Mark Sedgwick finished this winter as #1 on the CARV global leaderboard

for short turns, with a Ski IQ of 180 — the highest recorded this season.

In this episode, I sit down with Mark to find out exactly how he got there.

Mark is an Australian-born ski professional who started at age 10 and never

looked back. He's worked through the APSI, CSIA, and Austrian instructor

systems, raced in Europe, ran ski resorts, and now plays a senior role in

the PSIC (Professional Ski Instructors of Canada) — including integrating

CARV data into Level 4 certification exams.

This is one of the most practical, data-rich ski improvement conversations

I've had on the show. We cover:

→ The difference between play, purposeful practice, and deliberate practice

→ Why just trying harder keeps you stuck at the same score

→ The #1 and #2 metrics that drive short turn Ski IQ

→ Mark's philosophy: make something exist before you make it better

→ Turn-by-turn breakdowns of parallel, carving, short turns, and moguls

→ Why function before form is reshaping how ski instructors are trained

→ A live coaching session using my real CARV data

→ How Mark used AI to reverse-engineer the CARV scoring algorithm

→ The future of CARV: stivets, one-ski skiing, and community features

Whether you're a recreational skier trying to level up or a ski professional

looking for a new lens on performance, this conversation is packed with

actionable insights.

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🎿 FREE SKIING VIDEO

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🌐 BIG PICTURE SKIING

Website: https://bigpictureskiing.com

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⏱ CHAPTERS

0:00 How Mark Hit Ski IQ 180

3:15 Meet Mark Sedgwick

5:14 From Aussie Kid to Ski Pro

7:52 The Austrian Influence

12:56 Why Most Practice Doesn't Work

23:55 The Ugly Skiing Breakthrough

32:39 Function Over Form

37:12 Style Still Matters

45:50 Make It Exist, Then Make It Better

54:48 How to Improve Your Parallel Score

1:04:45 Parallel — The Most Overlooked Turn Type

1:13:42 Carving: The Metrics That Actually Matter

1:27:44 Ski Sharpening & The Pole Secret

1:31:25 Short Turns — How to Break Your Ceiling

1:45:43 Moguls, Tempo & Keeping the Joy

Another season done. And like always, by the time the lifts close Demelza and I find ourselves deep in conversation about what we actually learned out there — not just what we taught, but what shifted in our own thinking.

This episode is that conversation. We each had a big coaching theme this season that we kept coming back to with clients, and in this one we unpack both of them — plus a few other things that came up along the way.

We get into turn shape and why it’s the foundation everything else is built on, ankle and knee mechanics and where they actually belong in the turn, the push vs pull debate and what’s really happening with pressure, why a “stable upper body” is honestly an optical illusion, and what it means to unfreeze — and why loose is actually stable.

There’s also a moment where Demelza highsides herself at about 3 feet in the air at Hintertux while I’m watching from the bottom. That one’s worth it alone.

If you’re a skier who wants to understand the why behind good technique, this one’s for you.

Interested in joining Tom’s upcoming Deep Dive Webinars? See below

📅 Big Picture Skiing upcoming webinars → https://bigpictureskiing.com/programs/deep-dive-3

Want to join a ski camps with Tom, Demelza and Jason? Checkout

🎿 Ski camps with Tom & Demelza → https://www.skicoachcollective.com

Want a free deep dive on a concept that will improve linking of your ski turns?

🎥 Free video → https://bigpictureskiing.com/get/perpendicular

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction to Skiing Insights

00:01:13 Exploring Turn Shape

00:02:53 Coaching Themes for the Season

00:06:55 Understanding Turn Dynamics

00:08:38 The Joy of Speed in Skiing

00:12:14 Engaging Advanced Skiers

00:17:04 The Push-Pull Concept

00:28:28 Balancing Between Techniques

00:31:35 The Importance of Timing

00:38:05 Skiing for Fun vs. Competition

00:46:21 Reflecting on Personal Growth

00:59:23 Enhancing Skiing Techniques

01:06:37 The Journey of Unfreezing Movements

01:16:01 Preparing for Future Topics

01:28:52 Conclusion and Future Conversations

Most skiers only think about their boots when something hurts.

In this episode, I sit down with expert boot fitter Brent Armsbury to unpack the art and science of ski boot fitting — and why every skier should take more ownership of their setup.

We talk about the mindset shift from “my boots don’t feel right” to actively experimenting and giving better feedback. Brent shares the most common issues he sees in the shop, why feeling disconnected from your boots doesn’t always mean you need a new pair, and how small adjustments can restore performance.

We cover practical, mid-season tweaks including:

• Padding and shimming the liner tongue and shin area

• Using simple materials like neoprene, foam and even duct tape to fill voids

• Spoilers, heel lifts and forward lean experiments

• How to self diagnose fit issues starting from the front of the boot

The big takeaway: boot fitting is collaborative. The more you understand and experiment, the better the outcome.

If you want to go deeper on technique, equipment setup and skiing performance, check out the Big Picture Skiing learning platform. https://bigpictureskiing.com/

Podcast listeners can use the code PODCAST to take 20% off.