| What it is | Turn with skis kept parallel |
| Vs | The wedged snowplow |
| Milestone | Beginner → intermediate skiing |
| Leads to | Carving and advanced turns |
A parallel turn is a ski turn in which both skis stay parallel to each other throughout the turn, rather than being wedged like a snowplow. Achieving consistent parallel turns is the classic milestone from beginner to intermediate skiing, giving smoother, faster, more efficient descents and forming the basis for advanced techniques like carving.
From wedge to parallel
The step up from the beginner snowplow and the gateway to carving in alpine skiing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a parallel turn?
A parallel turn is a skiing turn in which both skis remain parallel to one another from start to finish, instead of being angled into a wedge. The skier shifts weight and edges both skis together to turn, producing smoother, more controlled, and faster turns than the beginner snowplow.
How do you do a parallel turn?
From a balanced stance, you initiate the turn by releasing the edges and steering both skis together while shifting pressure to the new outside ski, rolling both skis onto their new edges in parallel. A pole plant helps with timing. Mastering it usually follows progressing from the wedge (snowplow) turn.
Parallel turn vs snowplow?
A snowplow (wedge) turn keeps the ski tips together and tails apart in a 'pizza' shape for control at slow speeds while learning; a parallel turn keeps the skis parallel for smoother, faster, more efficient skiing. Progressing from snowplow to parallel turns is the key early milestone in learning to ski.
Sources
- Parallel turns — PSIA-AASI
- Learning to ski — The Mountaineers