When you are cruising around on two skis and feeling like you are ready for the next challenge, then this is it. This article is one in a group that aims to give you as many tips as possible to get skiing on one ski.
After this article, go here for tips on riding the single ski once you have dropped the other.
This article will give advice on doing deepwater starts, as you will lose skis if you always drop them. Feel free to try this without dropping a ski, many people can do it, but it is nice that there is an intermediate step if you need it.
And this article is tips for one-handed turns, for when you are really pushing the envelope.
Tip 1. – Be Really Comfortable Moving Around On 2 Skis
Before moving to one ski, you want to make sure that you “Own” Skiing on two. The better you can make sure you have the basics here dialled, the quicker your transition to one ski will be much smoother, and smooth is fast.
Tip 2. – Get From The Sitting Position Up To Hips Close To Handle
You will likely have spent a lot of time in the seat like position as you first got used to skiing. Now is the time to rise up out of that chair, and begin getting you hips closer to the handle.
You will see skier who all still have their butt back somewhat, but consciously thinking to raise it will improve the stability and strength of your position.
Eventually, you will be wanting to almost lead your movements from the hips and to do this, it will feel like your hips are in front of your ankles.
Tip 3. – Lift One Ski At A Time Out Of The Water
This will help make you more body aware. As you shift weight from ski to ski, think of your hips moving from side to side over the top of them.
Try to do it while skiing in a straight line, as this demonstrates reasonable balance control.
This will get you prepared to de-weight one ski to drop it, it will also show you which leg you are more stable on, so you know which ski your want to drop when the time is right.
Tip 4. – Your Ankles And Knees Are Your Primary Suspension
As you raise up your hips, it begins to feel like it locks them from flexing as easily, this is ok. Focus on letting your ankles and knees flex before letting your hips flex.
This allows your legs to absorb the majority of the wakes and any other bumps you may run into.
Your upper body will be less disrupted this way, keeping your center of mass stable and smooth will increase all control.
Tips 5. – Keep Your Chest Up
Be big and confident with your chest as you stand behind the boat. Along with bringing your hips up, keep your chest up as well.
Tip 6. – Keep Elbows By Your Side
By keeping your elbows to your side, you will make sure that the pull from the boat is better connected to your core, which is where the majority of your weight and strength resides. If you think of pushing your elbows down, you will feel your Lats engage, this gives a strong, supported upper body.
Tip 7. – Work On Your Body Awareness
The better connected to your own body you are, the quicker you will be able to make improvements. So when you are out on two skis or on any towed device, always take some time to feel out your body. How does it move, where do I feel the strongest, what makes me feel unbalanced?
Having body awareness will come naturally with time and practice, but, you can significantly decrease that time by merely making an effort to pay more attention for a few minutes each time you are out.
Tip 8. – Don’t Worry About Falling
If you’re not falling, you’re not trying anything new. You are not at the speeds where the water hurts. Unless you don’t know how to let the handle go, make sure you get to fixing that problem asap.
Tip 9. – Do Less, Don’t Fight It, Guide it
Water is very powerful, and once it has a hold of something, then it doesn’t like to let it go. So when you are out on the water, think of guiding the water with as little effort as possible. Don’t think of fighting it and trying to get it under your control, cause that won’t happen.
We have to find the balance point between manipulating pull from the boat and sending pull through our bodies and ski.
Nothing on the water happens instantaneously, you have to start all moves slowly and accelerate them. This is how you make the water and ski do what you want. Anticipate your own moves and begin moving early to give yourself time to get into position.
Tip 10. – How To Hold The Handle For Single Skiing
When on double skis, you will likely have both hands over the top of the handle. There is also a baseball-ish way of holding the handle, though it depends on which foot forward you are.
Right foot forward skiers will hold the handle with the left hand on top, so the left hand appears to come from under the handle when you lay the handle flat.
Left foot forward skiers will have the right hand on top and coming from under when holding the handle flat.
What does it matter?? If you will never ever try for the slalom course, then not much.
If you ever want to get in the course, though, start out with the correct grip. What it does is drastically change your body position into a buoy, when you do a one-handed turn. Having your hands line up with your feet, keep your body from twisting and breaking out of your strong position through the turn.
Tip 11. – Use A Bar/Boom
Whenever you are trying something new, having a bar available makes a huge difference. The stability it offers is unparalleled for beginners.
Tip 12. – Keep Your Eyes Up
What colour are your skis?? Cool, Mines White, Red, And Black. Now don’t look at it again.
When you drop a ski, you will need to be keeping your eyes up to maintain your balance. You go where your eyes go, so if you look down, you will go down.
Practice lifting skis etc. without looking at them before you drop the ski, so you are more comfortable and familiar with the feelings.
Tip 13. – Know Which Is Your Dominant Foot
Before you head out to drop a ski, make sure you know which foot you want to be in front. This will be the same foot that you have forwards when skating or snowboarding.
If you need to figure out which you are, then have someone gently push you from behind while you don’t expect it, and see which foot goes out the front first.
Tips For Dropping The Ski
Tip 14. – Pick The Ski That Has The Rubber Loop On The Back
This loop is referred to as a kicker, it is where you will put your back foot. When you drop your ski, you will want that to put your foot in, or on top of, if your foot is too big.
Tip 15. – Use A Double Wide Ski
If you have a set of double wide skis, then you can use them. They will be the best for keeping you stable as you drop the other ski and staying stable as you ski on a single for the first time.
When you move to deepwater starts, though, be aware that they can make you wobble a bit as the boat first starts going.
Tip 16. – Have The Drop Ski Be Old And Visible
There is a risk that you will lose the drop ski each time you go out. So you should make sure the ski is old a non-essential for other skiing. Put some reflective tape on the bottom, maybe.
Tip 17. – Designate Someone To Keep An Eye On The Dropped Ski
If you have kids with you, then charge one of them with not losing sight of it. If it is a real issue, then maybe attach a rope with a buoy that releases with the ski. I’m sure you can come up with something inventive to keep track of it now that you are thinking of it.
Tip 18. – Plan The Drop
Skier and driver can make a plan for when and where the skier is to drop their ski. If they have a dock at the lake house say, then you can do a lap of the lake, ski passed and drop the ski right in front of the house. Make sure to watch for it when you come back, though.
If you are out on the lake, will you pick up the skier or the ski first if the skier comes off?? Are you going to circle back to the dropped ski and have the skier let go the handle when they get back there??
Tip 19. Pick The Right Spot On The Lake
Pick an area of the lake where you can go rather straight and generally has low levels of traffic. Skiers on a single ski for the first time may find corners difficult, so give yourself enough room to continue straight or do slow corners.
Don’t drop the ski too close to the shore if there are lots of trees or people. If there is a small beach that no one is using, then it might be a perfect spot for the ski to wash up on and wait.
Tip 20. – Pick The Right Conditions
If you have the option to go out in nice weather, that is always a bonus. But what if you don’t get much of a say in the conditions when you ski?
Drive directly into the wind or away from it. Driving into the wind can be nice because it helps to keep the rope tight, which makes us feel super connected to the boat. Away from the wind and the chop might be easier, but you may bounce on the rope a little because of the tailwind.
Don’t drive sideways to the wind if you can help it, not fun for the driver or the skier.
Tip 21. – Drop The Speed A Little
If you bring the speed back by 5km/3mph as the skier is dropping the ski, then they will sit a little lower in the water, giving a fraction more stability for what they are trying to do.
Tip 22. – Start Outside The Wake
Try to always do your ski drop outside the wake. The water is calmer and more consistent outside of the boat wash. This will give you a cleaner surface to try to drop the ski on. Also, if you are dropping the ski in a certain location, then it helps as the boat wake will push it a little further along.
You would use the inside of the wake if the conditions were too rough. If there is chop out to the sides, then do the drop inside the wakes, no worries.
Tip 23. – Maintain A Pull And Lean Away From The Boat
As you move out the side of the wake, lean away from the boat and pull out to the side. Maintain that pull in a balance point, so you are skiing in a straight line. You will notice most of your weight on one leg. It will now be a little easier to move the rest of your weight to the same leg and drop the other ski while still leaning slightly out to the side.
If you pull out to the left of the boat, you would have all your weight through your right leg and drop the left ski
If you pull out the right side of the wake, you will drop the right ski.
Tip 24. – The Slow Scooter Push
Pretend to do and ‘air-push’ on a scooter. Dropping a ski is just like toding that push, we just want no weight through that foot as wel do it.
Let the foot to drop a ski slowly lag behind the other, all your weight should be moving to the ski leg. Continue letting your foot travel back until the heel is out and only the toes remain in the binding.
Tip 25. – The Last Of Your Weight Drops Back Through Your Toes
As the foot drops back think of transitioning the last of the weight through your toes. Most weight should be through the other leg already. Pressing down with your toes will help control the ski so it doesn’t hit your ankles as it falls away.
Tip 26. – As The Ski Falls Away, Point Your Toe As it leaves the binding.
This is to help the binding come off the foot, as it can sometimes stick. Pointing the toe will keep them pointing down towards the water. You want the toes to be down so you don’t catch your foot, and so that you can gently find the back kicker without causing yourself to wobble all over the place or miss.
Tip 27. – Drag A Toe For Balance
If you need to take a moment before trying to put your foot in the binding, don’t stress, just let your toe drag in the water next to the ski.
This is not so the foot can take weight, it is that you have another point of contact which will inherantly stregthen your balance.
Tip 28. – Put Your Foot In The Kicker, Or On Top Of It
If the thought of putting your foot into the kicker is too much, don’t worry, just place it on top of the rubber instead.
I have wide feet so I have never been able to use a kicker, always double boot. But Dropping a ski is so that you can ski on one before you learn how to deepwater start. So make the most of it and just rest the foot there if need be.
Tip 29. – Slow Your Moves
All the moves you are making should be done with exagerated slowness. If you can do this slowly then it means you are in more control, and stand a way better chance at succedding. All moves after the ski hase droped should be slow too.
Tip 29. – Be Strong And Tall On That Back Leg
Once the back foot is in place, put some weight through it, for the time being go for 50/50 between feet. But be sure your back leg is nice and tall, not straight, but lifting the back hip up to the height of the handle.
Tip 30. – Focus on Bringing Your Hips Up
Now that you are on one ski, you may be amazed at how much higher you can now get your hips to the handle. Move through with this and start getting the feeling of hip connection to the pull as soon as you can.
Tip 31. – Go Here for tips on what to do once you have dropped the ski, and Here for doing deepwater starts. They are my next 2 articles to help you single ski.
Disclaimer
The tips here are a collection of the tools I use while coaching. Not all these tips will work together, and some may even be contradictory to some degree. A lot may be missing as coaches tailor advice to the individual and their previous experiences.
Without being there to see you ski, I don’t know which of these tools to give you to maximize your learning curve. Every person is different and reacts differently to the same advice. I put so much in here to accommodate as many different learning styles as possible.
Not all the tips here will work for you. The idea here is to get you thinking along the right lines about the fundamentals. Use whatever tips make sense to you, and use the rest as inspiration to experiment on the water. Find out exactly what makes you feel the most comfortable, and use it, because comfort is the main goal. If you’re comfortable, fun and progression come easily.