Skiing Tips

Getty Images / Doug Berry

As with most sports, learning to ski is a continuum, and you never stop developing your technique (or having fun). The skiing tips here will help you get started on the ski slopes if you're a beginner, help you build confidence and develop technique if you're an intermediate skier or help you get the most from your skiing and take it to another level if you're already an expert. There are also some tips for getting ready to take your kids to the slopes. 

Skiing Tips for Beginners

A beginner-level skier may be someone who's trying out skiing for the first time or anyone who's been skiing many times but still feels most comfortable on "green" beginner runs. The following tips will help beginners learn the basics and start developing essential techniques. If you're just getting started, you'll begin by learning the gliding wedge, also called the snow plow. This is a turning technique that keeps you balanced and controls your speed at all times. 

Intermediate Skiing Tips

An intermediate skier is comfortable on "blue," or intermediate, runs. He or she steers and controls speed by making standard (parallel) turns, not by slow plowing (gliding wedge) and can effectively stop on steep slopes. Intermediate-level skiing is all about developing technique and building confidence on a variety of terrain. The more runs you can navigate, the more you'll advance. But most importantly, you must try new slopes safely. Learning the basics of challenging terrain, such as tree-skiing, and difficult conditions, like ice and very hard snow, can help prepare you for moving ahead. 

Expert Skiing Tips

An expert skier is comfortable on all types of ski-resort runs but may want to develop specific skills, such as handling spring crud or to venture into the unknown challenges of off-piste terrain. Of course, the best way to take your skiing to the next level is to commit to it full-time and live at the mountain as a ski bum.  

Tips for Taking Kids Skiing

Kids are more natural skiers than most adults starting out, and they tend to pick it up more quickly. But it's important to keep kids of all ages on appropriate terrain for their skills. Learning to ski is all about controlling speed; if they're able to slow down and stop -- by themselves -- whenever they need to, they're on the right slope.