More on the Wedge and Parallel Turns, 4

Continuing on from posts one, two and three in this series,
the most important subject to explore here, is *why* the
system works so quickly to teach people a parallel turn, even
though it's built on a wedge. Further, why the wedge is so
important, even though the students spend only minutes
trying to turn in a wedge, or spontaneously turning in a wedge.
It's as though the wedge matters not, but the wedge is the
heart of it all.

There are things like the insistence on hand position, and
the concept of home position (that balance comes from
body position, if you lose balance, you can get it back by
recovering home position), and a few other wrinkles that are
important to the progression, but what about the relation to
the mechanics of skiing?

What most basic items does one need to make a turn? Body
position surely, because balance comes from body position.

The most basic need after that is crossover. If *all* a skier
does is crossover, eventually that skier will turn, although they
might hit something first (because it would be such a large
radius turn), so more is needed as well.

You need to edge the ski more strongly than just crossover
would supply. So you need a bit of angulation.

You need to ski with your feet, putting pressure on the
edge by the amount you push or don't push with the ball
of the foot.

What then, happens a skier traverses, and makes a *wedge*
to initiate a turn?

They're balanced side to side and fore and aft if they're holding
home position. Shoulders square to the skis, body centered
between the skis, body "plumb".

Since the skier spreads the tails out to equal angles, the skier
is crossed over for a turn in either direction automatically.

The skier has control over the degree of angulation of the
skis by the use of the bringing of the knees together.

The skier has control over the degree the edge of the ski
bites by how strongly they push with the ball of the foot.

But the most helpful thing about initiating with a wedge is
the following.

That motion made with both skis, extending the tails out,
is *the same* motion made to initiate a basic parallel turn, if
only done with one ski, while keeping the other ski in
parallel to it.

They are *the same motion*.

So, a parallel turn is actually *half a wedge* with the skis
matched from start to finish.

To execute that same motion (I and some others like to
call it "setting the edge"), and picking up the tail of the
inside ski at the *same time*, *is* a executing a fully
parallel turn, the same basic turn that has existed since
parallel turns were perfected.

Traverse, set the edge, (make a wedge) but instead of
extending the inside ski tail out into the wedge as well, pick
up the tail of the inside ski at the same time you make the
wedge motion with the outside ski. Just leave your body
where it is.

There, you have a parallel turn that can be learned in
hours, maybe minutes, a turn that the skier's future
progress can all be built on and complemented by, and
a turn that will work on steeper terrain *now*.

No unlearn, no unteach, no falling apart as the terrain
gets steeper.

A *real*, undeniable parallel turn in two hours.