Carved turn
The carve is efficient in allowing the skier to maintain speed because, unlike the older stem Christie and parallel turns, the skis do not create drag by sliding sideways.
For a given velocity, carving with shaped skis typically requires less effort than stemming or parallel and offers increased speed and control in even steep descents and highly energetic turns, making it ubiquitous in racing.
[1] Modern downhill technique is generally a combination of carving and skidding, varying the ratio between the two when rapid control over the turn or speed is required.
Pure carving is a useful technique on "groomers" – slopes of moderate steepness with smooth snow – with skis dedicated to this style.
Olin Corp developed a teaching ski with an 8 m radius (31mm sidecut) and the first asymmetric ski, with no up hill cut and, because side cut involves proportionately wide tips, a platform for the boot to allow a very narrow waist.
K2 introduced a 10mm sidecut race ski, whose improved edging and turning ability became a sought after by consumers.
[2] Elan engineers Jurij Franko and Pavel Skofic experimentally adjusted sidecut and developed a physical model—desired radius, speed, forces and lean one could generate, and bend the ski to solve for this combination.
It took eight of the top ten places in its initial racing, allowing skiers to stand with a stronger straighter leg and make the desired carve.
In the US, ski instructors found that students could easily make parallel turns that would otherwise take considerable practice and training.
With cuts of 20 mm, short skis were a necessity to avoid unnecessarily heavy tips and tails.
Increasing widths held snow contact constant as lengths and turn radius plummeted.
[citation needed] Carving typically involves the skier making a series of "Cs", or half circles, down the hill (with two consecutive "C"s forming an "S").
A carved turn is distinguishable by its subsequent "pencil line" mark left in the snow.
The act requires the snowboarding skills of twist, tilt, and pressure to engage the edge into the snow and start the turn.
