Snowplough Turn
The wedge-shaped turn beginners learn first on skis, where the ski tips are brought together to control speed and steer.
Overview
The snowplough — also called the wedge — is the first turn most skiers learn. Pushing the tails of the skis apart so the tips converge creates a braking wedge, and steering more weight on to one ski turns the skier toward the other side.
It exists because it makes speed and direction controllable from the very first descent. Skiers grow out of the wedge as parallel turns develop, but the underlying idea — that turning across the slope controls speed — never changes.
How to do it
- 1Stand with your weight balanced and push the tails of your skis apart so the tips converge.
- 2Let the wedge slow you to a comfortable, controlled speed.
- 3Press more weight on to the ski on the outside of the turn you want to make.
- 4Let the skis steer you across the slope until your speed settles.
- 5Rebalance evenly, then weight the other ski to turn back the other way.
Key points
- The wedge shape brakes; widening it slows you further.
- Weighting the outside ski steers the turn.
- It is a stepping stone, not a bad habit — parallel turns build on the same steering.
- Gentle, wide terrain makes the wedge far easier to learn.
Where it’s used
Sports that use snowplough turn:
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Snowplough Turn in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Snowplough Turn to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Skills
- Speed control on snowThe skill of managing how fast you travel down a slope, mainly by shaping turns rather than braking.
- EdgingThe skill of tilting a ski or board so its edge grips the snow and controls the turn.
- TraversingThe skill of moving across a snow slope rather than straight down it, holding speed steady.
- Ball controlThe skill of receiving and settling the ball quickly so it is ready to use.
Equipment
Disciplines
- CombinedAlpine combined blends a speed run with a slalom run, adding the times together so the result rewards all-around skiers across both ends of the spectrum.
- ClassicClassic is the original cross-country technique, with skis kept parallel in set tracks and a striding kick-and-glide motion.
- Skate (Freestyle)Skate skiing pushes off angled skis in a V pattern, like ice skating, on firm groomed snow — the faster of the two main techniques.
- DownhillDownhill is alpine skiing's fastest discipline, run on long courses with widely spaced gates where skiers glide at high speed in an aerodynamic tuck.
- Short TrackShort track speed skating is contested on a compact oval of about 111 metres, where several skaters race together in a pack and finishing position decides the result.
Experience levels
Beginner guides
- How to Use a Learning CurriculumA learning curriculum is a plain, ordered map of what to learn in a sport and in roughly what order — here is how to use one to steer your own practice and sessions without turning it into a deadline.
- Your First Informal Game or KickaboutA relaxed kickabout, hit or pick-up game is a genuine way into a sport — you learn by playing, the courtesies are simple, and nobody expects you to be good yet.
- Your first running sessionA warm, honest picture of what a first running session actually feels like — so you can turn up relaxed, run at a comfortable effort, and enjoy it without any pressure to be fast.
- Your first football sessionA warm, practical picture of what actually happens when you turn up to your very first football session — how it runs, what surprises beginners, and how to enjoy it without any pressure.
- Your First Tennis Session: What to ExpectA friendly, honest look at what actually happens at your first tennis session — how it is usually run, what tends to surprise beginners, and how to turn up relaxed and ready to enjoy it.
Go deeper with Snowplough Turn
Everywhere else on the platform that covers Snowplough Turn — assembled from what actually references it, so nothing here is a dead end.
Learn it
Structured courses and paths on the platform that cover this directly.
Take it away
Open data and the whole-platform view of this subject.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Technique
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-08-30
Evergreen, first-party explanation — it makes no claim that needs an external source. How we handle sources and reviews.