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Choosing your equipment
Inner skiing
Falling
Getting fit
Staying balanced in the steeps
Powder 101
All you need is speed

Starting your day 

How you start your day mentally has just as much impact on your overall performance as how you are feeling physically. So often we start our day with expectations that we will ski well and if that doesn't happen immediately, we become frustrated. As soon as you get frustrated you get tight. As soon as that happens you get more frustrated and it becomes a spiraling circle.

The first thing you have to remember when you start your day is that you may not feel quite as good as you did when you finished your last day of skiing. Muscle memory takes awhile to kick in, the conditions are often different and your body might just be a little tight. 

What I try to focus on in the morning and to a lesser extent after lunch is to be positive and to force myself to relax. This is supposed to fun so I try to take the approach that what ever happens, happens and I will try not to take it too seriously. I usually take my first few runs quite easily so that I give myself a chance to get centered on my skis and once I feel good I can increase the speed. 

If at any time things don't feel good I just try to focus on the positive feelings and think about how I can make things better versus what I might be doing wrong.

Teaching your friends and family

Don't bother. If you or anyone you know needs advice on their skiing they are better off getting help from a professional instructor. Teaching friends or family will only result in either stress (for both parties) and/or the exchange of wrong information.

The first time out

You're first time skiing can be a very scary experience. For many people it is like entering a new world. Not only is it a different environment, to a certain extent it's a different culture. New words, customs and even clothing can make a person feel a bit like an outsider. 

Here are a few tips that can minimize some of the anxieties that could make or break your first time out:

Second, you need to set reasonable goals for yourself. If you are reasonably athletic, have cross country skied or ice skated before then there is a good chance that you will be bale to pick alpine skiing up quickly. If you are non of the before mentioned then it may take a little more doing. if you are absolutely not fit, have no physical athleticism and/or are deathly afraid of skiing then it is reasonable to think that its going to take a bit more time still. To this end it is important to set reasonable expectations so that you don't put undue pressure on yourself to succeed. Keep in mind that this is supposed to fun and being outside participating in something new is a large part of that experience.

Third, take a lesson. No matter how good a skiers your friends or family are, take a lesson the first time out. You wouldn't let your friends or family fix your teeth if they weren't dentists so why let them try to teach you how to ski? Everyone will be better off.

The pole plant

When to incorporate it

Pole planting is one of those things that can either make or break your skiing depending on how well you do it, and whether or not you are even ready for it.

A good pole plant acts as a timing device that when used correctly helps to bring all of the components of the turn together. A good pole plant can help with balance, increase your rhythm and add some pizzazz to the overall feel of the turn.

Unfortunately too often than not instructors and skiers alike put too much emphasis on pole planting before everything else in a person's skiing is sorted out. The pole plant should not be introduced into your skiing before you are feeling confident with good strong parallel turns that use the edges of your skis to give you some extra traction and steering at the end of the turn. 

How to do it

To incorporate the pole plant effectively touch your downhill pole on the snow at the start of the turn. It doesn't need to be a huge move, in fact the subtler the better. A good pole plant should look and feel smooth and effortless leaving your balance intact. The only thing that planting the pole should effect is your timing. 

The touch of the pole at the start of the turn tells you when to start initiating the movements that facilitate the start of the turn. Its kind of like you are carrying your own personal race course with you. Each time you plant the pole (on the downhill side, ski around it. Every time you pass your pole push your hand forward and take it with you.

Keys to remember

A good pole plant is a subtle movement from the wrist and lower fore arm only. 

It is on the downhill side at the start of the turn.

Only try it once you feel confident that you don't have to concentrate with all of your being just to make the turn happen.

If you feel that planting your pole brings everything together then keep doing it.

If you feel that planting your pole screws everything up then don't do it anymore.

If this doesn't make any sense to you and you really want to learn how to plant your pole, take a lesson.

Refining the pole plant

Quite often one of the simplest things we can do to help our skiing is to adjust our hand position after we plant our pole, especially in the bumps and steeps. It is quite common after planting our pole to let the hand drop. This often results in forcing the body into a position that is back and to the inside. 

To combat this try punching your hand forward as you plant your pole. If it helps, you can think of it as shifting from second gear back to first. By punching the hand forward you can insure that it doesn't drop. This move will help to keep you more centered which will result you being able to make quicker, more efficient turns, especially when it counts!