How To Ski

Skiing for the first time is challenging. It isn't advised to get on a ski lift to the top of a mountain and attempt to get down without some experience first. There are many aspects to skiing that you need to get right - starting with your kit.

If you've never skied before you should book yourself, ski lessons and a ski instructor will run through the basics from start to finish. You would be surprised how many people put a ski boot on incorrectly without getting some advice first. Once you have picked up the basics, it will make learning to ski much more enjoyable.

Skiing is all about distributing your weight correctly. You want to have your weight as central on your skis as possible. To do this, you need to lean forward with your knees bent, so they are almost over your toes. Bend at your waist with your shoulders in line with your knees so that your knees toes and shoulders are all in a line. This may feel like you are leaning forward, but your weight is actually central due to the angle of the slope.

Snowplough turns are one of the first things you will learn when beginning to ski. You need to push the tails of your skis out forming a triangle or 'pizza' shape with enough space between the front tips of your skis for you to fit your fist between (so that they don't cross over each other). When making a turn, you want to put all your weight on your downhill ski (when turning left this would be your right ski and vice versa) and turn your downhill leg from the hip. You want to aim to turn your ski up the slope as this will slow you down and get you prepared for your next turn.

Parallel skiing is when you are skiing down a piste, and your skis stay parallel to each other. No matter what you are doing, your feet and ski stay parallel all the time. Your skis should be about hip-width apart. When you are learning to ski parallel, you will probably have them wider than this and build up to bringing your legs closer together. If they are too far apart, you'll find that the downhill edge will dig into the snow and your uphill ski won't be able to slide sideways.

Once you gain more confidence, you will be able to ski faster, turn quicker and look great on the mountain.

Having the right skis will play a massive part in your ability to carve. Carving skis, as the name gives away, are the best for carving. They have a thin base underfoot and an hourglass shape the ski will be doing a lot of the work for you. When initiating the turn, you need to get almost all your weight on your downhill ski turning it up the hill whilst rolling your ankles to get on to your inside edges. Then let the ski do the work.

The key to turning on skis is getting as much weight as possible on your downhill leg whilst turning your ski to point the tip up the hill. The turning action should come from where the top of your leg meets your hip. The aim is to have your body facing downhill as much as possible as this will naturally put much weight on your downhill leg.

Skiing backwards, although feels completely unnatural, should be done with same basics rules as skiing forwards. You should have your weight distributed evenly between both feet when skiing downhill in a straight line with a bend at your ankles knees and waist so that your shoulders knees and toes are in a straight line. This will feel like your leaning forward; however, you will be balanced when on a slope with an incline. When turning, get your weight on your downhill leg and turn the ski with your legs.

The technique for skiing off-piste should be done in the same way as skiing on piste – it is an old wives’ tale that you should be leaning backwards when skiing off-piste. Having the right ski makes a massive difference to the ease of skiing off-piste. If you’re on a pair 75mm underfoot piste skis, you’re going to be making life difficult on yourself. Powder ski’s or freeride skis are much better suited with their wide base you have much more natural balance. As with all off-piste skiing, we recommend hiring a guide or instructor to show you the best and safest spots - they can also give you technique tips.

This depends on what ski instructor board you believe has the right technique. CSIA, the Canadian Ski Instructor Association, teaches you to use the top of the moguls to initiate the turn as the snow is softer here and stops the ready carved tracks around the moguls getting in worse condition. BASI, the British associations of Ski Instructors, is less picky and advises turning between moguls and on top of them. What they both agree on for mogul skiing is picking your line down the mogul field is essential.

Skiing on a halfpipe isn't something you just attempt without never skiing anything similar. You need to slowly build up to skiing a full halfpipe to prevent injury. It would be best if you did a few practice runs first using only part of the halfpipe so that you get a feeling of what it is like. Don't try any tricks you haven't tested out on more forgiving terrain.

Get a ski guide for your first time ski touring so that they can show you the basics and give you advice on routes to take in future. Ski touring involves putting 'skins' on the bottom of your skis and walking your way up the mountain in a sliding motion.

Your boots are only clipped in at the front, making it easy to slide uphill. The skins are a carpet-like material making it next to impossible to slide back down the hill. Once you've walked up to your destination, take off the skins and ski back down. Ski touring takes you off the beaten track so make sure you've researched the local avalanche conditions and safety advice.