Learning to ski should have been no-brainer for me when I strapped on my first pair of downhill skis at the age of 23. I had been a competitive figure skater as a kid, so I was well used to the feeling of being attached to footwear that glided over slippery surfaces. I was fit, accustomed to cold weather, and had quite a bit of cross-country skiing experience.
It turned out to be quite a bit more difficult than I expected.
A Typical Day for a Beginning Skier
My younger sister, whose claim to skiing expertise consisted of two previous outings, was my well-meaning but not entirely qualified instructor. She did tell me something important at the outset, though: Before we got going, she made me "fall down" and practice getting up. This proved to be the sort of challenge you see in a comedy video, with ice and gravity conspiring to keep me horizontal. But it turned out to be important, because I spent a fair amount of time that first day falling, often flailing about like a turtle stuck on its back.
The day got more interesting when I tackled the ski lift and fell, becoming responsible for one of those long "why is the lift stopped?" delays as the operator had to stop the lift, help me on, then get it going again. The same thing happened on the dismount. And on my maiden voyage down the acre-wide bunny slope, I managed to aim for and mow down the only other person on the mountain that day, who just happened to be on the Ski Patrol staff. He nicely apologized for being in my way.
Fast forward: I've since learned to ski. I can tackle double-black-diamond slopes and manage fluent moguls, and I've taught a few other people to ski. Alas, in some cases, I've had the same success as my sister had with me. What I've learned is that for most adults, learning to ski is equal parts terror and insanity. Even for the most athletic and coordinated beginning skier, the first day is... ugly. There's no other word for it.
So, as a former adult beginner who has made it to the advanced ranks and has taught a few other people, I offer a few tips for beginning adult skiers.
Tips for A Beginning Skier's First Day
Let's start by accepting the following reality: You're going to be terrified, out of control, and you're going to fall. So don't take a multi-thousand dollar trip to ski in Switzerland. Go instead to the easiest, gentlest bunny hill you can find.
- Put your skis on and take them off, several times. Learn how to release the bindings. When you fall on skis, sometimes your bindings will release and the ski will detach from the binding to prevent injuries such as twisted ankles and broken legs. So you have to learn to put your skis back on. Learning how to do this on a nice flat place at the bottom of the hill is a whole lot easier than doing it mid-slope.
- Practice falling. Sit down in the snow, and figure out how to get up. Expect your skis to slide underneath you. The best technique is to put your skis parallel to each other, downhill of your body, and perpendicular to the fall line. Dig in with your edges and use your poles to push you up. Remember that you can also release your binding, step out of your skis, and put your skis back on if you really can't get up from a fall.
- Take a lesson. Ski instructors are taught not only how to ski, but how to teach. This includes giving you exercises to get you comfortable on your skis, and techniques for the basic snowplow stop and turn skills. It also includes picking up on balance and form problems that your husband-wife-sister-best friend may not know the first thing about. For beginners, ski lessons usually include some bunny-slope time followed by instructions on using the lifts and a few runs down the green (beginner) slopes.
- Be sure you are warm enough. This means ski gloves, a hat, a face mask. And helmets are never a bad idea.
- Don't use outdated gear someone loaned you from their garage. Skis have changed dramatically since I started skiing. Back then the big show-off factor among skiers was ski length: the longer the ski, the better the bragging rights. Today, my skis have shrunk some 20 cm, and they are curved to make turning much easier to learn than it was in the old days. There's a reason technology changes: Rent current equipment and you will be much happier.
- Don't try to keep up with more advanced skiers, and don't let yourself be pushed. . You belong on the beginner slope until you feel you're ready to move on. Go at your own pace, even if it means skiing alone, and take breaks when you start feeling tired.
Finally, expect it to take time. It's been a good long while since I was a beginner, but I think I skied a good 20 or 30 times before I felt confident on intermediate slopes. It took another 10 or 20 outings to get comfortable on black runs, and yet another 20 or 30 before I didn't feel that every mogul slope was a death-defying feat. The secret to improving: As with all things, it boils down to practice. Go at your own pace, ski on slopes where you feel in control, and every once in a while, take a lesson to correct bad habits and pick up some new tips.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
