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Softening the Spine

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Often skiers ski with a very straight or arched back. This position puts the skier’s head slightly back and limits the range of motion to absorb terrain.

I was looking for something else and found these notes from skiing with the wonderful and awesome Megan Harvey at National Academy.

Softening and rounding out the spine allows for a greater range of motion and a more balanced position with the hips over the feet. In Megan’s words this creates “options and opportunities” in all types of terrain and conditions.

Try this by doing a cat stretch, relax your spine, pull your stomach in and tuck your tail  in. Or imagine someone dropping a 10 pound bag on your back from above. What position would you be in? In a skier with a soft and rounded spine you can see a half circle in both the arms and back.

To reinforce this, Megan had us do a drill that brought on basketball practice flashbacks. With our skis off we partnered up, partners faced each other in an athletic stance. One partner would shuffle back and forth horizontally and the other would follow. It’s impossible not to get in the right position doing this exercise, it’s also very easy to move and stay balanced.
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