5 Quick and Dirty Tips For Beginner Skiers

As someone who grew up in sunny SoCal, I was more a beach person than a skier. The mountains and skiing seemed so far away from me. Although we had great skiing in SoCal (or so I’ve heard) I never took to it like I took to the sandy beaches. Like the typical Californian that I am, I knew how to surf and how to kneeboard. That was pretty much it as far as extreme sports for me went. But when I moved to the East Coast, there were so many winter sports that many of my friends had participated in:
​
Ice skating, snowboarding, or just skiing in general.

I had ice skated before – and had learned how not to fall on my butt – but as far as my knowledge of the other snowy activities, I knew nothing. Ziltch. Zero. Nada.

So when my friends, Kira and Suyin asked me to take a day-trip to Wachusett Mountain to ski, I was both excited and terrified at the same time.

Me: “Skiing! Oh boy!”

Also Me: “Skiing! I’m definitely going to break my butt on the Bunny Slopes."

Since moving out to the East Coast, I've loved the snow. But I had only watched skiing on television during the Winter Olympics, and had visited the Holmenkollen Ski Museum when I went to visit my friend Ines in Oslo, Norway. I was about to be way out of my comfort zone and had no idea what I was getting myself into.

My friends had at least some experience of skiing in the past so I was expecting myself to fall down two to three times. So when we drove up to Mount Wachusett earlier this month to get our ski-on, low-and-behold, I did fall onto my butt pretty badly when I went down the Bunny Slope. In a curved position I attempted to put my legs together and made progress downward. No sooner had I moved, the skis became uncontrollable and my body sloped into the heap of the fresh white snow waiting for me at the bottom. Kira had also fallen down.

Luckily, we were equipped with a solid skier who laughed at us when we struggled to figure out how to stand right back up.
​
Thanks Suyin.​

But the next time Kira and I went down the Bunny Slope, we had mastered the art of the sacred usage of the “pizza” and “French fry” form. Admittedly, I crashed into one of the fences first before I acquired a better grip on my skis. I could hardly believe that the day had come when this California girl would finally learn how to ride down the slopes!

So if anyone is just a beginner skier – like me – or wish to refresh their skills before going out skiing, here are a couple of things that you should know first:  

1) Don’t Borrow. Don’t Buy. Rent!

Avoid borrowing skis from others since they are typically designed based on someone’s height and weight. And finding someone else who is also 5’2 and 120 lbs AND owns an extra pair of skis, is almost useless unless they're your identical twin. And buying your own skiing equipment is costly in it of itself. But, if you find yourself suddenly living in the French Alps and plan on skiing everyday, then that’s another story. Usually the resort that you will be skiing at will have its own rental spot. Sure, even renting the proper equipment will be pricey, but it will definitely be a whole lot cheaper than purchasing your own skis. If you do feel the need to purchase something, goggles, a helmet and nylon pants are certainly worth the investment.

2) Get in Shape

But round is a shape! Hahaha. But no, seriously. The last thing you want is to spend hundreds of dollars on a ski-weekend-getaway only to discover that you are too damn tired to get out of bed after your first day on the slopes. Skiing is very physical, and preparing your body leading up to the weeks of your ski trip will benefit you greatly. Work on strengthening your legs and back, this will provide you with a more effective control on your skis when you go downhill. Becoming a couch potato the day before you decide to go skiing, won’t guarantee you a smooth ride down the slopes. 

3) The Rule of Three for Skiing Attire

When deciding what to wear on the slopes, there are three main layers when it comes to skiing apparel: The base layer, the mid layer and the outer layer. For the base layer (that’s the one right next to your skin), wear something light like a plain long sleeve shirt. The mid layer should be one of two types of fleeces, a light-weight fleece or a heavy-weight fleece. Depending if the weather on the ski slopes that day is relatively warm or slightly frigid will determine what kind of fleece you should shrug on. For fleece jackets, look for important features like zippers in the underarm – appropriately called “pit vents” – that will help you stay cool when you’re getting a strong workout. And finally, for the outer layer, you’ll want to invest in a shell jacket – a thin outer layer that protects you from wind and moisture without adding the extra bulk. You know those puffy jackets that sometimes make you look like the Michelin Man or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters? Well, DON’T WEAR THOSE WHEN YOU SKI! Those types of jackets don’t allow moisture to escape which will constrict your movements on the slopes. The shell jackets at least are your first defense against the cold wind or a big pile of wet snow. Oh, and for the love of God, NEVER wear jeans or cotton when you’re skiing. You’re just asking for trouble if you do.
​
4) I Don’t Care, Take a Lesson

I don’t wanna hear how you first learned how to ski when you were in the second grade-but-hadn’t-skied-since story. If you haven’t skied in three years (or more), take the beginner class again. Investing in professional lessons at the ski resort will do wonders for you. The rule of thumb is to NEVER let one of your experienced skiing friends teach you how to ski. No matter how much you love them and they love you, your friend will probably hastily convince you to go down the Black Diamond slopes. Trust me, you will not be ready to go down the Black Diamond slopes. Usually at ski resorts – depending on what kind of package you purchased – the ski lessons come with the package. So take a class and let the professionals do their jobs. More so, lots of the ski lessons will have several groups running at once which means you might be able to move between groups if your ski skills develop quickly.

5) If You Fall, Don’t Try To Get Back Up (Let Me Explain)

As I said – as a person who has never skied before – I knew that I would fall the first time. That being said, if you do happen to have any control over your fall, try and fall uphill. More specifically, try and land on your butt. The hard part is getting up. And honestly unless you are an experienced skier you can try and push yourself up. But if you want an easier way, unlock yourself from one of your skis and then snap yourself back in once you’re standing up again. 

After Kira and I enrolled in a beginner ski school lesson, the crunch-crunch sound underfoot gave way to that sleek rasp of skis on snow. I could feel my 'J' turns improving and my confidence growing. We went down the Bunny Slopes together again and again, and gradually the slopes became easier with every turn. At the bottom of the slope, Suyin was shouting something encouraging to us as we both successfully made it down the small hill without falling.

When skiing for the first time, you're going to be slow and shaky at first. And let me tell you, there is NOTHING more annoying than when you're taking your time going down a slope only to have a small 6 year old kid whiz past you effortlessly at breakneck speed. It can be very frustrating but also really fun. 

And before you know it, you'll be flying down those advance slopes in no time! 

---