be able to use to change direction without losing any sort of elevation. I use kick turns

whenever I encounter terrain that I don't want to ski. Whether that be cliff, or if

the snow conditions aren't very good.

To do a kick turn, what I want to do is I want to take my downhill hand and pole. Place

it uphill and behind me. I'm using both of my poles and my uphill foot to really establish

my balance point. I'm trying to place my weight evenly amongst those 3 points. I want to kick

my downhill leg, move it forward and upward, in a sweeping motion until my downhill foot

is facing the opposite direction. I want to shift my weight onto that downhill leg. Once

you've found that balance point, pick your uphill hand and foot, step them around to

match the foot that you moved originally, and push on out of the terrain.

Kick turns are incredibly necessary in steep, technical terrain, but are used everywhere

on the ski hill. If I'm at the lodge and I want to turn around quickly without running

into anybody, I'm going to use a kick turn. If I get off the chair, I'm facing the wrong

way, and there's people strapping in, I'm going to use a kick turn. It's really, really

useful for day-to-day skiing.