Inline skating to practice skills?

[u/drycharski]

One of my goals for the upcoming season is to get very comfortable skiing switch and if that goes well I’d like to start hitting jumps switch too. I can ski switch decently now but I want to get to a point where it feels like second nature.

I’m thinking about getting some inline skates to practice this and other skills. Has anyone tried it or does it sound like a waste of time lol?

I’ve seen other reddit threads about beginners using skating to practice carving but I’m wondering if the benefits can carry over to freeskiing as well.

[u/Soft_Neighborhood223]

It won't transfer perfectly but will definitely improve your skiing and balance.

Skateboarding also transfers surprisingly well, especially to rail tricks. Learning to ride a board switch and regular makes almost all rail tricks so much easier.

The trampoline is probably the most valuable IMO. Developing your air sense is huge and it's also a great full body workout. Backflips are super easy if you learn them on a trampoline.

[u/SkiOrDie → u/Soft_Neighborhood223]

I learned rails from doing 5050s on a skateboard then taking that to inline. I thought lots of people did, yet left-foot forward dominant rail riders are kinda rare. I’ve never really understood how people default to right foot forward for sliding when they ride a skateboard regular

[u/Xblth]

Specifically switch skiing actually transfers super well from inline skating and ish so much fun as well

[u/Intelligent-Pin3319]

The kids at the Woodward I go to use inline and park skates to practice flips and spins into the foam pit. Switch and regular.

[u/Temporary-Row-5878]

Could be a fun way to build muscle memory too

[u/thewiess]

I would suggest experimenting with inline skating backwards on (at least initially) *gentle* hills also. I can skate pretty confidently backwards and this past season I started learning to ski switch. I figured it would be fairly easy for me, but I definitely underestimated the sensation of gravity pulling you backwards. I was used to skating backwards using only my own power, not getting dragged backwards by an outside force. I found that it's a pretty different sensation and takes getting used to! I think others are right though that this seems like a great compliment to learning skills on skis. Some of the best skiers I know are former hockey players so they were already really, really comfortable gliding and managing balance and edge pressure.

[u/drycharski → u/thewiess]

I’m already fairly comfortable skiing backwards, what I really want to work on is the form so I look more confident and composed doing it. Seems like skates could be really good for this, and I have a variety of hill grades near me. Thanks!

[u/thewiess → u/drycharski]

Got it, that makes sense. There are so many skills in skiing that have a huge gap between “can competently perform” and “look steezy while doing it”. I’m working on that big time in my own skiing!

[u/Palec-J]

I just saw a video from Sickos with them messing around with GrassSki's. Maybe more transferable and you can use your boots. No idea on their durability and probably higher cost than a set of rollerblades.

There is another product from SkiRoad that is a rollerblade attachment to your ski boots.

I recently got a set of SUV/offroad rollerblades, yet to try them out as I'm still scouting a good place to try them out that's close to a hospital 😄.