It is a lot easier to learn to ski if you have some tips before you start. A large part of learning is visualization. So try to visualize yourself as you read through these hints. You won't be able to perform them all on your first try but they will fall into place as you learn, particularly if you review them before your first few outings. So print this page and re-read it as often as you can.

Skiing is Not Intuitive

You need to overpower the natural instinct to lean into the hill. This instinct normally keeps you from falling down the hill. However, that is basically what you want to do when you ski. If you don't fight your instinct your skis will go and you won't. The result is you will spend a lot of time laying around. So...

• in order to stay with your skis when going down the hill you have to lean forward. Putting your hands on your knees will help you achieve an athletic stance and stable balance, ready for action... picture a soccer goalie

• in order to grip the snow when going across the hill (traversing) you have to put most of your weight on the inside edge of your downhill ski. Putting both hands on the outside of your downhill knee will help you achieve the stance required to maintain ski stability. Angling the knees into the hill is essential to get the sharp metal edges of your skis to grip the snow and keep you from sliding sideways down the hill.

Turning is also counter-intuitive. The tendency is to 'bank' into the turn (as you would riding a bicycle) thus weighting the inside ski. You need to do the opposite. You need to transfer weight to the outside ski in the turn by leaning to the outside of the turn. 

• in order to turn right you need to pressure against your left ski.
• in order to turn left you need to pressure against your right ski.

Stance & Mobility of All Joints

Stand comfortably with your skis shoulder width apart with your weight between the arch and heel (where the leg bones join the foot bones). This is called a centered stance. Try bouncing while keeping weight centered. Try jumping both skis slightly off the snow making sure both tails and tips are air born. 

Now sink down by simultaneously bending your hips, knees and ankles. You should feel the front of your boots. Your weight should stay centered (heel-arch). This should look and feel like the action ready stance of most sports. Visualize a soccer goalie anticipating a shot or a baseball shortstop anticipating a line drive. 

Edge Control - the key to skiing

Edging is angling the your skis on the snow. This allows the sharp metal edges to provide the grip needed to control your speed. 

Practicing gliding in a snow plow is a good way to experiment with edge control. As you are gliding straight down a gentle slope in the stance described above, turn both legs, pivoting both feet, so the tails of your skis separate while keeping the tips fist width apart. This will cause both skis to edge slightly and skid sideways on the snow and control your speed. The resulting V (or A) is called a snowplow AKA pizza. Experiment by varying the width of the V (size of the pizza). As you widen the V your inside edges bite into the snow and slow you down. Now narrow the V and let your skis run straight (french fries). Your skis will flatten on the snow and you will gain speed. An extremely wide V should bring you to a stop. 

Pressuring the Skis to Turn

Now, while gliding in your snowplow V, pressure your left ski more than your right ski. You should notice that you start turning right. Now pressure your right ski more than your left. You should start turning left. 

This 'weight transfer' involves shifting your entire upper body from side to side while keeping the shoulders level and upper body still (i.e. no rotation). It might help to think that you are slowly and gracefully walking down the hill - stepping on the left ski... then stepping on the right ski... then the left... then the right... left... right... 

As you get more comfortable with pressuring one ski then the other and the resulting turning motion you can add a slight up motion to unweight the skis to initiate turns more easily. This should feel like you are bouncing from one foot (ski) to the other.
 

Steering - turning both legs to steer both skis.

Using Poles - get low, drag both poles keeping both hands in sight

Face Down The Hill - turn skis with legs only - no upper body rotation

Quiet Upper Body - absorb bumps with lower body

Extending, Unweighting & Edge Change

Commit: Point Your Belly Button & Dive Into The Turn

Edge Pressure, Angulation & Carving

Walk Down The Hill, Step Around The Bumps

Edge Sets - building a solid platform for steep slope turns

Down Unweighting (for instant edge changes)

Drills, Exercises & Props
- step turns, walk around the clock
- side stepping up hill
- tall as a house, small as a mouse
- climbing using herringbone (walk like a fish)
- side slipping down hill
- hands on knees (grab your knee caps)
- pizza & fries
- red light, green light
- downhill hand touching top buckle of downhill boot
- lean away from the next cone - clapping to extend
- both hands on outside of downhill knee
- chin over turning boot
- keep hands in sight (bottom corners of your goggles) and drag both poles
- drag outside pole before planting (elbow below grip)
- make the largest arc possible in the snow with outside pole
- top of outside pole behind knee
- paddling a canoe on the outside of the turn
- lift inside ski - touch tip then tail
- hop both skis (jump over snow snakes)
- alternate skis together, skis apart
- how wide can you ski
- poles across the fall line, arms straight
- airplane - arms parallel with slope
- advance uphill pole, keep both hands in sight at all times
- basketball - dribbling & shooting
- pivoting both feet to make round turns
- edge skis by tipping feet, rolling ankles and knees into the hill
- extend outside leg, lift inside thigh, drag outside pole to angulate and carve
- uphill hand on inside of uphill knee (thumb behind knee), pushing knee into hill
- bumps - straighten uphill leg at top of mogul to control speed
- bumps - feet forward (weight on heels) while planting pole on top of mogul
- bumps - go through the 'door' between the moguls then turn on the side of next mogul
- bumps - tailbone up for better hip mobility
- bumps - hold poles more in front to keep balance forward while pushing feet forward
- bumps - quiet upper body, lower body mobility in all joints - hip, knees, ankles
- bumps - slight extension of upper body just before mogul makes the moguls seem smaller