Last Updated31 October 2024

The Mono-Skiing chapter covers the elements of the pathway that introduce skiing for the first time and how to turn. Learn the what, why and how of teaching the basics, from the very beginning. It covers how we assess someone for using a mono ski, safety considerations and which equipment could be used.

Learning to Turn with Mono-Ski

What, Who, How

What

Mono-skiing involves skiing the mountain using a mono-ski. It can be done anywhere on the mountain from the beginner slope through to the most advanced runs.

Who

Anyone who can do a balanced straight run in a mono-ski with a flat ski.

How

The Wedgeless Progression is used for learning to mono-ski with an emphasis on a flat ski with rotational movement.

Movements & Performance

Balance/Stance

In a centred stance, the pelvis is tilted forward and square to the ski, the knee joint is flexed, and there is room for the chest to move towards the knees. The outrigger shaft passes the leg about mid-thigh with the elbows out from the body. In this position, the outrigger ski tips should be lightly touching the snow. The ski is flat on the snow.

If the skier has limited control of their trunk, it can be supported with a higher-backed seat and/or additional strapping. During the early stages of learning, it may be useful to lightly bucket the skier to prevent falling or collision. Ensure your assistance does not affect the student’s movements and ability to find balance. After a fall, check the skier’s stance and adjust if required.

Rotational

Learning to turn initially is best achieved without technical discussion. Have the student look in the direction they want to turn and point both outriggers in that direction. A follow-me approach with the instructor facing the student helps. As much as possible, the whole body should move as a block with the eyes looking in the direction of the turn. To keep the ski flat, rotational movement at this stage must happen around the vertical axis.

After the skier has begun making turns, work with them to become aware of the part of their body that is twisting. Rotational movements should come from the lowest functional part of the body, so work towards this goal. Where someone can aid a twist of their trunk with movement in their legs, this should be encouraged. When turning is difficult, the claw of the inside outrigger can also be used to create a point of friction around which the skier can rotate. Be aware that this may encourage poor movement patterns so teach this move with discretion and aim to reduce it as much as possible. A leading inside outrigger can assist in stabilising the upper body which allows the lower body to turn underneath. The outside outrigger should also actively move with the turn.

Edging

The focus in learning is on keeping the ski flat at the initiation and control phase of the turn. At turn completion when the ski is across the hill, the skier sits in the centred stance with the angle of the slope creating sufficient edge angle. A traverse is a good way to teach this.

Pressure Control Movements

The skier should be encouraged to move forward with the ski to maintain a centred stance. If this stance results in limited pressure on the tip of the ski at run initiation, check the setup with a dowel test and consider moving the seat/frame forward on the ski.

Terrain, Equipment & Safety

Terrain

Use a learners area with as much width as possible to allow space for the activities.

Equipment

All movements are transferred through the seat to the ski so the seat can be considered in the same way as a boot. Equipment set up is critical and many issues a student might have often come back to incorrect set up. Dowel test students on their equipment. Canting can be used in the seat to fill the voids in order to have a flat ski when the student is in their centred stance. Take your time and recheck from time to time especially if there is a change in performance.

Safety

Helmets are essential.
Ensure there are no pressure points from insufficient padding, objects in the seat or in pockets, twisted straps and buckles, or over tightening of the straps.
Monitor temperature for overheating, hypothermia, and for frostbite.
Ensure there is no pinching of any catheter tubes, or pressure on a colostomy bag if either of these are present.
Follow safe chairlift loading/unloading practice.
Bucket the mono-ski in crowded areas if the user has insufficient skill to manoeuvre safely.
Teach the mono skier to fall with their outrigger forward and across the body to protect the shoulder joint.

Corrective Teaching

Student struggles to rotate the ski to create a direction change:

Check that the ski is flat on the snow.

Check stance and ensure there is pressure on the ski tip.

Create awareness of rotational movement in the lowest functional part of the body and apply subtly in a shallow turn.

Minimise tension in the student’s body with breathing or through distraction.

Skier over rotates during the turn:

At turn completion, ask the skier to return to a centred stance, to stop rotating, and to look across or slightly down the hill.

Check that the edge is engaged at the end of the turn. Try some traversing with the mono-ski frame vertical and the skier in a neutral stance.

Skier is unable to link turns:

Encourage the student to move the seat across the ski at the beginning of the turn until the ski is flat.

Check that they are balanced on their edge at the end of the turn. If not, use traversing exercises to find balance.

Encourage the student to return to a neutral position between turns.