One Groomer, One Challenge: Building Transferable Ski Skills
11/15/20262 min read
You have one groomed run, a mixed group of instructors, and twenty minutes before everyone needs to return to the meeting area. Early in the season, it can be tempting to use each lap for a different drill. Instead, keep one skiing problem in play long enough for participants to explore possible solutions—and notice whether those solutions carry into free skiing.
Set the challenge: Can you change the size of your turns while keeping your speed within a comfortable range? This matters in real lessons when available space changes, a guest needs a slower pace, or the group must follow a different line. Choose a quiet, open stretch suited to everyone’s ability. If snow coverage, traffic, or visibility reduces the available room, shorten the segment or select easier terrain.
Establish a Baseline
Pair participants and have them take turns skiing four to six linked turns at their usual size. Ask the observing partner to notice where the skier gains speed and whether an abrupt braking move is needed to control it. The skier should also consider whether the pace felt manageable. This first pass gives the pair a reference point for what changes during the task.
Expect varied starting points. One instructor may make broad turns and carry more speed; another may use short turns that feel rushed. Both can work toward the same outcome, but the appropriate level of challenge will differ. Use what you observe to tailor the task rather than asking every skier to make the same adjustment.
Change One Variable
On the next pass, keep the terrain and general line comparable. Ask each skier to make their turns slightly smaller while maintaining roughly the same speed. Begin with a modest change they can evaluate. If their usual turns are already tight, reverse the challenge and ask for slightly larger turns. Give them several attempts before changing another part of the task.
Watch how they respond. A skier may make a turn smaller by cutting off its finish, then accelerate into the next one. Another may begin redirecting earlier and find a turn shape that keeps the pace steady. Rather than immediately prescribing a movement, ask: “Which attempt made it easier to start the next turn at the speed you wanted?” The answer can guide the next step—another try, a revised target, or a brief cue.
Offer a Cue Only When Needed
If a skier needs help, connect the cue to something you saw. For example: “Your skis stayed pointed downhill longer on those smaller turns. Try letting them come back across the hill a little more before starting the next one.” Keep the cue focused on the outcome and allow the skier to test it. Avoid adding several technical instructions at once; the task should remain the main source of information.
Check for Transfer
Before returning to the meeting area, invite each participant to ski a short section freely. Ask them to choose their own turn size while managing a comfortable pace. The partner can look for whether the skier adjusts turn shape without relying on abrupt braking. Finish with a brief conversation: What changed? Which solution felt useful? Where might it help in a lesson?
A single early-season groomer can provide a useful clinic when the challenge is clear and only one task variable changes at a time. The aim is not to produce identical turns. It is to help instructors recognize options, make appropriate adjustments, and carry a workable solution into their skiing—and their teaching.