Skiing is a very rewarding outdoor sporting experience that allows you to enjoy unusual mountain landscapes. If you are a beginner or if you have never put on skis before, here are some basic tips on how to ski well.

The speed of your progress will depend on your fitness, experience in other sliding sports and your courage to face challenges, but we can assure you that it’s not as difficult as it seems. Ready to learn how to ski? Then join us as we read on.

How to ski well: practical tips for beginners

Every year, thousands of skiers ply world’s ski resorts, but there aren’t that many who know how to ski well. Alpine skiing and snowboarding require a minimum of practice and habit to be able to glide skilfully down the snowy slopes. For this reason, we are going to give you some basic tips to improve your technique and enjoy the ski slopes regardless of the type of snow you find in the resort.

Physical fitness

Physical preparation is a crucial factor in any sport. Try to be physically active before you go skiing. Train, move and exercise at least three times a week. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle and strengthen your legs. If you’re a bit lost as to what kind of physical activity is recommended to get you started in the white sport, here you’ll find different exercises for better skiing. But don’t forget, it’s also important to have healthy habits, it all adds up.

Knowing, enjoying and respecting the natural environment

The mountains in winter (and in summer) are an idyllic place to enjoy the magnificent landscapes, good company and do sport. When a beginner faces the challenge of learning to ski, a major problem arises: fear. To overcome it, here are some tips and techniques to help you overcome your fear of skiing. Remember that there are people over 80 years old who are still skiing, so physical fitness is important but not as limiting as you might think.

It is mainly a question of technique and trial and error. Face the challenge with a smile, enjoy the natural environment and the altitude experience. By the way, to ski safely and with respect for other skiers, you need to know the rules of the ski resort. They are usually the same as the FIS regulations and you need to know them (and respect them) to avoid having an accident or hurting another skier.

Guided discovery

If you want to learn to ski, the ideal is to take ski lessons. This can be in the form of group ski lessons – which are usually cheaper – or private ski lessons, which are more expensive. Rely on qualified ski instructors. They have formal training as Alpine Skiing Sports Technicians.
They are professionals who have a vocation for the technical and practical teaching of skiing.
In addition to skiing very well, they are fun, sociable, great communicators, empathetic and responsible people. With them you will discover the virtues of skiing without fear of injury as they prioritise safety throughout the learning process.

As far as possible, avoid being taught by someone who is not a ski instructor. It is unlikely that you will learn to ski well if the person who introduces you to the sport is an acquaintance, a friend or even your partner. It is very common to make this mistake, as you get into bad habits that are more difficult to correct later on. Don’t forget that it is one thing to be a good skier and quite another to be a teacher, to know the technical progression, to know how to demonstrate it correctly and to know how to transmit the knowledge clearly, concisely and adapted to the individual needs of each person.

Technical progression in alpine skiing for beginners

To learn to ski, you should always start with the easiest and progress in difficulty. You should start with “knowledge of the environment and the equipment” or, in other words, what is skiing? It may seem like a waste of time, but if you are a beginner, you need to start with the basics. Discovering what a ski resort is, the layout of the slopes, the lifts, the ski pass, the equipment and the different types of skis that exist will help you to better understand what to do at any given moment.

Here is the progression that any beginner skier should follow. There are different methods and possible progressions. We don’t pretend to be an authority, we simply show you the one we consider the most suitable. However, each ski instructor chooses the most appropriate method depending on many factors such as weather conditions, the number, level and age of the students, the specific characteristics of the beginners’ area of the resort, the professional experience of the instructor, the equipment available to facilitate the sport initiation, …

1. Adaptation to the equipment and the environment

Knowing the equipment you are going to use is essential to begin alpine skiing. Knowing the parts of the ski and their types, how to fasten the ski boots or how to take the poles will only take a few minutes but will be extremely useful. It will also be very useful to know how ski bindings work. When the time comes, it will help you to know how to put on and take off your skis without needing help.

The ski instructor can also spend a minimum of time explaining the layering system to avoid getting cold in the snow, whether you should rent or buy ski equipment, the usefulness of ski helmets, sun protection, the things you should carry in your ski backpack, the types of ski gloves that exist, or even give you some recommendations on whether to wear sunglasses or how to choose your ski goggles or goggles.

2. Getting around a flat

After getting to know the equipment, you will have to put on your skis on a flat area with no slope. The first challenge will be to keep your balance on the skis and then learn how to slide them on the snow, take side steps and use the poles to help you move around. There are a multitude of games and exercises that can be done on a flat area that will help you learn the basic skiing position. Internalising this position correctly is fundamental in order to progress quickly, assimilating the basic concepts in a safe environment without any risk.

Once you have assimilated what it means to have skis on your feet, the layout and use of ski equipment, basic movements, falling and getting up from the snow and the base position of the ski, you will face the challenge of the direct descent.

3. Direct descent

This consists of descending a slight slope that ends in a counter-slope. To start with, you will have to climb a small staircase slope, moving your skis parallel to each other and digging the edges of your skis into the slope. Then, you will have to orientate your skis towards the line of maximum slope and glide with your skis parallel to each other in order to brake on a counter-slope without having to do anything to slow down. In this phase you will learn to distribute the weight evenly between both legs and enjoy the sensation of sliding down the snow in a straight descent, without turning.

4. Wedge

The technical gesture of the wedge is used for braking. It is the most basic method for slowing down or braking completely. It consists of separating the legs and leaning the shins inwards, making the inner edges of the skis rub against the snow, reducing the speed of descent until we come to a stop. The weight distribution should be evenly distributed between both legs to brake in a straight line. The basic skiing position should be maintained at all times, avoiding shifting your weight backwards or keeping your body too upright.

5. Wedge turns

To glide in the desired direction and moderate speed, there is nothing better than making turns or wedge turns. We will perform the technical gesture of the wedge, but this time the weight distribution will not be evenly distributed between both legs. The theoretical concept of wedge turns is simple: if you want to make a right turn, you will have to put more weight on your left ski. If you want to turn to the left, you should increase the weight on the right leg.

The virtue of this technique is that it helps you to brake constantly, it allows you to change the orientation of your skis and, in this way, steer yourself to one side or the other of the slope. It should be noted that the wedge gesture is initially uncomfortable for the hip joint because at the same time that we open our legs, we perform an internal rotation of the humerus and tilt our legs inwards.

This gesture can generate some bone and muscle tension in the hip area. Don’t worry, this is normal. As you continue to progress, you will use other techniques for turning and braking, but first, you must be able to execute the wedge perfectly. It is essential to brake and turn in a wedge effectively, without losing your basic position, in order to learn to ski well.

We hope that these brief indications will encourage you to learn to ski this winter. Remember that the advice and progression we have given you do not in any way replace the learning you will get from a qualified ski instructor. Respect the mountain, the other skiers and snowboarders, pay attention to the signs, be cautious and enjoy the experience to the maximum.