The T-Stop
In most cases a skier with even a modicum of courage will try to surmount obstacles in his path and pass them directly. Nevertheless, in exceptional situations a skier may need to execute an abrupt stop. When skiing in a snowplough position, the T-stop is a technique suitable for executing such a stop.
To execute a T-stop, the skier starts in the snowplough position. He then completely transfers his weight to the right hand ski with a forceful lateral thrust to the heel. This will cause the ski to turn across the slope. Simultaneously he allows the tip of the left ski to meet the right boot and allow the left ski to guide him in a straight line.
In the plate below, R. Hocking Esq. demonstrates the position adopted midway through the T-stop. A more emphatic shift of the weight onto the right hand ski would produce a more abrupt stop.
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In the following plate, he can be seen to have completed his stop within a short number of yards.
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In his excellent treatise, “The Complete Book of Ski-ing”, H Mückenbrünn notes that this technique is “a very powerful brake, but owing to the wide straddle required and the excessive forward leaning of the body, it is very fatigue and to be used sparingly”. The author wholeheartedly agrees with this sentiment but feels that the T-stop is, nonetheless, an important technique to be mastered by the competent skier.