Traversing is the means by which you can go across the hill without sliding down and, along
with stopping, it is one of the key pieces of the skiing jigsaw puzzle. This is probably what most
learners of the sport find the most awkward transition, yet it is the position which CAN come most
naturally - if you let it! Imagine that someone is trying to pull you down the hill by your lower pole
and you are trying to resist it. You automatically adopt an excellent traverse position. So, before
you start traversing, bear in mind that you CAN do it.
The key to feeling comfortable when you are standing with your skis sideways across the
hill, is to keep most of your weight on the bottom ski (that being the ski closest to the bottom of
the hill). Direct this weight over the inside edge of your lower ski, by moving your knee over the
inside of your ski boot. It sounds complicated, but really all you are doing is the same as if you
were climbing sideways up a hill in your shoes (digging in). You try to keep the soles of your shoe
horizontal to the slope so that you feel the inside of your lower leg gripping on the grass.
Stand in this position, let your knees flex slightly forward and relax. Now lift your head up and
look forward, and then down the hill in the direction in which you are going to travel.
If you keep your hands just in view when you have turned your head slightly, your might just find
yourself in the correct position! You should feel as if you could be sitting sideways on a fence.
Take your hand which is highest up the hill and reach over to the outside of your lower knee. If
you find this easy, then you are standing well over your skis. If it is difficult, then slide your higher
foot forward a little and take nearly all your weight off it while you reach round. If you are still
finding it difficult, this is because you are not feeling in control and are too tense.
Before you begin to move, it is important to feel that you have control of your speed in this
maneuver by varying the extent to which your skis point downhill. If they are pointing straight
across the hill, you will stop. Point the tips a little bit down the hill and you will gradually slide
forwards. Point them further down the hill, and you will accelerate more quickly.
If you push off with your poles and slide smoothly across the hill, you will find that you stay in
control as long as your weight is over your lower ski and you are looking well down the hill. This
is important, as it helps you to see where you're going. If the slope gets steeper, adjust by allowing
your lower knee to come over the inside of the boot more. You will find that you will have to sit
more sideways on the fence' to keep that weight on the lower ski. Try doing this both to the right
and left across the hill, aiming for a spot each time so that you feel that you can control your
direction. Always be patient and never try to rush through this exercise. Start off when you are
feeling comfortable and breathe out as you are sliding across the hill. If you feel that you are
sliding away down the hill, look to see where you might slide to. You'll probably simultaneously
stop sliding that way. When you feel comfortable doing this over slightly bumpier terrain, try lifting
your inside ski to get good control and balance on just the one ski. Don't forget to do this exercise
both to the left and the right. To master this exercise properly, bounce up and down gently while
keeping one ski a few inches in the air. Your lower leg should always be flexible, not taut or tense.
You are on your way to becoming an expert, so stick with it.
If you are traversing, to remember the correct position, just think that you should be sitting on the side of a fence.
