Ski Great

We receive a common question every year in a variety of forms. They all boil down to this: do I need to be in shape to learn to ski? Beginner ski instruction has little to do with one’s physical shape, athleticism, or weight. While a healthy lifestyle has numerous benefits, the lack of them rarely cause issues when skiing. Think about it. You’re going “downhill” with slippery sticks strapped to your feet – how physically prowess do you need to be? The real problem for most beginners is they develop bad habits and perpetuate them year to year.

One recent skier was concerned that her “weight” was causing her skis to slip downhill faster than normal and that her thighs would “burn” from trying to slow down. The following response comes from a professional ski instructor and will help many of us who struggle with this very common issue – regardless of our weight.

Being overweight has nothing to do with her problem. It sounds like her hips are behind her feet, causing the quads to fire up [burn]. What she needs to do is put more weight on her downhill facing ski as she traverses the slope. She needs to get her hips over her feet physically and mentally. Physically, her whole skeleton should be aligned just as when she walks down the street (e.g., her skeleton is stacked – upper body over hips – hips over feet). Mentally, she needs to think of skiing like walking.

Bring these walking mechanics to downhill skiing. Try this – go to the beginner area and practice walking in your skis. Step up the hill. Step down the hill. Step around a corner and and turn. Now, eliminate the “walking” steps, and you’ll have a naturally aligned skeletel structure for a nice, controlled parallel turn. Finally, I would suggest a one hour ski lesson to get her back on track and to eliminate the habits that created this issue.

Hope this helps. Click Beginner Ski Instruction for more helpful ski techniques, as well as Ski Basics

Now is the perfect time to get your body ready for some downhill skiing. The following online ski lessons will focus on reawakening the right muscles so you can start the ski season off right. While you may be in shape from all your summer activities, the muscles that matter most for skiing often don’t get used as much with summer sports.

The following exercises are great ways to prepare your body.

1) Bike riding - the repetetive lifting/lowering of your legs wakes up important muscles fast

2) Jumping Jacks – great exercise for conditioning your inner/outer thigh muscles

3) Yoga – yoga has a variety of exercises that help you rotate and loosen up your hips, such as when sitting “Indian style” and bending your body gently forward

Importantly, waking your muscles up is not to be confused with strength conditioning. While you want to be in shape, of course, downhill skiing is more about a well-balanced body posture and skeletal positioning – see Ski Techniques for more on this. Use the above exercises to help avoid injury and unnecessary strain.

What exercises work for you?

We talk about balance a lot in relation to ski techniques and beginner ski instruction. Without it, we’ll simply never learn to ski. Yet, many ski lessons focus on technical discussions. Let’s try to simplify the concept of balance in regards to downhill skiing.

When you’re standing in your sneakers you’re balanced over your feet regardless of your shoe size – 7″ or 14″. When you take a step forward you flex your ankle forward and balance on one foot. You do this every day and don’t even think about it. Now, think about this with skis on.

When we put on skis the extra length gives us even more leverage to balance. Because of this, we often lean too far forward or too far back. Avoid doing this. Just as when we are balanced when standing in our socks, we can create and learn to feel the same balance with downhill skis on.

At your next ski lesson (or even in your living room with skis on), flex your ankle forward to maintain shin-to-boot contact. Again, don’t lean too far back or too far forward. Just pretend you’re about to take a step (like you do every day) and feel how your body naturally positions itself to maintain balance. It’s subtle, but it’s the critical step for beginner ski instruction. Master this and it’s all downhill…

By Gerard

Whether you’re just learning to ski or a seasoned downhill expert, staying in shape (in specific ways) is key. Now, most of us only get to ski a few months out of the year, so we risk losing the ski techniques we’ve been practicing. There’s no need to worry! A great spring/summer/fall activity to improve your downhill skiing is inline skating. Many of the muscle and body movements are fantastic ski techniques.

To get started, find an empty parking lot with smooth pavement. Like downhill skiing, the most important aspect of inline skating is balance. Maintaining balance wearing downhill skis is actually easier because your levered front and back – with skating you don’t have that luxury. This is a good thing! With nothing to keep you from falling on your face or butt, you’ll immediately feel if you are in/out of balance. NOTE – protective gear is important: helmet, guards, gloves…etc.

Stand up with your skates on and work to find your balance. Keep your weight over the arches of your foot – not the ball or heel. Start skating just as you would using the “Skating Technique” (visit Beginner Ski Instruction for more on this drill). Practice on flat pavement first, not an incline. Once you’re comfortable, try making some turns. This is where you’ll make a strong connection between skating and skiing. As you’re coasting along, start by rolling both ankles in direction you want to go (similar to what you would do with side-slipping (visit Learn To Ski for more on this). Next, try turning with your knees and then turn using both both femurs – you’ll get the feel.

When you hit the winter slopes again, you’re body and muscles will be conditioned to apply these same movements to downhill skiing. You’ll be way ahead of the pack! Have fun, and learn to ski better this summer!

I was talking with my dad (the real ski expert) about the best ways for kids to learn to ski. My kids are getting to that age and I was wondering whether I should teach them or send them for ski lessons. I thought he would tell me to just do it. He didn’t…

“Leave it to the pros,” he said. Today’s ski mountains and resorts are well-equipped to teach kids to ski. From getting them into their ski equipment to dealing with their “uniqueness,” ski instructors, and especially their assistants, have more experience, patience, and objective understanding than parents. Following are five great strategies to get kids excited about downhill skiing.

1) Make it fun. Kids just want to have fun – it’s that simple. So – don’t put their ski boots on, put on their “space boots.” I mean, you don’t tell your kids to eat broccoli – you tell them to eat their “special miniature trees.” You don’t just ski down the mountain, you “follow the leader” – you get the idea.

2) Leave it to the pros (at least at first). After kids get some basic ski instruction, you can then help them nail down the basics. See Online Ski Lessons for more on this….

3) Repetition. Kids learn best through repetition. Many ski resorts now have conveyor belts (rather than chair lifts). This gets them up and down the beginner area quickly and allows for multiple runs, over and over again. This simple repetition is critical as kids needs to find their balance and learn to turn and stop. More runs also equals more fun!

4) Planning. Pick your day. Mid-week is best as there are less crowds. Shoot for good weather if at all possible. Most ski mountains have specials and package discounts that include lift ticket, ski equipment, and lessons.

5) Keep is short. Start with a 1/2 day. Most mountains have morning and afternoon ski lessons. Choose whichever works best for your kids. The time will fly by and they’ll be sad to leave- that’s OK. They’ll be exhausted, but eager to try again.

In short, make it fun and learning to ski will happen naturally. I hope this helps.

What do you think works best for kids?

If you want to learn to ski quickly, you must first learn to walk – with snow skis on! Take a ski lesson so you can learn what’s called “Stepping” from a professional ski instructor. There are two fundamentals you’ll learn during your first day of ski instruction – stopping and turning. The Stepping Drill (walking) is the gateway to this. The process involves lots of, well, stepping. When we walk (with shoes on) and turn left, we lead with our left foot. When we walk and turn right we lead with our right. We do this without thinking. With your skis on, you’ll be taking baby steps (left and right) until you’ve learned to turn, while simultaneously keeping your feet parallel – just like when you walk.

Avoid the “Wedge” (i.e., the snow plow method). This will slow down the pace at which you’ll learn to ski. Think of it this way: the wedge forces your body into an unnatural position causing you to pigeon-toe your feet. With the wedge, when you turn left, you’re leading with your right foot. When you turn right, you’re leading with your left. Try this with sneakers on as you walk down the street and you’ll get an idea of how it will not help you with downhill skiing. Granted, if you’re elderly or fearful, this “may” be the way to go, but it will drastically slow down the pace at which you learn.

Since you’re looking for the “fastest way to learn to ski,” you’re probably a go-getter. It is strongly recommended to take a ski lesson. The first reason – even before discussing any ski techniques – is safety. On the sides of most ski slopes are these big hard things called trees. You’ll want to avoid hitting these, as well as learn about the many other ski slope dangers. You may also want to consider restraining yourself from making a run for the summit after just one ski lesson. Give yourself some time and learn the ski basics at the lower elevations where the snow is softer, terrain more gentle, and it is generally much warmer.

During a ski lesson, you may be asked to traverse the hill with just your ski boots on. Some instructors want to literally emphasis the basic principal that turning on snow skis is the same as walking down the street. You may also be instructed to stick your ski pole in the snow and walk around in circles. You’ll then be asked to circle the pole with your skis on. The point is to keep your feet parallel. When we put skis on we’re often tempted to pigeon-toe. The stepping exercise helps us to avoid this so we can learn to ski, not only more quickly, but better. By learning to parallel ski we align our body, and more specifically, our hips, over our feet and thus have more control of our skis. While you may be anxious to get down the mountain, keep the above basics in mind and learn to walk in your skis first – this will help you learn faster and allow you to get down the slope without hurting yourself or anyone else.

Importantly, we know you want to learn quickly, the Stepping Drill is just one of many basics. For more complete instructions, visit online ski lessons. Downhill skiing is a blast! Keep a positive and humble attitude and you’ll be skiing great in no time!

Learning to ski well requires balance. While strengthening your body is important, it’s secondary. No matter how strong you are, if you don’t ski balanced you’ll be wiped out at the end of the day – if not sooner. If you’ve wondered why lots of skiers head for the lodge by early afternoon, it’s because they‘re not skiing properly and thus tiring their bodies too quickly. Following are three tips/exercises to enhance your balance.

First, let’s get the concept of balance straight in regards to downhill skiing. Picture the seventy-year-old guy effortlessly skiing down the mountain. He’s not “strong” per se, but you’ll notice that he skis perfectly balanced. His bones are stacked, hips over feet. He’s not leaning too far back straining his thigh muscles or too far forward straining his calves. Instead, just as when we walk, he leans forward just enough to ski down the mountain and maintain good momentum.

Second, exercise is important, but it needs to combine a component of balance. Bench presses won’t help (although you may look buff); you’ll still fall on your ass. Instead consider a Bosu ball. This is simply a ball with a flat bottom and round top that you hop on and off. It’s like stepping on jelly, but it’s a great exercise to wake up your inner balance.

Third, if you’re physically active, you’re likely already doing stretching exercises. Try this; stand on one leg and pull your foot up to your butt to stretch your quads. Balance on one foot for a count of ten without holding on to anything. Then do the other leg. After you’re comfortable with this, do it with your eyes closed.
Balance is a fundamental component of sports, but it’s paramount for skiing.

We all want to hit the snow skiing, but, for the beginner, it’s important to have the proper expectations of ski instruction. The first day you’ll focus on stopping and turning. A good instructor can show you ski techniques quickly and easily that will get you off to a great start. Take the time to absorb these basics. We learn to ski in parts – not the whole. At the end of your first day you should be able to stop and turn left and right. Resist the urge to rush to the top of the mountain. It is one thing to turn and stop on soft snow, but quite another on the steep icy terrain one can encounter at the peaks. Stay in the beginner area, on gentle, soft snow. Build your confidence and work the basics of your first ski lesson.

Learn more @ Beginner Ski Instruction

As fun as it is to ski, it’s a cold activity. Following are three simple downhill skiing techniques that will help you stay warm all day, as much as possible anyway.

First, while we’re often anxious to get as many runs in as possible, it’s best not to shoot straight to the top of the mountain for your first run of the day. It’s cold up there! The first chairlift ride to the top alone can ruin your day and have you running to the lodge for a cup of hot cocoa. Instead, stick to the lower elevations where it is (usually) significantly warmer. Ski at this level until the sun gets a chance to warm up the mountain.

Second, it may sound simple, but ski the sunny areas. As best as possible, follow the sun around the mountain. After you’ve had a chance to acclimate yourself to the weather and your body is warmed up, then head wherever you like.

Third, dress right! Lots of folks tend to focus on looking cool, but they’re really cold. Downhill skiing is fun! It’s even better when you’re not freezing!

Just learning to ski? Learn more at Online Ski Lessons

Often, still, many beginners are taught the wedge (or snow plow) technique to turn during ski instruction. While this is perhaps beneficial to an extremely fearful, brand-new skier, it’s a lesson that does more harm than good and will inhibit you from learning to ski well, faster…

Turning on skis correctly is just like walking, something we all do without thinking. When we walk and turn left, we lead with our left foot and our feet stay parallel to one another. This keeps us balanced and in control and our gate/posture correctly aligned. The wedge artificially forces a skier to pigeon toe his or her feet, forces one’s hips behind their feet, and causes the right leg to lead when turning left. Try leading a left turn with your right foot next time you’re out for a walk – it’s unnatural. So….don’t do it when you ski…

What to do? Learn the Stepping drill. This will have you turning with confidence in no time. Click Beginner Ski Instruction to explore this technique.