Dry Slopes- Gyms for All Mountain TechniqueSaturday, 20 October 2012 | Evan
But it doesn't have to be like that. We have fantastic artificial facilities, both indoor snow and dry slopes, here in the UK where you can practice all year round. Dry slopes in particular offer a relatively cheap way to ski regularly- it's perfectly feasible to ski for a couple of hours for under a tenner. OK, these slopes are limited in terrain and length (at least you won't need your avalanche kit and airbag rucksack!), and it's obviously not the same sort of open, ever-changing environment as mountain skiing. But you can practice all of the movements that you need for all-mountain skiing on an artificial slope. Want to practice your technique for steeps? Try a few laps of short swings to practice your rotatory movements. Want to practice for deeps? Try some pushing/pressure type turns or some cross-unders. Want to practice your carving? Introduce some drills to get those lateral movements going, or even better, join a race club (by the way, with modern kit it's perfectly feasible to carve on dry slopes, but you need decent technique- if your carving isn't spot on, the dry slope will find you out). If you keep at it regularly, you'll start the new season at least as good as you were before, and most likely much better. You'll be well prepared for the steeps, deeps and cruisers and your general ski balance will have improved as well. Get out there and do it! To get you started at your local slope, here is an interactive map of UK dry and artificial snow ski slopes.
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