10 ski tips for beginners

Posted by Gareth Edmundson 3rd January 2012

La Tania for Christmas. 600km of snow-laden runs across the 3 Valleys, one week to explore this skiers’ paradise and only one thing stood in my way - the small fact of not being able to ski.

I had been to a dry ski slope when I was 13 years old in 1994. But, to be honest, I wasn’t holding out much hope that throwing myself down a big polyester carpet 17 years ago was going to turn me into a downhill champion.

The trouble is that if, like me, you are an adult starting out, skiing can feel like a bit of an exclusive club made up of people who can already ski. On the piste all you get is the swish, swish, spray of people carving up the slopes who look as though they were born with skis on. It also seems that the only beginners you ever see are all under 10 and follow their instructors like ducklings following mother duck. And whilst it’s always funny to see these ski school children all fall over like dominos, seeing groups of adults being taught is much more rare. All together, this can make learning to ski as an adult a bit more challenging than it should be.

 

Help is at hand

If that is the case, I am here to help. Having just returned, I can categorically say that I loved my first ever week on the slopes, so much so that I am already surfing the web for the next trip. So, considering I’ve had such an amazing time as a total beginner, I thought I would write down 10 tips, beginner to beginner, that might help all of us adults in the ‘I’ve never skied before and frankly I’m a bit worried' club.

Before I start though, what’s written below is not meant to replace someone teaching you. Think of these tips to supplement your fabulous friend or French instructor.

1. Green for go

Completely by chance we chose to go to La Tania, a resort with a tree-lined green run weaving its way down to town. But before going it didn’t really occur to me to check the runs that go into the resort and it turns out that not every resort has a gentle run for beginners. Of course it’s not the end of the world to get the gondola back to where you are staying, but that’s not exactly cool, is it? Find a resort with a green run and you can cruise back into resort and feel good just like everyone else.

2. Looking the part

I did lots of searching and was totally baffled by the sheer range in the cost of ski clothing. I bought everything - jacket, trousers, gloves, thermals - in one pack from an online shop for about £120 and after skiing a day in a blizzard with freezing conditions it worked great. So, as a beginner, I can tell you that you will be fine with ski stuff at the lower end of the market. As for skis and boots, like most people do, I rented and went for the lowest package. But what was surprising is the gear I was given was not somehow ‘made for beginners’; it was just older. One thing I did learn is that boots are rather tortuous contraptions that simply serve in making going down stairs impossible. The thing is, you are going to be wearing these things for seven hours a day and they need to be comfortable so it might be worth spending a bit more to buy a better hire package in order to get better stuff and be more comfortable.

3. Fall early

Everyone needs to come to terms with the fact that they are going to fall. The quicker you fall, the faster you’ll find out that you’ll be ok. I suffered a rather significant fall on day one where skis & poles all went flying (this is apparently called a ‘yard sale’). And you know what, I was in fact fine and once I’d done it falling became less of a big deal.

 

4. The secret snow plough/wedge

Everyone knows about the snow plough or pizza wedge and, believe me, this move will be your best friend all week, always there to rely on whenever you feel out of control or hit a steeper bit of piste.  However, one thing I didn’t realise is that not every single bit of skiing is downhill. There are many occasions - queuing for lifts or moving between runs - when you might have to go uphill slightly. This is where the backwards snow plough or pizza wedge is your new best friend. It really is surprising how worrying it is when you start to glide backwards, so do the opposite wedge and you will remain in control.

5. Eyes front, hands forward

Sometimes the piste you will be on will be busy and it can be really unnerving when you hear the swishing of skis or the piercing scrape of a snowboard behind you. Stay focussed, don’t look round, keep your hands forward and keep going. If you look round and worry about everyone else, it’ll be your skiing that suffers and not theirs.

6. Be a bit brave

There are going to be times when there will be a bit of slope that looks too steep. This is the time that being a bit brave helps. I am not saying go and throw yourself down a black run at every turn, but trying something a bit more challenging will actually make other runs seem less challenging and easier when you do them again.

7. Take breaks

Make no mistake, skiing is harder on beginners all round (much harder on the legs and the mind than for regular skiers), so pacing yourself is really important. Taking advantage of a well-earned hot chocolate or having a longer lunch break pays dividends and will allow you to cope with, and enjoy, skiing more. I have to say I made the mistake of going out too hard on day one and it took me until about day three to realise I was on holiday.

8. Tougher runs early

I learnt this the hard way. I skied really well all day, got a bit cocky and decided to try the most challenging run at the end of the day. I didn’t realise how tired I was and ended up falling twice. At the end of the day, choose easy runs to practice your technique and do the more challenging ones early in the day when you are not as tired.

9. The golden rule for lifts

I managed to make a total prat of myself on all three types of lifts so my simple advice is this. Make sure you stand tall when getting on a drag lift, make sure you lean forward when getting off a chair lift and finally, learn how to carry your skis so you can at least look good on a gondola.

10. Relax!

Finally, as you build your confidence, remember to try and relax, the more you relax the better you will ski and have a great time just like I did.

 

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