Freestyle Skiing Lessons

For a long time it has been my wish to present the catalog of ballet skiing tricks. Until now the task seemed daunting. Was it worth the effort? How could I reach a broad audience in an effective manner? I have spent many hours writing notes on these tricks, drawing illustrations, and looking for new ways to use the poles throughout the main movements in skiing. I have found that there is a place for old school ballet tricks in the new school through careful consideration and practice.

With the constraints of the competitive rules effectively removed ten years ago; the time was ripe for re-tooling the tricks. With the advent of the new school technique with their emphasis on switch (backward) skiing; it made perfect sense to blend the old with the new. I studied numerous martial arts techniques such as Fencing, Bo Staff, and Kali Escrima (short stick) and added this to the mix with the longer poles that have traditionally been used in Ballet skiing. The combination of these three elements have brought a new vitality to the sport I love.

The system that is presented in The Freestyle Underground aims to teach the three aspects of Old School (Gold Pages), New School (Blue Pages) and Pole Tricks (Purple Pages). The codification enables a separation that will aid the student in assimilating and synthesizing elements from each lesson in a non- linear fashion. There are no absolutes in this method. That is the beauty in these tricks. Through trial and error with consideration of the mechanics of the tricks from my drawings – I have developed a system that strives to teach in various modes. Every person has a different way of learning and with this in mind; I plan on filming the instructional lessons.

For now I hope you enjoy practicing these tricks as much as I have. These tricks are the legacy of several generations of athletes from an event that was almost erased by the powers that be.  Almost…

Thank you for visiting The Freestyle Underground and please feel free to respond and give comments on your experiences with this system and the tricks of which it is composed.

Click on any of the links below to open your Lesson PDF.

FU Instructionals – 360 Spin (Gold)

FU Instructionals – The Outrigger (Gold)

FU Instructionals – The Outrigger (Blue)

FU Instructionals – Wishbone (Purple)

You will need Adobe Reader for the PDF.  You can get it right here.