How to Ski Downhill

Snow skiing successfully requires technique, practice and determination to have a swoosh-booming time. Skiing downhill is the only way to snow ski when you are on the slopes. Knowing how to get down those slopes is key to becoming an advanced skier. Take a look at these steps to learn the concept of skiing downhill, and then get on the slopes and practice the technique.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Complete ski rental package
• Complete ski gear
• Confidence

1. Start with a comfortable stance. Keep hands forward in peripheral vision, knees slightly bent with the shins pressing against the boot tongues.

2. Feel your weight on the ball of the feet. Body's weight mass is continually carried forward on the skis to help in turning.

3. Practice shifting your weight from the downhill ski to uphill ski to get yourself down the mountain. Shift your weight ever so slightly while lifting the tail of the downhill ski.

4. Extend your uphill ski and using your wrist, swing the downhill pole tip forward. Touch the snow lightly with the extended ski to start the turn downward.

5. Get confident making those tunes. Practice until you feel confident.

6. Control your speed with a light change in the turning process. Simply round the completion of the turn by moving the skis a tad uphill. Try varying the width of the turn as you go downhill. Go from large to medium to small turns. Next thing you know, you will be skiing downhill faster and better each time.

Tips & Warnings

• You need to be strong to ski downhill.
• Good edge control is imperative when going downhill, so you can turn and do a hockey stop.
• Practice shifting your weight while traversing until you feel more confident about shifting your weight back and forth.
• Modern skis make it easy to shift weight to uphill ski and roll into a downhill edge.
• If you allow the center of the body mass to drift toward the skis' tails, which often happens, it will be impossible to make turns to go downhill. Keep the body mass forward.

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