Notes on Skiing
I learned Skiing rather recently and had a bunch of fun figuring it out. What makes Skiing such a great sport is the adrenaline rush on top of the motivating steep learning curve. As a sport, Skiing is very much about balance and technique. For beginners, a lot more effort is needed to get going and to keep control, but the more you advance, the more efficient you become.
The most helpful tips and things I learned along the way were:
- Tighten your boots: The tighter your boots, the more control you have over the Skiiers. You do not want to have a lag when you need to change the position of the Ski. As an absolute beginner, I questioned the utility of thick Ski socks - that was a mistake. They help greatly to alleviate the pressure pain.
- Lean forward: If you lean backward on Skis, you lose control. Leaning forward gives you a better position to turn.
- Wide Stand = Control: The wider your stand, the more control you get on Skis. That is why most beginners start with the Pizza stance.
- Up and Down movement: When you do turns, try to stand straight up on your Skis even if you are downhill facing and really afraid, your turn gets way more controlled versus when you have your bend knees. When you finish the turn, bend your knees again, and that is how you should move up and down while Skiing.
- Shift your weight: If you want to do a turn on Skis, shift your weight to the opposite foot. For example, if you want to go left, you shift your weight on your right foot. If you want to carve (driving on the edge of your Ski), you should push on the Ski that carries your weight to bend it. The Skis will give in and get the shape of a curve, and you will naturally do a turn. Press heavy on your Ski, almost as if you tried to push away the snow.
- Bumps: When there are bumps in the piste, try to initiate the turn on top of the bump so you can move with the bumps. Most importantly, bend your knees; otherwise, you will be thrown off by the little jumps you will do. Bending your knees is like a natural suspension system. The closer you are to the ground, the more sporty you drive and the more control you will have.
- Read the piste: If you want to break, try to find an incline on the piste (there almost always is). If there is not enough space, slide on your skis quasi-orthogonal to the direction of the decline to break. If there is a hill on the horizon, try to go straight, as you will break naturally.
- Turning: Do little turns to slow down and control your pace. If you want to carve, try to do long turns to control your movement. Moreover, with long turns you can slow down your movement a bit and gain more control.
- Leaning Back: When you need to lean back for balance, try a squatting lean back. Instead of leaning back, push your butt out and shift your center of gravity. This posture surpasses moving your entire body and positions you to easily stand up again.