Ski carving is the act of skiing a turn on the edge of your skis. Ski carving is difficult to do correctly. Many people think they are carving when, in all actuality, they are skidding. You can learn where you are actually skidding if you practice carving, slowly, on a flat, or slightly sloped, terrain. Start with quarter turns, verifying that your skis are actually cutting into the snow, and work towards making a complete turn.

Ski carving is performed using another ski technique, called the crossover. A crossover is the process of transferring your body weight over the skis, allowing you to carve on the opposite edge of the skis. A crossover is used to transition between the end of one turn and the beginning of the next. When performing the crossover while ski carving, you must make sure that your knees remain equally spaced throughout the turn.

When ski carving, you must not be rigid. You have to remain relaxed, to make sure that you are leaning inwards throughout the turn. Bend your inner leg and transfer your weight to the inside of the turn. If you fail to do so, you will slide out of the turn.

To increase your speed when you are ski carving, try guiding your turns using your thighs, instead of your feet. Your thighs provide a lot more power and are much more effective. If you are ski carving a short radius, you will have to use your feet, though. At any other time, try using your thighs to gain power and, therefore, speed.

Any time you are trying a new skiing technique, it is best to start on soft powder. It has more give, for those times the move just doesn't go as expected. Practice your carving technique on a flat surface, or bunny slope. The soft powder will prevent you from gaining to much speed, as well.

When you have built up confidence and mastered your carving technique, challenge yourself by ski carving on the packed, icy snow. You will have to modify your technique to account for the excess speed you will gain. Make sure to center your body over your feet when starting every turn. At the beginning of the turn, you are required to apply firm pressure but, unlike with soft snow, you must pull out of the turn sooner. This will prevent you from losing control of your skis.