Mid-Weighting and Other Things We Pretend to Understand
By this point in the season, the legs are waking up, the snow’s setting in, and everyone’s trying to sound like they know what “pressure control” means.
It’s usually around now that words like unweighting start flying around lift lines and training sessions. You’ll hear people talk about “up-unweight,” “down-unweight,” or my personal favourite — mid-weighting — usually followed by a confident nod and a sentence that trails off halfway through.
The funny thing is, most riders (and coaches) do use these movements all the time — we just don’t always know which one’s happening when.
So here’s my take on mid-weighting — what it actually is, why it matters, and how it sneaks into everything from carving to rails.
What Mid-Weighting Really Is
In CASI’s framework:
Up-unweighting means extending through the transition so your centre of mass moves up and over the board. You feel light at the edge change, then reconnect as you move into the next turn.
Down-unweighting is the opposite — flexing through transition to pull the board up toward you and manage pressure more directly. It’s quick, compact, and great for control through variable terrain.
Mid-weighting combines aspects of both.
It’s a coordinated blend where you extend through the edge change to help the COM travel across the board — establishing pressure early in the new turn — while at the same time retracting slightly through the legs to lighten and redirect the snowboard.
You’re flexing and extending together, keeping everything connected. The result is a smooth, lateral motion that keeps energy moving across the hill instead of up and down.
Think of your hips as the pivot point — the legs move underneath while the upper body glides over top. The outcome is a quiet, continuous transition where pressure, grip, and mobility all stay alive.
“Mid-weighting is the smooth transition between one edge and the next.”
How It Feels in Riding
Mid-weighting is all about utilising pressure, not generating it mechanically.
You’re using subtle timing to work with what the board and snow are already giving you, instead of forcing extra load or rebound.
CASI phrases it well: riders should avoid using excessive flexion or extension to generate pressure, and instead use those movements to moderate the loading of the board as it exits the turn.
That idea — moderation — is what makes mid-weighting so valuable.
It lets you stay tall, relaxed, and connected, using the board’s energy rather than fighting it. It’s the reason advanced riders look so calm even at speed — the effort is happening internally, not visibly.
Thinking outside of a turn
If you think about a clean approach to a rail, mid-weighting makes a lot of sense.
Flex down slightly on approach to stay stable and loaded.
Extend up and across to move the COM and pop onto the feature.
Re-flex as the board meets the rail, allowing your legs to move under you while the upper body stays balanced.
That pattern — flex, extend, flex — mirrors the mid-weighting cycle.
You’re light enough to move, but grounded enough to stay connected.
It’s what lets you land on the rail, not into it, and it helps maintain that locked-in stability through the slide.
This same rhythm shows up everywhere once you start noticing it — carving transitions, side-hits, small jump take-offs. It’s how good riders manage energy flow instead of just absorbing or releasing it.
Why It Matters
Mid-weighting is a reminder that efficiency isn’t about doing less — it’s about doing what you need at the right time.
By blending the upward and downward phases, you reduce dead space between actions and keep consistent contact with the snow or feature.
It’s also the bridge between freeride and freestyle.
The same coordination that smooths out a turn also stabilises a landing or a rail lock.
It’s the feel of everything connected — board, body, and timing working as one system.
The Takeaway
Now that the season’s underway and the legs are dialling back in, focus on how your pressure moves through transitions rather than over them.
Try flexing a little earlier, extending through the cross-under, then softening again as you reconnect with the snow or feature.
That’s mid-weighting — keeping things moving and connected from one edge to the next.
“Move through the turn, not around it.”
— Cam
CASI Reference: Adapted from the CASI Skills Framework, Chapter 4 – Pressure Control: Combining Up & Down Un-Weighting (“Mid-Weighting”).