Dropping One Ski – A Tutorial

Dropping one ski is a great way to transition from being a double skier to a single skier, but it’s easy to get it wrong.

In this article I share the most common mistakes people make when they first try to drop one ski, and I’ll show you the simple things to do instead that work every time!

What’s the idea with dropping one ski?

Dropping a ski is a way to experience the freedom of skiing on a single ski, while you’re still getting the hang of the more challenging deep water start.

It’s basically a shortcut to single skiing:  a way to jump straight from double skis to single skis without having to learn the more difficult deep water start.  You get to feel all of the ways that a single ski is different to double skis (balance, steering, etc), which in turn is very helpful for learning that deep water start.

So with this technique you’re putting the cart before the horse, but in a good way!

If dropping one ski is such a good idea, why would I bother ever learning the deep water start?

Dropping one ski is a great stepping stone to the single ski, but it does have one important drawback.  It might be obvious, but when you drop one ski you are generally then skiing away from the ski that you’ve dropped.

Plenty of drop-off skis have been lost, stolen or – worst of all – run over by other boats or skiers.

The best case scenario is that you have to drive back and collect it. Unless you can arrange for a strategically placed helper at shore or on another boat, who can safely retrieve your drop-off ski once you’ve successfully jettisoned it.

So I definitely recommend using this technique to get a feel for the single ski, but I suggest that you also work on getting your deep water start so that eventually you can retire this method and move on to your next challenge.

How do I drop one ski?

The general process goes something like this:

1. Get up on two skis as normal
2. Drop one ski
3. Ski away into the sunset looking windswept and amazing

Sounds easy – what’s the trick?

Let me help you avoid the most common mistakes, by sharing a couple of preparatory steps and pointers which will make it go as smoothly as that.

Find your balance

Before you even try the ski-dropping technique, practise lifting one ski out of the water while you’re skiing along on double skis.

This exercise does two things for you.  Firstly it gets you used to having all your weight on one ski. Secondly, you will probably find that you feel more stable and comfortable balancing on one of your skis compared to the other – this can help you decide which ski to eventually drop.

The key to this exercise is to really ensure that you have 100% of your weight on the one foot. Sometimes it can feel as though you have all of your weight over on one side, when actually you don’t. This situation isn’t a huge problem when you’re just practising like this, but it can turn into a big problem later on when you’re actually trying to drop one ski.

The best way to ensure that you really do have all your weight on one ski, is to actually lift the other ski completely out of the water.

On the side that you’re going to lift, keep your foot and ski horizontal while you bend that knee and hip so that your ski rises directly upwards until the entire ski is clear of the water. Ski on one leg like that for as long as you can, before gently returning the ski to the surface of the water again.

Repeat this practice drill on both sides, until you have a clear favourite side to lift up. Continue to lift that favoured side a few more times until it feels natural, then move on to the next steps below.

Note that this practice technique for lifting the ski is not the same as the method you’ll be using to actually drop your ski. The main difference is that while you’re performing this practice drill and transferring your weight and balance over to one side, you really want the other ski to stay on your foot!

Drop the correct ski

This is the other side to the coin of “which foot should I have forward?”

If this is your first go at the single ski, you may not know which foot you should have in the front binder. Which foot you’ll have forward in turn defines which ski you will drop: if you’re going to be left foot forward, drop your right ski; if you’re going to be right foot forward, drop your left ski.

The majority of people favour having their left foot forward, but it’s an entirely personal choice. It doesn’t matter which foot you have forward, and there’s certainly no rule.

This could be the topic for an entire post on its own, but for the purposes of this article I’ll outline three methods for working out which foot to have in front:

1. Before you even try this ski-dropping technique, practice lifting one ski out of the water while you’re skiing along on double skis, as I’ve described in the previous section. If you’re more stable and comfortable with your left foot on the water and your right ski up, then try your left foot forward first (and vice versa).
2. Stand relaxed on solid ground with your feet level and shoulder-width apart.  Have someone gently push you from behind. Whichever foot you put forward first to instinctively save your fall, is the one you might like to try first as your forward foot.
3. Just try both feet in turn, until one of them starts to feel like the ‘correct’ one to have in front.

Loosen your binder

Whichever foot you’ve decided to try first as your preferred forward foot on a single ski, you will want to drop the opposite ski. For this exercise you need to loosen the binding on that opposite ski (the one that you’re going to drop) as far as it will go.

So for example if you’ve decided to try skiing left foot forward, make the binder on your right ski as loose at it will go, and drop that right-hand ski.

Don’t be too concerned that the binder might be too loose. The pressure of the water will be pushing the ski back onto your foot as you go, so having the binder open a long way won’t matter.

Drop your ski smoothly

With your loose ski on the correct foot, get up on two skis as normal from a deep water start. You can also perform these steps on a boom bar, or a handle fixed to a boom.

For the purposes of this article I’m going to assume that you’re dropping your right ski, and thus will be a left-foot-forward single skier.  Of course the opposite would apply if you’re right-foot-forward instead, and will be dropping your left ski.

Get settled and find a nice straight stretch of smooth water. If you’ve arranged to have a helper to retrieve your drop-off ski, begin with plenty of time and distance before you reach their position.

Gently transfer your weight onto your left ski – the one with the tight binder. Once you think you’ve got all your weight on the left, do it even more :o)

Once you’ve completely unweighted your right ski, slowly start to bend your right knee. Unlike those earlier drills, this time only flex your knee so that your right foot and ski move backwards compared to your left ski.

As you do this, point the toes of your right foot straight down towards the water, as you bend your right knee fully and bring your heel up behind you.

Your right ski, with its loose binder, will simply drop off your foot. The friction of the water underneath your right ski will immediately slow it down, and you’ll be clear of it in a second.

Plant your back foot slowly and gently

This step is where most people go wrong.

The two most important elements of your mindset here are to commit to the idea that you’re skiing on one foot; and don’t be in any rush to put your back foot in that rear binder. These two ideas go hand-in-hand to ensure an awesome outcome.

So you’ve dropped your right-side ski.  The next and most important thing to do at this point, is to congratulate yourself. You’re a single skier now! Nobody can ever take that away from you. Well done, you!

But there’s one more thing to do: get that foot safely back down and secured.

Commit to the idea of skiing on your left leg for as long as possible. If you’ve done enough practice lifting up one ski, you shouldn’t feel as though you need to get your right foot down immediately for fear of falling off.

Gently lower your right foot down onto the rear of your ski, immediately behind your front foot. At this stage it doesn’t matter all that much where it lands, but aim to land it directly behind your left foot. If it ends up on top of the rear binder, that’s fine – since you’re not rushing, there’s plenty of time to sort out the details as you ski along.

You ‘aim’ with that right foot will be better if you keep the knee of your free leg tucked snugly in behind your weight-bearing knee.

You don’t want to put any weight on your back foot while you do this – it must be a feather-light touch while you gently feel your way into that back binding. If you remain with all your weight on your front foot – and stay committed to the idea of skiing on that foot for a while – you’ll do just fine while you slowly and gently find the rear binder with your other foot.

And now you’re done!  Actually there is one last thing for you to do – remember to go and retrieve your ski when you’re finished!

Please leave a comment below and let me know how you go.

Your virtual water ski coach,

Todd

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• Check out our video coaching service!  Click here to learn more.
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