Ski Touring: How to Kick Turn
Backcountry skiing is the perfect way to take your skiing to a whole new level and whether you’re doing it to get as far away as possible from the tourists at your favorite resort, or to access unridden pow lines just beyond the ropes, you’ll need to add some new skills to your toolbox to keep you safe and efficient.
Of course, the #1, totally essential, backcountry skiing skill is proper avalanche training from an experienced professional (in other words, not only from YouTube videos). Backcountry first aid is also a must because if you’re doing the whole ski touring thing right, you’ll be far away from help if/when an accident happens. And definitely not last, clearly not least… dialing in your kick turns will mean you’ll go further, faster. By moving faster you’ll not only score more untracked pow turns, you’ll also limit your exposure to objective dangers like avalanches or falling cornices.
What’s a kick turn?
As soon as you slap on your ski skins and start skinning uphill it won’t be long before you’re faced with the need to make a sharp turn in order to ski in a new direction. The solution, of course, is the kick turn: an efficient and elegant way to make an acute change of direction when you’re skinning uphill on touring skis.
If you’re not already a kick turn ninja and you find yourself in the alpine without having worked on your skills, you’re in for a surprise because kick turns are not exactly the most natural movement you’ll ever perform on skis.
The good news is that it only takes a few thousand turns before you finally start to feel comfortable with them, at which point you’ll be throwing down so effortlessly you won’t even break stride. Until then? Practice makes perfect and the best time to practice is way before you find yourself on a steep, icy, and/or exposed slope, which is the absolute worst time to try to figure out this move.
How to kick turn
- Stomp out a rough platform, if possible. (After doing so, resist the instinct to take your skis off, swing them around by hand and put them back on again because that would be far too sensible).
- Shift all your weight onto your downhill ski.
- Plant both poles uphill in a position that will not interfere with the forthcoming swing of your ski. You’ll be needing them for stability throughout the rest of the process.
- Lift your uphill ski and swing the tip around so that it points in the direction you intend to go after the turn. When your ski settles back onto the snow, the tail of it should be near your downhill boot. If it extends over your downhill ski, you’re going to need to skootch the ski forward until it’s no longer on top of the downhill ski in order to perform the next move. If the snow is soft, you can plant the tail of your ski in the snow at a low angle which will provide much-needed stability and keep it off the top of your downhill ski. You should now find yourself in a ridiculous, bow-legged position with your feet pointing in nearly opposite directions. Despite your feelings to the contrary, this is a good thing.
- Adjust your pole position so they’re in the best position to provide the stability needed for the upcoming weight shift and karate kick. This is important, so even if there’s an over-caffeinated crew of lycra-clad skimo nerds behind you screaming at you to hurry up, if you’re feeling unstable, don’t hesitate to move your poles around to find the best position to support the next move.
- Transfer your weight from the downhill ski to the uphill ski. This and the following move are where things tend to go awry, but don’t let this stop you. Instead, just relax, breathe deep, and in a smooth, controlled motion and using your poles for balance…
- Lift your downhill ski out of the snow and karate kick with your heel to push the tail out and away from you. When done correctly, this will cause the tip of the ski to swing uphill, around and forward so that it is now facing in the new direction of travel.
- Ta da! If after doing this last motion you’re still on your feet, try to hide the celebratory fandango going off inside your head because you’ll want everyone to think you’re in total control of the chaos that’s just been narrowly averted. Casually step to the side of the skin track so you can now heckle your buddies as they make their attempts (and also to let the skimo guys pass. Be ready to take notes ‘cause those dudes got serious kick turn game).
This whole process is going to feel super awkward in the beginning so remember that any flailing early on is all part of the fun. After a few tries, you’ll soon get the hang of it! In the beginning, do yourself a huge favor and practice a whole bunch of these on low-angle slopes to get the feel for it. It can also help to practice the first few with your ski crampons on for additional stability.
To learn more about backcountry skiing, check out our Skiing Stories & Guides page with loads of gear tips, How To articles and videos like what to pack for backcountry skiing, how to use ski skins, backcountry safety gear basics, and loads more. Happy trails!