Re 1000 steps drill.
In post # 47 you asked a question about this exercise, and yes, introducing it at the beginner level will help reduce the rigidity of a new skier.
Mastering this kind of movement is a predicate to becoming a very good skier, for many reasons, but two primary reasons can be characterized as developing lateral (side-to-side) balance, in general, and, specifically, developing the ability to balance equally well on either foot, that is, the inside foot as well as the outside foot.
Regarding balancing on either foot, independently, it is almost cruel that a new skier spends so much time and effort becoming proficient at “balancing on the outside ski”, as they should and must, and then, almost as soon as the skier starts having a high opinion of himself in this regard, some ‘cruel’ instructor or coach will ‘pop their balloon’ and say, You are not finished: to really advance you must now learn to balance on the inside ski and make turns on the inside ski.
From that moment on the now-high intermediate skier faces more years of practicing different ways to make the inside ski behave. The inside ski seems to have a mind of its own. The little toe edge (LTE) is very difficult on its own. A large part of developing control over the inside ski (uphill ski) is the so-called “1000” steps drill and its variations. It should become part of each day’s warm-up routine.
When to use it, that is, what level skiers should use it? As soon as a skier can make a basic wedge turn she should start on ‘wedge-busting’ activities that encourage a parallel orientation of the skis.
Stepping as one traverses is an excellent activity for this purpose. Of course it will be clumsy at the beginner level, and a beginning wedge turner will be able to manage only one or two steps, but that is the beginning of using
1000 Steps.
At the advanced level
1000 Steps is part of most progressions leading to skiing on one ski.
Here is a link to a video demonstrating
1000 Steps. The video shows an advanced/expert skier demonstrating what many would consider perfect execution of the drill.
Bobby’s
Here are two other videos showing some variations.
USSA
PSIA-RM step turn https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...f39f2e73865e9dbbc41449b7e474f236&action=click
Regards, McEl