keep your weight in the middle of the ski or the front of the ski will rise up and you will lose all control that part of the ski provided (longitudinal weight distribution).
• Swinging the body - To make a stem turn you only need to move you weight between the skis. Many people swing their body to try and make the turn quicker, but although this can turn the skis, it is not needed and leaves the body out of position which creates other problems. If you want to turn more quickly you just need to lean over the outside ski more.
• Giving up to early - When you move you weight across to one ski, you will not change direction instantly, you need to have enough patience to keep your weight there until you start to turn.
• Not bringing the skis to parallel properly as you go across the slope - Many people have too much weight on the uphill ski as they come out of the turn, and struggle to bring the skis parallel. As long as your weight is on the downhill ski, the uphill ski should be easy to move into the parallel position.

More general common mistakes can be found in the Common Mistakes page of the Learning to Ski section.

Tips:

• Practise at first on a slope that is not too steep, and take your time through the turns. Stem turns will enable you to go faster and down steeper pistes than snowplough turns, but you need to get used to the extra speed first or you can start rushing the turns and lose the correct technique.
• Taking ski lessons will introduce you to skiing exercises based on how people learn to ski in real life, so that you learn to stem turn with the correct technique.

On to the Sideways Sliding section.