Snowplough stop

Heels pressed outwards so that one or both blades skid, taking the speed off in a straight line.

Also called snowplow stop, snowplough or half snowplough. Other names.

basic

Not checked yet. The mechanics on this page are a first draft by a non-expert, and no coach has seen them yet. Read them as a starting point and check them with a coach. Corrections are very welcome.

shoulder to hip —on the —

both blades skidding · toes turned in, inside edges, scraping straight. Negative twist means the shoulders are held back against the hips, which stores rotation before a takeoff and checks it on a landing.

Travelling forwards, you press the heels of your skates outwards so that the blades skid, and the skid takes the speed away. Ice Skating Australia teaches it standing still first and then from three to five steps, on both feet, with the knees slightly bent and the arms held in front for stability. Learn to Skate USA starts it at its first level, on one foot or two, and asks for it on the move at its second.

The one-foot version is the half snowplough: one blade presses out and skids while the other keeps gliding. New Zealand assesses it on each foot. Australia’s description has three points to hold: the heels pressed outwards, the knees slightly bent, and the arms in front. It asks for a complete stop, so a skid that slows the skater and lets them carry on is not yet the element.

Leads to

2 elements in the guide are built on this one.

Backward snowplough stopThe same skidding stop, travelling backwards. New Zealand teaches the backward half snowplough at its Basic badge.
Hockey stopBoth stop by skidding the blades. New Zealand teaches the snowplough at its first badge and the parallel side stop at Novice 2.

Appears in

No test syllabus recorded yet.

Where it sits in one country's grades is on that country's copy of this page: UK, USA, Australia or New Zealand.