Nordic Skiing Technique Tips - Diagonal Skate

  • Use the same leg action, arm action, and body movement as in the free skate.
  • To provide pole push, use the poles as in the herringbone.
  • Slight upper-body flex adds body weight to pole action, as does the roll of the shoulders.
  • The recovery ski contacts the snow on edge on steep uphill terrain.
  • The V gets wider as the hill gets steeper.
  • Keep the hips in front of the ankles.
  • The end of the push of the left leg coincides with the end of the push of the right arm.
  • Use a fast tempo to maintain glide.

These points are taken from "The Instructor's Manual for Teaching Nordic Skiing" put out by CANSI

Diagonal Stride Double Poling One-Step Double Poling
Uphill Diagonal Stride Herring Bone  
Free Skate Offset One Skate
Two Skate 1/2 (Marathon) Skate Diagonal Skate
Snowplow Turns Basic Christie Turns