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!

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