In this part of our learn to ski guide we look at standing, stopping and turning.

Standing up, turning, and stopping, are the three basic skills you will need to master if you want to ski.

Start by standing, placing your feet even with the width of your shoulders and making your feet “pigeon-toed” with the tips of your skis pointing inward and forming a “V” – this is called a ‘snow plough.’  Slightly bend your knees to create a more stable stance, spread your arms out wide to give yourself more balance and lean slightly forward instead of leaning slightly back (doing so makes it easier to turn and stop).

Moving forward / down is no problem as your skis will automatically do so on even the slightest slope.  By moving your heels closer together you will cause your triangle or V-shape to get smaller and this will cause you to go faster.  To slow down or stop, move your heels farther apart, forcing your toes to point more sharply inward.  Doing the latter will work on small slopes, but for steeper slopes, to slow down or stop you’ll need to gradually turn your skis so they face horizontally across the slope, instead of vertically down it.

To turn on skis, just point them in the direction you want to go – if that’s left, point them left, and if that’s right, well, you know.  Remember, however that mastering the art of turning on skis will take some getting used to and the right combination of timing and balance.

For sharper turns, you’ll need to move your weight from foot to foot (i.e. to turn sharply to the right, put more weight on your left foot and, to turn sharply to the left, put more weight on your right foot) as well as pointing your skis in the direction that you want to go.  Moving your arms or shoulders while turning will not make the turn any quicker or easier, so focus on moving just your feet when you turn.