The Best Ski Drill You’ve Never Heard Of Is Called SPIESS

If you grew up ski racing or taking lessons, there’s a good chance you’ve done SPIESS without knowing what it was called. The drill has been around long enough that Alecia, a Level II Ski Coach and strength and conditioning coach with WILDR, does admit that she’s been unable to track down where the origin of the name, but she is well aware of the benefits of the drill.

SPIESS is short jump turns performed down the fall line of a run, with minimal sliding between each turn, a strong pole plant, and your body staying square and facing downhill the entire time. It builds edge awareness, reinforces short turn mechanics, keeps your pole plants honest, and develops lower body power all at once.

The real value of SPIESS is how customizable it is. Skiers living in the backseat can try tips-down SPIESS, keeping ski tips on the snow between turns to naturally drive the hips forward. Those struggling with their skis splitting apart can attempt outside ski only SPIESS, which forces proper pressure distribution in a hurry. Skiers who want to sharpen their edge-to-edge quickness can try television SPIESS, flipping the poles around and locking onto a fixed point in the distance to keep the upper body from rotating.

If you want more of a leg burner, you can take it to flatter terrain. If you’re worried about getting comfortable on steeper pitches, start mellow and build your way up to the more intense terrain.

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