I've heard a lot of our instructors talking about "feeling the side of the foot" when turning the legs. When I ask if they can feel the side of their big toe during bow-ties or figure 8's in boots, they say they do. Here's a secret: I don't . And no, it's not because I have boots three sizes too big. So can we really expect our beginner skiers to feel a such subtle difference - resistance from the side of the boot versus pressure down onto the foot? That downward pressure isn't desired at the beginner level - it means our skiers are either tipping the skis on edge without control over turn radius or (more likely) are pressuring the outside ski to turn, a strategy that will not promote progression to parallel. Part of learning any sport is becoming familiar with and paying attention to the sensations. In another post, I'll discuss how you can tune into sensations to improve your skiing. For now, lets think about it from the beginner s