How to Ski / Ski Technique

All techniques in skiing are performed by using the basic mechanics of skiing, usually many of them together.

Everything Fully Explained

In this section it explains what each technique is, how each technique works, how to do them, and gives some tips to help you improve. The emphasis is on understanding how and why they work, because it is always easier to do something when you know what it is that you are trying to do, instead of just guessing and hoping you get the desired outcome. Where appropriate there are links to the basic mechanics and other techniques that are used, as in many explanations they are already expected to be understood. The links provide an easy reference for anyone wanting to go back over the mechanics, or anyone who has not yet read them.

Finished Techniques

There are many exercises that can be used to improve technique, but this site is focused on the finished techniques and how they work. The site only tries to cover aspects of skiing that can be learnt online, and leaves the aspects that need real life experience for ski lessons. Therefore the site does not cover the best ways to try these manoeuvres for the first time, or exercises to use to improve your technique. For first attempts and performing exercises it is always advised to have lessons with a ski instructor. It is always best to see how exercises work, and try them with instruction.

Advanced Graphics

By using 3D graphics this website can provide an insight into skiing manoeuvres and techniques that is not possible in real life. Even most ski instructors, although they will know the techniques very well, and how to teach them, will not realise why the techniques are how they are, or know the mechanics that mean they must be this way.

Basic to Advanced Skiing Techniques

This section covers all the things you will actually do while skiing, right from the very basics, like putting skis on and off, for anyone who has never skied before, to advance manouvres like parallel turns and carving. It must be remembered though that knowing how to do something, is not being able to do it. Practice is very important, and can not be replaced.

Although as many elements and variables as possible have been included in the explanations, things like bumps that you can hit while making manoeuvres, can have many different effects and can be dealt with in many different ways. These have not been included so much in the normal explanations. There is information on some of the obstacles you might find in the real pistes section though for anyone who wants to know a bit more than is said in the explanations for the specific manoeuvres.

On to the Putting Skis On section.