GoLeap Field School · 04 / 06 · Gulmarg · Auli · Solang
Tip it on edge. Let the ski turn you.
Skis turn because of their shape. Each one is narrower underfoot than at the tip and tail: the sidecut. Roll a ski onto its edge and it bends into an arc, and it follows that arc through the snow. Beginners steer with a wedge (the snowplough); good skiers tip both skis on edge and carve.
- R cos θ
- Turn radius from the ski's sidecut and your edge angle
- 80%
- Of UV bounced back by fresh snow
- 10
- FIS rules every skier on the piste follows
01 · Skiing
Edge lab
Tip the ski on edge and watch the turn tighten. Go faster on the same edge and feel how much more you'd have to lean. Tilt the slope to see which colour a run would be.
13.9mTurn radius
35°Lean into the turn
0.7gSideways force
RedIntermediate: up to 40%
Radius = sidecut × cos(edge). More edge, tighter turn; more speed on the same arc, more lean.