The Arlberg technique was the primary method of instruction in alpine skiing (downhill) from around 1910 into the 1990s. The system was developed by Hannes Schneider while working as an instructor in the Arlberg mountains in Austria. His methods were popularized in Europe in a series of films in the 1920s and 30s. It became popular in the United States after Schneider moved there in 1939, having been jailed during the Anschluss.
The Arlberg technique is a progressive system that takes the skier from the snowplough turn to the parallel Christie through measured stages of improvement. The system, or slightly modified versions, remains in widespread use to this day. Modern ski equipment is also capable of a more efficient turning style known as carving that uses entirely different techniques and movements. Some ski schools have started moving students directly from the snowplough to carving as early as possible, avoiding learning stemming habits that may be difficult to un-learn.
Read more about Arlberg Technique: History, Basic Concepts, Later Developments
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“The audience is the most revered member of the theater. Without an audience there is no theater. Every technique learned by the actor, every curtain, every flat on the stage, every careful analysis by the director, every coordinated scene, is for the enjoyment of the audience. They are our guests, our evaluators, and the last spoke in the wheel which can then begin to roll. They make the performance meaningful.”
—Viola Spolin (b. 1911)