The power turn is the most exciting turn you can make and in competition is really only seen in super GS and downhill racing. If you have been going fast enough doing the GS turns then you may well have got a feel of it. Again you need a well prepared wide blue to red piste with nobody on it, and preferably no trees on either side.

You should have a clear view for at least two hundred metres.If you can find some longer skis, this would help. I would recommend super GS skis if you can find them, but they should be a good 25cm (10 inches) longer than what you normally ski on. They should have sharp edges.

The main difference between this and the previous turn is that you are probably going ten to fifteen mph faster, between fifty and sixty miles an hour. To get going this fast on a traverse you will need to be in the tuck most of the time. Your weight should be well centred between the two skis but as you approach the turn you will need to move onto the uphill ski.

In the tuck position and at speed this could really start to hurt those thigh muscles.You should only rise up enough to start the uphill ski turning before you lower into the tuck once more as you cross the fall line. You will be projecting your weight forward and downhill towards the inside of the turn and as you come round you will feel the power coming on. It stands to reason that the skis are on their edges all the way through the turn (apart from the edge change), but there is a minimum of reverse camber to provide the long radius arc for a very fast turn. When you get it right it feels like you are being flung round in a bucket on the end of a rope.

Well that's what I imagine it feels like - never having been flung round in a bucket.With practice it is possible to just make the edge change without rising up to unweight the skis at all. By projecting your upper body forward and down the hill, this should provide enough to bring them round. Obviously if you don't come up you will maintain your aerodynamic position in the tuck and not lose speed.If you start getting into trouble come up out of the tuck and use the natural air brake of your upper body.

Your speed will be controlled even more if you are wearing a baggy anorak.A word of warning! Making these turns should be done in a controlled situation and never willy nilly on a piste with other people skiing at slower speeds in front of you.

He currently runs a ski chalet agency in the French Alps. His book "Secrets of Better Skiing" can be found at http://www.ski-jungle.com/better-skiing/contents.htm.

If you have any comments about the above article, he will be happy to answer them.

By: Simon Dewhurst