BASS Top Tips Part 3: Carving Clean Tracks

With Joe, Andrew and Dave

Clean carved tracks look simple from the chairlift: two neat lines arcing across the piste, no spray, no skid, no drama. On snow, they ask for timing, balance and patience.

This is part 3 of our BASS Top Tips series with Joe Cain, Andrew Lockerbie and Dave Hudson from the British Alpine Ski School in Val d’Isere and Tignes, in the French Alps. Across the series, each instructor has answered the same questions in their own way.

That matters, because good ski coaching is rarely about one magic phrase. Different instructors may explain the same outcome differently. One might talk about pressure. Another might focus on edge change. Another might give a simple body cue. The destination is the same: cleaner, more controlled turns.

The question this time is:

What do you prioritise when carving clean tracks?

Clean carved tracks start with patience, balance and progressive edging.

Clean carving starts with a clear outcome

A carved turn happens when the ski bends and travels along its edge, rather than sliding sideways across the snow. The cleanest tracks usually come from a combination of:

• Early edge change

• Progressive edge angle

• Strong outside ski pressure

• Active use of the inside ski

• Smooth movements rather than rushed ones

  
  

The challenge is that these pieces happen together. If the skier is late to the new edge, they may need to push or twist the skis to get round the turn. If they chase a high edge angle too quickly, they may lose balance or grip. If they ignore the inside ski, it can flatten, drift or block the movement of the legs.

Joe, Andrew and Dave each pick out a different priority, but their ideas connect neatly.

Joe Cain focuses on the outside ski and the inside edge

Joe’s answer puts the foundation of carved skiing front and centre.

“Make sure you are strong on the outside ski but don’t forget you have two edges carving in the snow. Keep your inside ski rolling onto the edge and achieving the same angle as the outside.”

Most skiers have heard the phrase “stand on the outside ski”. It is a key part of good skiing for a reason. In a turn, the outside ski usually carries more load and gives the skier the platform to grip, shape the arc and manage pressure.

But Joe adds an important warning: don’t forget the inside ski.

When carving, the inside ski is not just along for the ride. It needs to tip, guide and match the outside ski. If the outside ski is on edge and the inside ski stays too flat, the skis start to disagree. That can lead to a wider stance, a stem, or a turn that scrubs instead of cuts.

A useful way to feel Joe’s point is to think of both skis as a pair. The outside ski may do more of the work, but both skis need to share the same direction of travel.

Try this on an easy, well-groomed blue piste:

• Start with medium-radius turns.

• Feel the outside ski build pressure through the arc.

• At the same time, gently roll the inside ski onto its little-toe edge.

• Aim for both skis to leave clean, matching lines.

  
  

The goal is not to force the inside ski. It is to keep it involved.

Andrew Lockerbie prioritises an early edge change

Andrew looks at when the ski gets onto its new edge.

“Allowing the skis to get on to the new edges before the fall line and then gradually increasing the edges throughout the rest of the arc by flexing the legs and moving them inwards.”

This is a classic carving priority. If the skis are already on their new edges before they point down the hill, they can start to bend and grip early. That gives the turn shape from the top, rather than leaving the skier to fight for control later.

The “fall line” is the direction a ball would roll straight down the slope. Many skiers wait until the skis are in or near the fall line before they really edge. By then, speed has built up and the turn can feel rushed. Andrew’s cue encourages an earlier, calmer move.

The second part of his answer is just as important: gradually increasing the edges.

Clean carving is rarely made by snapping the skis onto a huge angle. It comes from building the edge through the turn. The legs flex, the feet and knees move inwards, and the skis tip more as the arc develops.

This gives the ski time to grip and bend. It also keeps the skier balanced against the forces of the turn.

A simple focus for Andrew’s tip is:

• Change edges smoothly as one turn finishes.

• Let the skis find the new edges before they face straight downhill.

• Build the angle through the middle and end of the turn.

• Avoid throwing the body inside too early.

  
  

Early does not mean abrupt. It means ready.

Two clean lines in the snow show whether the skis have carved or skidded.

Dave Hudson keeps it simple with slow rolling movements

Dave’s answer is short, but very useful.

“Roll your ankles and knees over slowly, don’t try to get a big angle as quick as possible.”

This is the cue many skiers need when they are trying hard to carve. A clean track does not come from rushing to the biggest edge angle possible. In fact, that often causes the opposite result. The skier tips in too quickly, loses pressure on the outside ski, or makes the ski chatter and skid.

Dave’s focus is on patient movement from the lower body. Rolling the ankles and knees helps the skis tip onto edge without a big upper-body collapse. The word “slowly” is doing a lot of work here.

Slow edging gives the ski time to bite. It also gives the skier time to feel what is happening underfoot.

Think of the edge angle as a volume dial, not a light switch. Turn it up through the arc. Don’t flick it on at maximum.

This cue works well for anyone who feels they are “trying to carve” but leaving smeared tracks behind. The effort may be too sudden. Soften the movement, reduce the speed if needed, and let the skis engage more gradually.

How the three tips fit together

Joe, Andrew and Dave are not giving three separate tricks. They are describing three parts of the same clean carve.

Joe focuses on balance and both skis working together. Andrew focuses on timing the edge change before the fall line. Dave focuses on how smoothly the edge angle builds.

Put them together and the turn becomes more complete:

1. Finish the old turn in balance.

2. Release and change edges smoothly.

3. Get onto the new edges before the fall line.

4. Build the edge angle progressively.

5. Stay strong on the outside ski.

6. Keep the inside ski tipping and matching.

7. Let the skis carve the arc, rather than forcing them round.

   
   

That is a lot to think about at once, so it helps to pick one focus per run. On one run, use Joe’s idea and watch the inside ski. On the next, use Andrew’s timing and aim for earlier edges. Then use Dave’s cue and slow the movement down.

Good coaching often works this way. The same outcome can be reached through different doors.

A practical drill for cleaner carved tracks

Choose an easy groomed piste with space and good visibility. Keep the speed moderate.

Make a series of rounded turns and give yourself one task: leave two thin lines in the snow for as much of the turn as possible. After each few turns, glance back where safe.

If the tracks are wide and brushed, the skis are skidding. If the start of the turn is smeared but the finish is clean, try Andrew’s earlier edge change. If the outside track is strong but the inside ski wanders, use Joe’s inside ski focus. If the skis grip suddenly then chatter or break away, use Dave’s slower rolling cue.

Clean carved tracks give honest feedback. The snow shows what happened.

The takeaway from part 3

For cleaner carving, don’t chase a dramatic edge angle. Build the turn.

Be early to the new edges, stay strong through the outside ski, keep the inside ski involved, and roll the ankles and knees with patience. Joe, Andrew and Dave each explain it differently, but the message lines up: clean tracks come from smooth, progressive movements and skis that are allowed to work.