Skate Technique
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Beginner
-I am working on putting my skis and poles on correctly and taking them off
-I rely largely on my poles to create forward movement and propel myself down the trail
-I use my poles for balance
-I am not sure WHEN to use my poles relative to my skis
-I prefer to keep both skis on the snow at the same time
-I have never successfully executed a snowplow or:
-I can use a snowplow to slow my speed on straight, gradual downhills, but have difficulty stopping quickly
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Advanced Beginner
-I can put my skis and poles on correctly and take them off with ease
-I can skate without poles for short periods on the flats
-I can ski using 1 out of the 3 poling techniques, (V1, V2, or V2-A)
-I can bring myself to a complete stop using a snowplow
-I can execute individual snowplow turns to the left or right
-I am beginning to connect multiple snowplow turns, one after the other
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Intermediate (-)
-I can ski flats and gradual inclines without poles (green/easy/beginner trails)
-I can ski using 2 or 3 out of the 3 poling techniques, (V1, V2, V2-A)
-I can bring myself to a complete stop quickly using a snow plow
-I can link snowplow turns and navigate natural curves in the trail
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Intermediate
-I can ski flats and moderate inclines without poles (blue/intermediate/moderate trails)
-I have attempted all 3 poling techniques, (V1, V2, V2-A), but need clarification on the differences between them
-I can stop on a downhill using a snowplow and am also practicing my hockey stop
-I can execute skate turns on flat or gradual downhill corners
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Intermediate (+)
-I can ski flats and moderate inclines confidently without poles and am attempting some steeper hills without poles (black/advanced/most difficult trails)
-I can ski use all 3 poling techniques (V1, V2, V2-A), and have a clear understanding of which is which and when to use them
-I am most comfortable doing V1 on one side or the other (L or R)
-I can stop using a snow plow or hockey stop
-I can use skate/step turns to maintain momentum on most downhill corners
-I have attempted parallel turns
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Advanced
-I can ski any terrain without poles (including sustained/steep uphills)
-I can identify the appropriate technique for different speed and terrain
-I can execute both V1 and V2-Alternate on either right or left side
-I can transition seamlessly between techniques (V1, V2, V2-A) including right side V1 to left side V1
-I can stop smoothly using a snow plow or hockey stop
-I can perform a wedge turn, skate turn, or parallel turn smoothly on almost any downhill
Classic Technique
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Beginner
-I am working on putting my skis and poles on correctly and taking them off
-I am more comfortable moving down the trail with poles than without
-I use my poles more for stability, than an additional source of propulsion
-I prefer to keep both skis on the snow at the same time
-I have never successfully executed a snowplow or:
-I can use a snowplow to slow my speed on straight, gradual downhills, but have difficulty stopping quickly
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Advanced Beginner
-I can put my skis and poles on correctly and take them off with ease
-I can stride without poles on flats and small uphills
-I have been introduced to both diagonal striding and double pole
-I can bring myself to a complete stop using a snowplow
-I can execute individual snowplow turns to the left or right
-I am beginning to connect multiple snowplow turns, one after the other
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Intermediate (-)
-I can stride confidently without poles on flats and sustained gradual uphills (green/easy/beginner trails)
-I use both diagonal striding and double pole regularly throughout my ski
-I am not familiar with kick double pole
-I can bring myself to a complete stop quickly using a snow plow
-I can link snowplow turns and navigate natural curves in the trail
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Intermediate
-I can diagonal stride confidently without poles on all (blue/intermediate/moderate trails), but find my ski slipping occasionally
-I sometimes hear my rear ski slapping down on the snow behind me
-I have been introduced to and/or attempted the kick double pole technique
-I can stop on a downhill using a snowplow and am also practicing my hockey stop
-I can execute step turns on flat or gradual downhill corners
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Intermediate (+)
-I can diagonal stride without poles on most terrain
-I can diagonal stride, double pole, and kick double pole, but need a reminder of when to use which technique
-I can stop using a snow plow or hockey stop
-I can use skate/step turns to maintain momentum on most downhill corners
-I have attempted parallel turns
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Advanced
-I can diagonal stride almost any terrain confidently without poles (including sustained/steeper uphills) and can run, herringbone, or half herringbone efficiently with poles to maintain speed and momentum on steeper inclines
-I can identify the appropriate technique for different speed and terrain
-I can transition smoothly between double pole, kick double pole, diagonal striding, and herringbone to maintain momentum as the terrain changes
-I can double pole uphill
-I can stop smoothly using a snow plow or hockey stop
-I can perform a wedge turn, step turn, or parallel turn smoothly on almost any downhill