Skiing is incredible fun and an amazing workout, and skiing holidays combine beautiful landscapes and breathtaking destinations with fun in the snow. It’s a sport that has a cult following from the alps to the olympics… So it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular leisure sports. It’s great for all ages and can help improve your posture, balance and body strength too – so it’s beneficial as well as enjoyable.
Skiing isn’t hard to learn, but can take longer to master, so if you feel embarrassed to get on the slopes and show off your skills this year, read these practical tips and in no time you’ll notice your skills improving quickly.
The trick with improving your skiing skills is keeping it simple – stop aiming for complex tricks, and focus on perfecting the basics, or improving fundamental elements of the sport.
Tip 1: Be prepared
Always check the weather forecast every morning before you get dressed to make sure you keep warm and safe whilst on the slopes. Being dressed right, and feeling comfortable on the slopes will affect your performance hugely. The better prepared you are – the quicker you’ll find your skills improving.
- Sunglasses for the sun, goggles for the shade, but don’t underestimate the sun because when it reflects off snow it can be blinding.
- Use layers of clothes, not big jumpers – it keeps you much warmer and gives you the flexibility later on too, if the weather changes.
- Don’t wear a cotton under layer or you’ll get cold! Have a thermal layer next to your skin.
- Make sure your outside layer is waterproof – especially your bottom half! Skiing with a wet bottom isn’t fun, trust us!
- You can take off layers when you get hot and so its best to carry extra ones in case the temperature drops.
Tip 2: Perfect your posture
Perfecting your posture is really crucial for improving your skiing. Spending a bit of time analysing your posture can be really beneficial. How can you analyse it? Get a friend who can film you skiing downhill in slow motion, and then watch the video back. Any mistakes in posture will be glaringly obvious!
Here are a few tips:
- When going downhill don’t lean back, leaning back shifts your center of gravity backwards and this places strain on your legs and back. It can also mess with your balance too.
- By straightening your spine, you reduce the strain and fatigue in your body and reduces the amount of crouching you have to do.
- Your weight should be forward so that your shins push on the front of the ski boots and skis press evenly into the snow.
Tip 3: Stay safe off piste
Going off piste is fun and a fantastic ride but it’s vital to stay safe when you go off the maps.
First thing you should do before going anywhere check the avalanche forecast warnings, it’s better to be safe than sorry and avalanches can be a devastating accident. If you venture into backcountry/avalanche terrain, carry all required safety equipment, including transceiver/beacon, shovel, probe, first aid kit and a mobile phone to call for help. If you have no avalanche training please stay in the safe where others can help you.
Tip 4: Wear the right gear
Wearing the right skiing gear can really help improve your performance. Whilst modern gear isn’t crucial to enjoying skiing, getting fitted out for the right gear can really polish your performance and boost your confidence a little too. Things like ensuring your boots fit right, that your boots don’t rub, that your clothing gives you maximum flexibility, etc.