Learning to Ski

Clothing

Layers, Layers, Layers!

On a hot day -- aka spring skiing -- you'll show up at the base of the mountain and it'll be 20 degress out (-4 C) but by the time you get onto the snow it'll be 40 degress and only getting warmer as you start standing and moving in the sun.  If you're really active you get warmer, if you look at the starting line of a marathon course on a freezing morning you'll see people in shorts and short sleeves, they know as soon as they've been moving for 5 to 10 minutes they'll be warm enough.

What layers should you bring, you're just learning, so you probalby don't want to go out and invest in $1000 worth of clothing.  A typical skier wears -- NO COTTON:

• Baselayer - think long underwear (tops and bottoms)
  Fundamentally, this helps wick the sweat away from your body and keeps you much more comforable.  Worth the investment since it can also be used for a cool day hike or lounging on the couch while nobody is around.
  
• Insulating - Sweaters, etc.
  This is not t-shirt and jeans, as you probably know, when cotton is wet it's cold and doesn't dry fast.  This is the layer that's going to provide the real comfort in your day.  You could wear two layers here, just to give yourself options.  But at the end of the day, if you just keep it simple a good sweater and optionally (probably not an option in vermont) is something on your legs you'll be fine.
  
• Protection - Weatherproof outer layer (a jacket and pants)
  Keeps you dry if it's snowing, from sitting on the snow and just keeping the wind out.  It's a jacket and some inexpensive ski pants.  
• Gloves, Helments, Googles
  Your a first timer (if you're a child get a helmet).  Buy a reasonable pair of gloves, use your sunglasses -- not glass ones. 
  

Ski Gear

Rent it, have the rental guy fit your boots and skis.  Your boots are the only thing that really count in learning to ski, if they're too tight your feet will be uncomfortable if they're too loose you wont be able to control your skis well.  What's best: Snug like a glove.  Your toes should just touch the tips of the boots when you lean back.  Don't buckle them to the point of pain, keep it comfortable, they're not than fun to stand and walk around it.  Think snug like a glove, not tight.

Sunscreen

While a tan is cool, we don't really want to look like that 50 year old ski instructor who's face has the consistancy of a horses sadle.  Put on the sun screen as you leave the house, or are waiting for your lesson to start.  No excuse and even less of an excuse if you don't force your kids to do it.

Beginner Lessons

I have to plug ski lessons, as a beginner skier most resorts offer "first timer" or other beginner packages.  Many of these packages come with ski equipment and lift tickets along with two to four hours of ski instruction.  Is this a good deal?   Heck, Yeah!

At the present time private ski instruction runs about $100 / hour, group instruction is usually around $25 / hour, lift ticket around $60 and equipment rental is $40 / day.  While a beginner package is usually around $80 / day for the lot.  The only down side to a group lesson is that during a peak ski time you might find yourself in a group of 10 people, but if you find yourself in that large group just make sure you're speaking up for yourself and insure that your instructor focuses some real attention on you.

Teaching Yourself

Or how to get the most out of your lesson...

You're not really teaching yourself, you're going with a bunch of friends who will promise to show you what to do.   That usually works for about and hour where they show off that they can ski and really have totally forgotten what it's like to not know how, since they all learned when the were five years old.   Now that we're on our own, or doing some dry land training.

Stance

The first thing you're going to do when you stand on a pair of skis is start leaning back, since this is a totally natural thing to do.  You're a little scared and the ski boots want to push you forward, so you'll lean back a little bit into the backs of your skis and boots and unconsciously feel safer.  In reality you're doing yourself a dis-service since when your weight is back you're unable to use the full length of your skis and unable to control them as well.


You can see from this picture that it looks a bit goofy to be leaning back (image 1) or forward (image 2), but that strong centered stance in the last picture looks more natural.  Not only will this give you better control over your skis but you'll also not walk into lunch and go "my quads are so tired" since when you're leaning back you're not using your skeleton to support your weight but you're really using muscles -- which are probably not used to holding you up for hours on end.

The only improvement is that when you're actually skiing, put your hand out in front of you about where you would hold a steering wheel on a car.

Sliding in your skis

You've got your friends around your right... so they've shown you how to put on your skis -- there really isn't a left and a right ski.  Spend a few minutes before you put on your skis and feel how your boots move in the snow and feel, how things move and slide. 

Try these, with just your boots and then when your skis are on:

• Make a bow tie shape in the snow
  Notice that to do that since your ankle is locked in your boot you've got to make a motion that starts at your hip.
• Rock from side to side
  Notice that the edges of your boots are active, both of your legs and feet move in unison.  
• Skate
  Skate?  Just like ice skating, try with one ski on -- each side -- try with both skis on, work up to it.  It's somewhere between ice skating a skateboarding, but it'll be the fasted you've ever moved on the snow most likely under your own power.
  

Slope

The moment you hop on a chairlift you know a lot more about skiing than what a beginner (first timer) should know.  When your friends are dragging you to that chair, stop walk away... And go find a "magic carpet" or even just a little rise in the snow, you're learning, you don't want to turn into a flying missile before your time.

It's not a snowplow!

The moment your friends tell you to make a snowplow and push your knees together, politely comment that's "old school" and there's better ways.  Think back to the bow tie shape you just practiced and notice that your were rotating your skis in the snow.  To control your speed in the snow you do want to make a wedge, but you want to control the shape of the wedge to control speed.  You're not going to do something like push your knees together, since this isn't going to help you in the long run to ski -- when was the last time you saw a picture of somebody skiing and their knees were squished together! 

Rotate those skis to make a big wedge shape.  Slide...

Turns

Your first turns are going to be made by controlling the pressure on your skis and turning one or the other just a bit more.  If you practiced the bow-tie it should come fairly easily.  You need to make sure you're initially focused on that sliding wedge to control your speed, once you've got your control you can build on that skill.  You'll even find that you probably start making a few turns and your learn your speed control, which is exactly right!  Your first turns are not going to be beautiful and sexy, but accidental think about the feeling of what you were doing to make those. 

Patience

Before you get frustrated and walk away after a hard day, realize that it takes between three and five trips to the snow before you're going to even start feeling comfortable.   Don't rush to take the chair lift, take your time build your confidence, enjoy your time on the mountain.  Realize that those people who look so great on the hill, have spent hundreds of days on the mountain, and probably ski 30 or more days a year... I laud you if you want to aspire to that, but it still take time enjoy it.