Ski Technique Lab - Ankle Flex Range

from the Warren Smith Ski Academy

As you will have seen last month, we are proud to partner with the Warren Smith Ski Academy (WSSA), a leading ski school renowned for their unique, progressive approach. We had a very successful Ski Technique Lab in Mountain Air on the 29th of September and the feedback has been fantastic.

However, don’t worry if you missed out in person. We will be talking to Warren each month, looking in depth at each of the stages of the Ski Technique Lab and what you can do at home to get ski ready.

This month - Ankle Flex Range. As Warren says: “One of the most important things to prepare for before embarking on your skiing adventures is ensuring you have a healthy, fit and active foot and ankle …” So how do we ensure we have this? Lets find out from Warren.

Ankle Flex Range

A common mistake in skiers is flexing the knee more than the ankle. This pushes our body weight further back on the ski and adds unwanted strain to the knee joint. The 3 main reasons for this are:

- Ski boots inappropriate for your ankle flex range

- Over use of knee flex due to incorrect ski technique

- Specific muscles could be too tight or ankle joints lacking in mobility

WSSA’s 5 Solutions

1. Ski Boot Check:

People can go years skiing in the wrong boots without knowing it. To test yours, stand straight in them, then assume a normal ski position, feeling consistent and even contact between your shin and the tongue of your boot. The boot should offer comfortable support. If you do not find this easy to achieve, your boots may well be incorrect for you and it is worth consulting the boot fitters in the Mountain Air shop.

2. Flexion Range & Ankle Test:

The ideal range for safe skiing with ankle flex is between 10-15cm on each foot. Determining your range will show what exercises we need to look at to make improvements. Details on the test can be seen HERE.

3. Ankle Flex Exercises on Skis:

If you build a skiing technique on a foundation that is unbalanced, your weaknesses will be more exposed when progressing to more challenging terrains and speeds. There are numerous exercises to develop balanced and effective ankle use which can be viewed HERE.

4. Ankle Mobility & Flexibility Exercises Off Snow:

Many people have muscle imbalances between their calves and hamstrings on each leg. You can improve this through a range of flexibility and mobility exercises.

5. Developing Ankle Strength & Stability Off Snow:

Exercises to achieve this will be a huge benefit as you learn to control the range of your movement and gain the ability to maintain a good skiing position. Click HERE for a full video explanation.

6. Ski Boot At Home Flexing:

By putting your boots through their paces at home before skiing, you can learn to dominate the ski boot flex and avoid the typical leg aches that come from under-flexing at the start of your season. Practise one boot at a time to get the best performance and build muscle memory. It is also a great way to find any pressure points on newly fitted boots and to make sure your week on the mountain isn’t ruined by unwanted blisters. A 30-minute flex at home will save you hours of discomfort later on.

For full details and advice from the WSSA on Ankle Flex Range, click HERE.

Both Mountain Air and the WSSA are incredibly excited by our new partnership and the benefits it will have for our growing community of clients here in Verbier. If you have any queries at all about the Ski Technique Lab, the WSSA or Mountain Air info in general, please do not hesitate to come and see us in the shop or contact us via phone +41 (0) 27 775 44 03 or email shop@mountainairverbier.com