On The Slopes

Good skiing fun begins with getting ready – with your gear and your mind and body!

• If you have your own ski equipment, then chances are your boots will fit you, but if you are renting equipment, take the time to make sure your boots fit properly.  Your toes must be able to wiggle, but your whole foot should NOT move from side to side. 
• Wear one pair of medium warm socks. Do not double up or wear extra thick socks – this can cut off your circulation and make your feet cold.
• Wear a full snowsuit. Avoid jeans and sweatpants. When you fall in snow, it melts and you get cold and wet very quickly!
• Wear proper ski mitts or gloves for both waterproofing and warmth.
• Neck, chin, nose and ears should be covered at all times.
• When you fall, try to fall uphill. That is, try to land with your bottom above your skis on the hill. This makes it easier to get yourself up again, as ski boots do not bend and are not flexible.
• ALWAYS start on the beginner hills so you have wide slopes, not steep ones.
• Make sure someone teaches you how to ski!  Whether it’s a friend, a lesson in a group or a private lesson, skiing is not something that you can teach yourself.
• Always look up, not at your feet. This will help you avoid other skiers and trees and other obstacles.

The snowplough foot position is when you point the tips of your skis towards each other to make an upside down V. Think of your feet as a pizza slice. The more you push your feet sideways while you keep your tips in the V shape, the slower you will go. 

To stop, you will want to push with all your leg muscles with both legs to the side. This will reduce your slow snowplough speed and stop you!

Turning is tricky, but you can do it!  Practice turning before you go up the hill. In your snowplough, shift your weight onto one ski and then onto the other. See? You will turn! 

BUT a snowplough turn is not a quick change of direction such as when you are ice-skating or even skiing parallel with your legs together.

In your snowplough, moving across the slope (you never go straight down, always side to side with turns at the end of your “line”), let’s say your left foot is down the hill and your right foot is up.  You want to turn your whole body to the left.

You stay skiing fully on your right foot, and lift a bit of pressure off your left and sort of push-lift it out sideways out of the way. You turn your upper body slightly to the left. This naturally turns you to the left away from your “heavier” right ski. As you complete the turn, you bring both legs back to the snowplough position and equal weight to travel back across the slope. Then your right leg will slightly lift and push out sideways while your left leg and ski makes a right turn.  To remember this, always try to do the opposite: left turn, right ski…right turn, left ski.

Stay warm by staying active and wiggling your toes while waiting in line-ups. You will see yourself getting better and better with every “run” on the hill!