Drill Master

Freeskiing superstar and former U.S. Ski Team stud Jeremy Nobis rips some of the most powerful turns on the planet (that’s him on the cover, masterfully arcing Cornice Bowl at Mammoth, California). Feeling the adrenaline rush that comes from g-forces and speed like that is easier than you might think. This month’s cover story, “Turn it On,” describes a system designed to help any athletic skier emulate Jeremy’s hard-charging style.

Performing the practice-drill sequences for this piece was nothing new for Jeremy. “I like drills,” he said. “I haven’t done any in three years, but I’ll nail them the first time, I guarantee it.” He thought about that for a second. “The second time, for sure.”

He did nail some the first time, and most by the second time. (Hey, even the best skiers can get a little rusty.) And he was energized by the challenge of performing each one in textbook fashion. No matter how often we asked him to climb back up and do a drill again, he did it without hesitation.

As an ex¿ski racer, Jeremy understands the importance of drills and of doing them exactly right. They were part of the race training that helped him become one of the best-known and most distinctive freeskiers in the world.

Just how confident was Jeremy? Consider this: These exercises are easiest to do on shaped skis with deep sidecuts; the degree of difficulty goes up as sidecut decreases. Jeremy did the drills on his traditional-sidecut, deep-powder fat skis.Imagine how easy it will be for you to nail these exercises, and become a more powerful skier, on your skis.