Ski Vacations – Learning How To Ski

If your family wants to go skiing on your next

vacation, but you don’t know how to ski, go ahead

and plan that ski vacation anyway! You can learn

how to ski, and you will have a great time doing it.

You don’t even need to know the first thing about

skiing before you arrive at the resort – all of the

knowledge you will need is there waiting for you,

and you can literally be skiing down a mountain

after an hour of instruction.

Learning to ski is really quite easy. Most resorts

have a ski school on the premises, and lessons are

reasonably priced. Group and private lessons are

usually available. It is a good idea, however, to

schedule an appointment before you arrive at the

resort. This will ensure that you can start learning

to ski the very first hour of your vacation.

Most ski instructors start by showing you how to

maneuver around with your equipment. When you

are wearing ski boots, you will be inclined slightly

forward – there is a reason for this…when you are

skiing down a mountain, you will be inclined

forward! Walking in ski boots the first time is a bit

difficult – but it works just fine if you learn to walk

with your knees slightly bent.

The first maneuver you will learn is called the plow,

or snow plow. This is a technique that is done by

literally using your skis as a snow plow. You make

the back of the skis slowing move outwards, away

from your body by applying pressure – and this stops

you. You guide yourself on skies by bending your

knees and leaning in one direction or another,

depending on which way you want to go. All of these

techniques can be learned in one hour, even if you

have never been on a pair of skis in your life.

The beauty of skiing is that after you have learned

how to snow plow, and how to guide yourself on the

skis, you are ready to ski! Get on the lift, head up the

mountain, and give it a try. Control your speed by

snow plowing – go slow at first. When you want to

pick up some speed, draw your skis back in to pick

up a little speed, then push them back out into the

plow position to control that speed.

As a beginner, you should stick to the trails that are

designed for beginners. At most resorts, these trails

are marked with a green emblem. Blue trails are for

intermediate skiers, and after one day of skiing the

beginner trails, you may be ready for those trails.

The black trails are for experts. These trails can be

dangerous for people who don’t have the skill level

to handle them! Avoid black trails until you have

had a great deal of ski instruction and experience.

You will know when you are ready!