Ski Tips I've Learned as a Beginner

Ski Tips I've Learned as a Beginner

This is our first year skiing everrrrr! Yes you heard me right. Since Nick and I moved to Utah in March we knew we wanted to learn how to ski. Nick grew up snowboarding but he wanted to try out skiing with me since I really wanted to learn.

So far we’ve gone 7 times now (we’re trying to go at least once a week). The first three were lessons and now we’re off on our own; exploring the mountain. Well just part of it for now since we’re still newbies! We’ve successfully gone down Becker and Wildcat runs and have only done the Needles run once but I definitely had quite a few falls on that one haha!

Nicks confidence is high and I know he’ll be doing blue runs soon and I may be a little slower than him but I’m still getting down and my confidence is getting much better. I’m hoping to try some blues next time around with him.

Some things I’ve learned as a newbie so far are…
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1. Stay forward on your skis as much as possible, the moment you lean back is when you lose control and get off balance
2. Don’t stick your butt back! I grew up playing spots where you’re in a squat position a lot of the time but in skiing you want bent knees and tilting forward not down. If the weights back, you’ll lose balance.
3. You really need to understand where to put your pressure on your feet when you’re parallel turning and carving. Knowing when to put more pressure on your heel, big or little toe depending on which way you’re going.
4. Understand how your knees turn in to the mountain to help get you on edge too. Your knees will go in towards the mountain but your upper body will go against it to keep you balanced.
5. When you’re parallel turning your weight goes to the outside ski.
6. Keep your upper body facing down the mountain while your legs and hips do all the twisting and moving.
7. I found that pole plants were super beneficial to stay focused and not get to scarred of the steepness. Have a strong pole plant to take you into the next turn is crucial and sets you up for a great transition.
8. Take a lesson or two! We got great drills from this to help our technique.

I hope these tips help you if you are new to the sport! I know they definitely helped me and I know the more I practice the better I will become. Happy skiing y'all! XOXO Kimmy