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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

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

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

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.

If you’re about to ski for the first time – Great! These 3 simple guidelines will help you have a great experience…

1) Pick your day – midweek is best. There will be less crowds, less traffic, shorter lift lines, lunch lines…etc. All of this makes for a good day skiing.

2) If you’re taking a lesson, you’ll likely get more personalized service. You’ll be able to ask more questions and address specific concerns.

3) While difficult to predict, try to go during good weather. No one wants to be freezing or wet when learning to ski.