This is really interesting, because this guy's a level 3 PSIA instructor, and clearly already really good. It shows how subtle it can all be, and how hard it is to judge for yourself exactly what you're body is doing when you start getting to an advanced level.
Debbie is all the passion when it comes to conveying knowledge to the great mass of the people. So special to watch her now, almost 40 years later, as I remember her winning the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in my city in 1984. Time flies so fast, I was a fourteen years old boy.
Deb! What a great video. I had a real breakthrough today skiing because of it. Your emphasis of having the outside heel behind our hips in order to better leverage pressure to the tips during initiation of the turn was incredible advice!!! This morning I followed your advice and—-BAM!!!!—I became a carving MACHINE! Just as you said, being able to leverage powerful pressure to the tips shortened the turn and gave me so much more control and precision. And, by the way, your demonstration of that in your kitchen with your baby wasn’t only incredibly effective, it was adorable too! Great frickin’ video!! I’m a big fan. I wish I could have a personal lesson from you. But I’m grateful you put these instructional videos out. Keep it up please!
deb. this is the best ski lesson! i practiced it today at breckenridge, the three elements that you demonstrated: driving the knee, strong outside leg, and outside heal behind the hips. somehow it all clicked, and the technical synergy was amazing, probably the best carving that ive done. (although, thats not saying much.) your lesson was an epiphany. thanks!
This is a great video because it shows why ski racers look different than expert casual skiers. You can become an expert instructor & carver - but that doesn't mean your technique was optimized to extract 100% of the available power. Gravity is a powerful force & for everyone that isn't meassured against the clock, it provides more than enough energy to develop an expert looking style - racers find postions that look like hockey players to generate additional power.
Hi Deb, yet another really important topic – hip movement in skiing. The ability to load the ski through proper hip movement is absolutely essential. But from what I’ve observed, for many skiers this still remains something of a mystery – no matter how well it’s explained. And honestly, I completely understand that, because it took me quite a while to truly get it myself.
In my opinion, one major reason it’s so hard to grasp what exactly we should do with our hips is because of our modern lifestyle. We spend most of our time sitting, and over the years, our hip muscles weaken, mobility decreases, and most importantly – the brain loses its ability to feel and control the hip joint with precision. Many people don’t even use full hip motion when walking or running anymore.
My story with the hips was actually quite similar. Because of my lifestyle, I had lost hip mobility, strength, and conscious awareness of hip positioning. But thanks to your videos – and maybe some residual athletic awareness from my younger years – I was able to intuitively catch the importance of hip movement in skiing. That moment sparked a new phase of focused training: improving mobility, rebuilding strength, and reconnecting with my hips.
Once I got that back, skiing became completely different. The balance improved, I had way more control over the outside ski, and I suddenly discovered so many more tactical options within a turn. It felt like unlocking a hidden layer of skiing that I never knew existed.
Now, I’m watching this video for the third time – and only this time, with my deeper understanding of hip function, I can clearly see all of Scott’s mistakes. And now I finally understand the full meaning of your feedback to him.
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I’d also like to share one important discovery I made about this hip movement topic – specifically about concentrated explosive power. In high-speed turns, there’s this critical moment: you prepare, you wait, you build tension… and just after the apex – bam! – you release the movement and channel the ski’s energy with precision. It’s this exact timed hip action that creates powerful and efficient skiing.
I believe my past experience with martial arts helped me understand this. There’s a specific type of knee strike that uses explosive hip thrust – and it’s exactly the same movement principle we need to develop in skiing, especially for racers. It’s not just strength, it’s about timing, direction, and sharpness of execution.
Thank you again, Deb – this topic is a game-changer. You’re not just teaching technique, you’re helping people unlock parts of their body and brain they didn’t even know were offline.
I must have watched this 5 times already. I still can't quite describe how incredibly insightful this was to me personally, something just clicked in place...Amazing content thanks so much for sharing all of this with the community.
Deb, your content this year is so spot on! Taking cues to help me progress my skiing and to help follow along with my U8 son’s coach and understand what he’s saying and how to help my son apply. Great stuff, thanks so much!!!
The more I see of Deb the more I realise she is a genius. Never misses a trick. A really wonderful human. ❤ Seriously considering booking up a visit with some lessons to iron out a few faults.
I will be watching this video probably for a month to really understand it and try to integrate it in my skiing. Such a great detail, i love this videos :) A hug for Campiglio
Hope you get to make more videos with Scott! He's a great communicator, which makes it easier to learn things both from him being so good at describing what he is experiencing, and from your instruction. Great video.
your deep understanding of body to ski forces and of skiing dynamics, and your ability to explain it all so simply, blows me away! I love your videos. thank you. and your baby is so cute!!!
Great video and love how you keep it real with Nilo! Really appreciate the focus on good movements starting at the feet. That's been my jam for years and having someone at your level putting a spotlight on it is great affirmation.