Long Radius Turns
You'll discover how little effort a properly tipped ski requires to carve — and that revelation will upgrade every other turn you make.
Wide, sweeping arcs that use the full width of a groomed run — the technique that builds edge confidence and exposes the true feeling of ski geometry doing the work.
Watch & Learn
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Key Moments
Wide arcs give you more time to feel edge loading — the ski does the work if you let it
Start tipping the ski well before the fall line — give the geometry time to engage
Feel the build-up of pressure through the turn — it peaks just past the fall line
Release both edges simultaneously and tip to the new edges — no pivot or twist
What It Should Feel Like
- ✓A slow, building G-force through the bottom of each arc — satisfying and reassuring
- ✓The ski pulling you through the turn rather than you steering it — let it happen
- ✓A smooth, almost lazy quality to each arc that somehow feels powerful
Common Mistakes & Fixes
Rushing the arc and cutting it short
Follow the turn all the way until your skis point across the hill before transitioning
Twisting the ski into the turn instead of tipping it
Roll the ankle and knee to tip the ski — rotation kills edge grip immediately
Too upright with no angulation
Drive the knee into the hill through the arc — creates the edge angle that makes the ski grip
Practice Drills
Full-width traverses: ski from edge to edge of the entire groomed run before each turn — slows you down and forces complete arcs
Railroad tracks: ski slow long arcs and look back at your tracks — two thin parallel lines confirm a true carve
Arms-out balance: extend arms wide like wings through each long arc — any wobble is immediately obvious and teaches balance in the turn