"I am a 64 year old metallurgical engineer and a Certified Level 3 Ski Instructor and 33 year member of PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America). The combination of training in engineering and ski instruction combined with experience in teaching people to ski has given me an appreciation for how the body must work to perform a sport efficiently.
Good ski technique must be performed from a stable core to develop optimal power, balance and refined performance. Hallie stresses alignment to actuate the core properly. Lights were turning on for me from the first class -- how to relax my facial, shoulder, and pelvic muscles, and how to align my joints to perform movements using the core.
Alignment of the ankles, knees and hips makes me think of generating a turn on the snow with a lot of power and stability to withstand the forces on my body produced from my speed going through a turn. I'm also in a position to move smoothly into the next turn in the opposite direction. These positions and movements can be very tiny but produce very big results. When I correct my alignment to move through and from my core, movement feels effortless.
Now I'm thinking of more attention to core awareness and alignment in my skiing so that I can "turn it up a notch", but more importantly just to keep me moving comfortably as I age. When I returned home one day from the Pilates for Yoga session, I paid attention to my alignment and core just walking up the stairs in my home. It almost seemed like I had the "spring in my step" back that I had decades ago. I did seem to just flow up the stairs without any pain or weakness and with little effort." Los Alamos, NM.