Ski Vacations – Learning How to Ski

If you and your family want to go skiing on your next vacation, but you don’t know how to ski, it’s not a problem - go ahead and plan that ski vacation anyway! You can learn how to ski, and you will have a great time doing it. Once you’ve found a resort that gives lessons to beginners (and there are plenty of them) you’ll find that 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 not as difficult as you might think. Most resorts have a ski school on the premises, and lessons can be obtained for reasonable prices at many resorts. Group and private lessons are usually available, too. 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.

One of the first maneuvers that ski instructors teach 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 slowly move outwards, away from your body, by applying pressure – and this stops you (unfortunately, I didn’t take lessons when I first started, and for the longest time could not figure out how to stop!).

To guide yourself on skies, you bend your knees and lean in one direction or another, depending on which way you want to go. Both of these techniques and sometimes more 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 a tame trail, 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!