While skiing with a friend last week, I noticed a recurring problem. On the groomers and easy runs, his technique was perfect. But once we got on steeper, more challenging terrain, my friend would fall apart.

I think a bit of this is the anxiety one feels when skiing a run with less margin for error. Instead of thinking about what you need to do to be successful, you focus on the "uh-oh" factor, or what might happen should you fail to make the turn or lose control. So the hesitancy and uncertainty you feel mentally manifests itself physically.

When you ski, what are you thinking about? Ideally, on the easy groomers or cruiser runs, you should focus on one aspect of your technique.

Is there one thing that, when you think about it, brings everything into play? Can you define it?

Too often the tendency is to "just cruise" without giving any thought to what you are doing to create a turn, control your speed or manage the terrain. Then, when you later find yourself going through a rough patch you have nothing to rely on to get you through.

Instead, use the same mental focus and determination on the groomer as you would a steeper, more difficult run. See if you can identify what's working and what's not. Then apply the techniques that work on the easy run to the more difficult run.

Where's your weight?

In the photo on the left, the skier's hips are behind his feet, as if he were sitting in a chair, and the weight is on his heels. Making a turn with your weight in the "back seat" puts a tremendous strain on your quadriceps.

Essentially, the skier is trying to make a balanced move from a position in which he is out of balance to begin with. Any time you make a turn you must start from a balanced position, with your weight and balance over the ball and arch of the foot. Your knees and ankles should be flexing forward into your ski boot and your hands should be held up and in front of your body, as in the photo on the right. To successfully make his turn, the skier in the first photo must first move his hips forward over his feet.

Where are your hands?

Your hands play an important role in making a successful turn.

Ideally, you want to carry your hands up and in front of your body. This puts the body in a "ready stance," not only to anticipate the upcoming turn but also to help keep the body balanced throughout. Because gravity pulls you downhill, having your hands up and in front allows you to maintain a modicum of balance while moving.

The natural tendency is to carry your hands at your sides or to drop your hand after you make a turn. Dropping your hand after making the pole plant will cause your weight and balance to shift to your heels, again putting the body out of balance.

Where's your turn?

We've all found ourselves in the situation depicted in the photo on the left, and it spells disaster.

Nothing is working, which creates greater anxiety, as the skier is out of balance and completely unprepared, with the skis in the fall line and about to pick up speed.

A turn should begin from a balanced position, so if you find yourself in this position, regroup and center yourself over your feet and skis. Use the "drift" to move your momentum forward instead of trying to make a turn from a dead stop. This means your knees and ankles should be flexed forward and weight and balance distributed over the ball and arch of the foot. Your hands should be held up and in front.

On steeper terrain, your body should face downhill. So while the feet and skis go across the hill, the body should turn and face downhill. This "countered position" over your feet increases the angle, or grip, of the ski edge to the snow, giving more control. Without this position there is less control of the ski edge in the turn.

Craig McNeil is a certified Primary Movements instructor. To order his book, How to Ski the Blues and Blacks without Getting Black and Blue, or contact him, go to his Web site, www.HowToSki.net. Photos taken at Vail Mountain Resort.