If I had to choose one simple thing about top-level ski technique, would be that of ankle flexion. More so, if I had to pick the one thing that separates good skiers from really experts, would be that of the ankle flexion great skiers can generate at the top of the turn.
Regarding skiing technique main fundamentals, in addition to having an athletic stance, outside ski main balance, and a stable upperbody, ankle flexion is the other absolutely key aspect for high-performance turns. Ankle flexion is something paramount and critical to effective skiing. So let’s deep dive into it…
CLARIFICATION: It is accurate to point out that for the skier to be in the athletic stance (AKA basic position) and remain in balance (fore-aft), it is mandatory to always have some amount or degree of ankle flexion. It is this ankle flexion what allows us to be centered on the skis and in a position where we can “attack”, instead of being “reactive” in our skiing.
Having said that, on this post we are referring to “ankle flexion” as the brief movement of increasing the amount of flexion on the outside ankle primarly, that occurs at turn initiation. That is, using the shin muscles (tibialis anterior) to close the angle between the shin and the top of our foot (also referred to as ankle dorsiflexion).
The Why
Elite skiers can strongly flex the outside ankle and really “crush” the front part of the boot (generating the so-called boot-tongue pressure) at the beginning of the turn. They are great in driving the shin forward into the boot at initiation. They do so in order to initiate with the ski tip. It is well known that to start the turn correctly we have to make the outside ski tip “bite the snow” first, by loading or pressuring it. This is mainly achieved through the rapid flexing of the outside ankle and pressing the shin against the tongue of the boot. Getting that ski tip pressure (or ”bite”) without flexing the ankle and squeezing the front part of the boot is almost impossible. Therefore, this movement of increasing the ankle flexion is mandatory to really get on top of your turn, and not to “fall behind”.
Even though in this article we focus mainly on the outside ankle, because it is the ankle of the stance ski, we should always look for to have matching ankle flexion on both ankles to be in the athletic stance. However, remember that the weight should be on the outside ski, so the inside boot tongue is never pressed or loaded.
It worths nothing mentioning that the steeper the slope, the more difficult it is to achieve that much sought “ski tip pressure”. In the steeps, we need to move even more forward in order to remain centered on the skis (AKA “perpendicular to the slope”), and the ankle flexion becomes even more tricky to get. That’s why only the best skiers can really perform on steep terrain.
In the picture above at the Seceda slopes in Val Gardena (amazing Italian Dolomites) you can see I’m pressuring the front part of the outside ski by driving the knee forward and down. It is clear that the shovel of the ski is quite flexed. Also please note that only the outside ski is deflected, and the inside ski remains straight because it is mainly unloaded. I’m 100% over the outside ski.
Ways to achieve ankle flexion:
There are several ways to generate ankle flexion or rather, there are some different “approaches or methods” to get it. But they all produce the same outcome, closing the front angle between the leg and the foot, thus increasing the shin-tongue pressure and the forward pressure on the shovel of the ski:
a) driving the knee forward
b) pulling the foot back using the hamstring muscles
c) a combination of the previous
For me in particular, moving or driving my outside knee forward while pulling my feet back (as a compound movement) is my preferred way to get strong ankle flexion at initiation. Anyway, the most common tip I’ve heard from race coaches is “option a”, that of trying to drive the outside knee forward in order to “put the knee over the toes”. “Try to find the front of the boots. “Knees to the skis!”
Ankle flexion is a quite counter-intuitive movement, that requires a lot of concentration and some expertise to perform it, and even more to really embrace it. It is a skill that takes a while to master, so if it seems difficult at first, don’t give up and keep trying! It is worth it!
When to do it
We should point out that this movement of increasing the ankle flexion and really “whacking hard” the front part of the boot is only done at turn initiation. Why is that? Because in good skiing the pressure on the ski translates from tip to tail throughout the turn. This is generated because the skier’s main plantar pressure point should always move from front to back in the foot, during each turn.
We use the entire ski (the “whole length of the tool”) in order to turn effectively. So, at the beginning of the turn we make the tip of the ski bite, then at the middle of the turn the center part of the ski, and at the end the tail of the ski is what is pressured against the snow. Finishing on the tails “closes” the turn properly, and propels us into the next one. Also, some speed is generated this way (key implication for racing).
Therefore, the fore-aft balance is dynamic, not static. It is in a constant cycle. In normal high-level skiing, skiers always go from being back at the end of one turn to being forward at initiation of the next one (as discussed here).
The more ankle flexion at initiation the better the skier
One study published in 2010 by T. Keränen et all. (LINK!!!), compared two groups of FIS-ranked athletes, group 1 ranked higher than group 2. This study demonstrated that both groups had the same kind of center of plantar pressure front-to-back movement, which is associated with the ski’s bending pattern during the turn (from tip to tail). The difference was that the higher-ranked athletes were able to produce more force in the frontal part of the foot (and thus to the ski tip) at turn initiation, than the group ranked lower.
In the picture above at the 2021 Killington (Vermont) Slalom World Cup, the G.O.A.T. Mikaela Shiffrin shows extreme outside ankle flexion. Please take a look at how close the outside knee is to the outside ski tip. Freaking A-mazing!!!
Testimonials
Jett Seymour is a US Ski Team Athlete from Steamboat Springs (Colorado), competing in Slalom and Giant Slalom. Sam Maes is a Belgium WC Athlete part of Team Global Racing. He was born in Belgium, but was raised in Austria. He competes in Slalom and Giant Slalom disciplines.
“Ankle flexion is the most simple fundamental thing everyone needs to have in their skiing. It allows you to be in a position where you can attack. It also allows you to build speed and pressure the ski. I try to flex my outside ankle hard, absolutely crush it at the top of the turn.”
“Driving the outside knee forward at the start of the turn is key in order to press the front part of the ski, and so when you then tip the knees inwards, you get that ski tip to bite. In this way the skis initiate correctly and the rest of the turn gets a lot easier. So the first and most important thing for me is to get the tip to initiate, and that I do by driving the outside knee forward first, and then in. Every turn starts like that. A lot of recreational skiers are too stiff in their knees and there is no knee drive forward, so they get no pressure of the shin against the tongue of the boot.”
A note on equipment
It is very important to point out that a big enemy of achieving ankle flexion is boots that are too stiff for the skier’s strength and/or ability level (flex number too high). So it is really important to use the proper ski boot for our body and/or skiing level in order to really achieve this ankle flexion at the top of the turn.
Keep ripping some arcs!
Fede,
Thank you for the great overview on increasing ankle flexion and fore-aft pressure. In my personal skiing experience, I’ve noticed that I get better ski response when I lift my toes. I feel like there’s extra space in the front of my boots. Should I consider using toe lift shims?
Hello Mark. Thanks for your comment. What you’re describing—lifting the toes, almost like a “pedaling” motion—can definitely help. It’s useful to play with those subtle movements to find what works best for your own mechanics.
That said, if you feel extra space between your shin and the boot cuff, that usually means the boot is too big. In that case, going down a shell size or looking at a more race-oriented boot with a tighter, narrower cuff would help a lot. Most race boots also have more forward lean, which would benefit you as well in terms of getting better pressure and response.
It would be important to know exactly which boot you’re using now to give more precise guidance. I always recommend working with a professional bootfitter for any adjustments or modifications, but it’s great that you’re experimenting on your own—playing around with these sensations is the best way to understand what works for you and your setup.
It would be a pleassure to train with you in teh near future… Cheers from Italy!
I am going to get a foot surgery for a bunion. They will be fusing the TMT joint. if the tmt joint is fused will that affect for-aft mechanics or is that joint not used much in skiing? (Lapidus, tarsal-metatarsal joint (TMT)fusion).
Hello Jeff, thanks for your comment. Here’s my take: when it comes to fore–aft movement, skiing relies mainly on the ankle, knee, and hip — not the midfoot or the TMT joint. So, that aspect shouldn’t be affected much. The only subtle difference you might notice is a slightly reduced “spring” or adaptability under the ball of the foot when flexing or rolling from edge to edge. In any case, I strongly recommend visiting a good bootfitter after your surgery and recovery to fine-tune the boots for your needs. Cheers from Argentina!
Beginner, age 53 wants to a** the grass ;-). Been out skiing with my son (17), since 2 months, both beginners. What can I say? My ultimate goal ist to do top carvings. We have been to Kitzbühel (Die Streif), Austria last Weekend, going up to 60 km/h downhill, but still I struggle to carve the right way. Came across a YT video by Deb Armstrong and study ankle flex since. Will get a coach soon. But it really helps me to read here about your insights!
I have new 130 flex Tecnica boots with Atomic Racecarver GS. I do Yoga to stay flexible and I to Waveboard excercise during Homeoffice every day to build up ankle/leg strength to master carving.
We go skiing in a hall twice a week to do drills (300 m slope). To be humble: I think I did 2 pretty good carves in that hall so far. I felt the outside ski suddenly bite into the snow and experienced setting in of g-forces while my hip was very close to the “grass”. Does anybody here relate to my approach?
Tomorrow I start with ankle flex.
Kudos from Germany 🇩🇪
Hello, Dirk, thank you for your comment, and welcome to the fascinating world of high-level skiing! Ankle flexion is key for fore-aft balance. Then, I strongly recommend this article in the blog for you: blog post. What you are looking for is my main job, through my ski camps all over the World. Feel free to contact me and maybe we can arrange some lessons together. Cheers from Italy!
Thank you for the excellent article, Fede. I like the clarity of your explanations and the structure of the text. However, I see one contradiction there. You clearly explain the timing of ankle flexion and why it is this way. Perfect! But if we look at the picture of yourself at Seceda, it doesn’t look to me as your turn initiation, given your body position and edge angles. It seems more like the end of the control (shaping) phase. I would appreciate your comments because I am confused, irrespective of the crisp clarity of the rest of your article.
Hello Andrey, thank you very much for your accurate comment, Yes, you are very right, the ankle flexion is looked for at the beginning of the turn. The picture was only meant to illustrate the shovel deflection of the ski, but it is clearly in a moment after the middle of the turn. Hope this helps, and cheers from Argentina!
Thank you Fede! Yes, absolutely clear).
I started alpine skiing at age 4 in the Rocky Mts. Due to boredom and wanting to be “cool”, I became a telemark skier in my 20s. Then in my 60s and an expert skier in any terrain, I suffered a few chronic knee injuries. After that, I resorted to doing only alpine turns in my telemark gear, which relieved the knee pain since every turn was not a lunge! The telemark boots have a bellow, which allows for full ankle flexion, and I can drive hard carving turns easily when using them for alpine technique. This year I decided to buy alpine gear, thinking it might be wise to have skis that actually release in case of a fall. The Lange (110 flex) alpine boots I was fitted in are quite uncomfortable and stiff. I have very little ability to flex the ankle or use the ball of my foot to control my skis. While skiing in them I feel that without more give in the boot, they are forcing my ankle and shin to be in a more straight up position. I don’t understand why a stiffer boot is recommended for expert skiers when it actually seems to push the shin and leg into a less athletic stance, and off the ball of my foot. I find the stiffness and fixed position of the alpine boot inhibits my ability to get into the position I need to really control the ski. I am a petite female, 5ft tall, weighing about 110 lbs. Perhaps they are just the wrong boots for me? I went with a reputable shop that professes to have expert boot fitters. I am going back this week to see what they have to say.
Thank you for your message, Wendy. I strongly recommend you to visit a professional bootfitter. Stiff flex and forward lean angles (cuff upright/tilted position) in the boots are different things, so a professional can asses you and recommend a good boot for you. Cheers from Argentina!
Fede, excellent as always. Not an over complicated explanation, but straight forward and easy to understand. I will share this with my group and hopefully get to work on improving our ankle flexion the next chance we get.
Thank you very much, John. I really appreciate your feedback. And thank you for sharing it. I write these blog posts with absolute passion about skiing and the ski technique, and with the desire of helping skiers reach the highest level they can, in order to enjoy this sport as much as possible. I’m planning a trip to the US next season, so I would love to ski with you guys up there and do some kind of free clinic for the club. Let’s make it happen! Cheers from Argentina!
Fede, please keep us in mind any time you might be in our area. We would love to host you as a special guest.
Heading out tomorrow to work on driving that outside knee forward!
Thank you
John, I definitely will! I’m planning a trip over there next season. Knee over toes! 🙂 Thank you