Stem (skiing)

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Skiing techniques

The stem technique in skiing is a method for turning the skier. It is usually credited to the Austrian Mathias Zdarsky who developed it in the 1890s. Its variations gradually replaced the telemark technique in Alpine skiing.

The technique involves stemming the uphill ski. Stemming is pushing the tail of the ski outward—skidding it across snow—from a parallel position with the downhill ski to form a V shape where the tips of the skis are close together and the tails far apart. Initially the stemming ski has relatively little pressure applied—much less than half the skier's weight. After the ski is stemmed, most of the skiers weight is then transferred to initiate a change in direction.

Stem variants

The variations of the stem turn are:

These variants form the basis of the Austrian Arlberg Technique and instruction system developed by Hannes Schneider.

See also

References

[1] http://www.mechanicsofsport.com/skiing/manoeuvres/stem_turn.html

[2] http://www.ski-jungle.com/better-skiing/ch2.htm#stem-turn

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