How to Make a Stem-Christie Turn on Skis
After you've mastered the snowplow turn and you've become accustomed to more speed, the stem christie (also known as the wedge christie) is the next turn to learn.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Form a snowplow (see 'Make a Snowplow Turn on Skis') before you begin your turn.
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2
Begin increasing pressure on the inside ski that you want to use to initiate the turn'the left ski if you're turning right, or the right ski if you're turning left.
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3
Turn right by pointing your left arm to your right ski tip while holding your arms out in front of you. Do the opposite to turn left.
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4
Touch the pole to the ground (on the right, for example, to turn right) a bit in front of your body, and turn around the planted pole. Increase pressure on the inside edge of the ski you want to turn. If you want to turn right, you put pressure on the left ski by pushing down with your left big toe.
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5
Allow the tail of your inside ski to slide down toward your outside ski as you finish the turn. This is known as matching or parallel skiing. This step is the goal of the stem-christie turn. As the hill becomes steeper and you start skiing faster, your skis will naturally want to come together through the turn.
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6
Keep your hands up and in front of your body throughout the turn.
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7
Finish your turn with your skis together.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Look downhill the entire time, not at your skis.
The faster you're going, the easier it is to do a stem-christie turn.
As you become more comfortable with the stem christie, form your wedge later and later before the turn.
Increase pressure on your edges to make the turn more crisp.
Skiing is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or even death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.
