The most useful turn type

Short turns are one of the most useful turn types a skier can make. A great short turn can help you weave through crowds, ski steeper runs with control and give you confidence in the trees and bumps. However they are also one of the most difficult turns to master. This is no surprise when you take into consideration how quickly you need to turn your skis from side to side as well as coordinate the timing of pressure to the edges to make them grip! In this article I want to help you develop your skiing skills and improve your short turns using a drill called hockey stops.

My Hockey Stops Won Me a Belt Buckle (and Nearly Took Me Out)

Back in 2008, I threw my hat in the ring for the PSIA Demo Team—an elite group that showcases the best ski instructors in the U.S. Getting in isn’t easy. Think Ninja Warrior, but on skis. The selection process is a gauntlet of technical challenges designed to test your skill, precision, and nerve. One-ski skiing, perfect arcs on refrozen coral-reef snow, short turns with your poles behind your back—this isn’t your average ski day.

This story takes place during one of the qualifying rounds in the stunning Rocky Mountains. Nerves were already high, but then came a surprise announcement: the top performer of the day would win a limited-edition PSIA belt buckle. Game on. My competitive fire was lit. I was ready to channel my inner cowboy. Yeehaa—let’s ride.

We worked through a series of technical tasks. Then came the final challenge: hockey stops on a steep groomer. Simple in concept, but the judges wanted power, precision, and control.

Pumped full of adrenaline, I launched into my first hockey stop at mach speed. I cranked my skis 90 degrees and slammed the edges in like my life depended on it. A massive plume of snow erupted, creating a blizzard of cold smoke. I was completely hidden from view. Probably for the best—because I promptly toppled backward into the hill.

Buried in snow and ego, I scrambled up fast and gave it another go. This time I dialed it in. Sharp edge set, clean spray, pole plant—textbook. Apparently, that’s what the judges were after (or maybe they missed the first attempt entirely), because I walked away with the prize: that glorious belt buckle.

I didn’t make the demo team that year—but my hockey stop legend was born. And ever since, I’ve refined the move into something that’s not just flashy—but functional. Here’s how practicing hockey stops can actually improve your short turns…

THE HOCKEY STOP

Teaches you precision with edging

WHAT IS A HOCKEY STOP?

A hockey stop is when the skier turns their legs quickly, then sets their edges with firm pressure to stop. It comes from Ice Hockey where players must stop quickly and change direction to follow the puck. The accuracy with balance and timing needs to be on point in order to execute such a fast stopping action. This is exactly why we’re going to use this drill to improve your skiing.

STOP WITH ACCURACY

When I teach students a hockey stop, I get them to focus on being able to stop on a chosen point. If you picture a gymnast flipping off of a vault and landing completely still when they hit the mat, this accuracy is the same sort of ending we are aiming for in our hockey stops. It is always surprising for my students to discover just how hard this accurate stopping is! They keep sliding forward, lose their balance (like I did behind the cloud of snow) or keep skidding downhill. To perform a hockey STOP and actually STOP quickly, you must turn your skis fast and tip your lower legs rapidly to get the edges to grip. Composing your upper body like a gymnast is what you will need to practice as it helps the edges bite even better.

If your balance is a little too far forward or back you may find you keep moving. To help with improving your accuracy, try picking a spot on the snow. Like a ski track or pile of snow. Aim to stop on this exact spot with accuracy. Just like a gymnast aims to land after jumping off their equipment. I want to encourage you to keep practicing for at least 25 times each side. Pay attention to where the pressure is under your feet when you do achieve success and stop like a statue. I feel that I apply pressure evenly from the big toe to the heel. This makes the ski grip from tip to tail.

It may take multiple days of practice to get consistent with stopping on the spot. Don’t be discouraged keep at it! We need to feel into this exercise and learn what helps us stop with accuracy. By refining this skill it will translate into having greater control with our speed and direction of our short turns.

TURNING YOUR SKIS QUICKLY

Lets now focus on being able to turn your skis quickly. This skill will help you vary the size of your short turns. For instance a really quick short turn to dodge and weave between tight trees. At this stage we will be doing our hockey stops in a narrow corridor. I use the edge of a ski run to create one side of the corridor and imagine a wall for the other. About one cat track width wide. This constrains us into having to make quicker rotations of our skis. You are measuring your success at this stage by these two goals:

Staying within the corridor
Stopping with gymnast like form with a solid stable core

PRACTICE SKIING A CORRIDOR

ADD THE POLE PLANT

The final touch to the hockey stop drill is adding the pole plant. There are two critical things about the pole plant:

The timing of when you plant the pole.
Using the pole plant action to drive your weight into the downhill ski edge.

TIMING OF POLE PLANT

The pole should ideally plant just after your edges have stopped you. This will teach you to rely on your feet to provide the balance and stopping power as opposed to the pole plant. If you plant the pole too early it can get in your way and even trip you up. By waiting a split second longer the he pole plant will then help us with point two, driving more pressure to the downhill ski edge.

POLE PLANT HELPS PRESSURE THE DOWNHILL SKI

You may notice in the photo how there is an angle in Tom’s body between the lower body and upper body. This is hip angulation and helps him direct his upper body weight into the downhill ski to make the edge dig in and grip. I coach people to reach the pole plant far downhill to help exaggerate this feeling. You may even begin to feel a pole vaulting feeling as the downhill edge really bites. If your uphill ski comes off the snow, this is a good sign you are starting to get it.

Remember how I told you about falling uphill after blasting a heap of snow in my hockey stop? If I had focused on this pole plant reach downhill I would have fixed my balance problem and stayed upright. Don’t forget to work on this critical piece as it will also help you link your short turns.

Learn Deeper Insights Into Ski Pole Use

Checkout the upper body and pole use category of videos

LEARN MORE

KEVIN SKIING TO THE BEAT

TAKE THE BELT BUCKLE TITLE

Using the hockey stop is a great way to train your short turns. I love this drill for its ability to transform the end of the turn. It will make your turns feel “snappier” and you will have more fun doing them. The work you put in will lead to you feeling more confident in tighter spaces and give you control on steeper runs. I encourage you to take a long term approach to your skiing and see what happens after working on your short turns for a winter or two. Perhaps one day you will challenge me for the “Hockey Stops Belt Buckle Title”!

For a deeper dive on the hockey stop progression check out the video “Better Short Turns Using Hockey Stops” on Big Picture Skiing. https://bigpictureskiing.com/programs/short-turns-webinar

KEVIN JORDAN

Kevin Jordan is a two-time member of the PSIA-AASI National Alpine Team, a trainer with the Aspen Snowmass Ski and Snowboard School, an alpine examiner for PSIA-AASI-Rocky Mountain, and a member of the Big Picture Skiing community. He has trained with Tom in The Big Picture Skiing Academy.

PROGRESSION FOR SHORT TURNS AND MORE

Check out the full short turn progression lesson from Big Picture Skiing. There are progressions for carving, advanced moguls and the perfect parallel turn too.