Glossary
Athletic Stance
Athletic Stance
The most comfortable and energy efficient stance to ski in. In this center balanced stance, the hips are positioned above the feet, and the shoulders and head above the hips. The hands are held comfortably in front, and the feet are apart such that keeping the skis flat on the snow requires no contortion of the legs. It's a structurally aligned stance, also called stacked, that allows the muscles to relax, and the bones to resist the strong external forces that act on the body as we ski. While not a static stance that a skier never waivers from, it's a home base stance that a skier moves in and out of thorough different cycles of a turn, but always returns to when possible. This stance is only possible if the a skier's boots are properly set up to their feet and body structure.
While still potentially a center balanced stance, the hunched stance you see here employs extra flexion in the ankles, knees, and waist. When this stance is a skiers default stance, it places heavy strain on the thigh muscles.
