You would like to learn to ski but you hesitate to take the plunge? Do you have children but don’t know when to take them to ski for fear that they are too young? You are afraid to be too old to start skiing? The editorial staff answers you!
Ah, the mountains, the snow, the joy of winter sports and school vacations… We have all dreamed about it.
However, it’s not easy to launch a new hobby, especially when it takes place in a brand new space. But don’t worry, we have the perfect solution for you!
Start skiing for kids: ski schools or babysitting areas of the resorts
We start with the simplest. Children learn quite quickly, and this from a very young age. Moreover, know that there is no minimum or maximum age to start skiing!
Of course, ski schools will never take children under the age of 3, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t let them feel the glide by yourselves on flat or extremely weak slopes like on the baby resorts (baby: beginner slopes easier to access generally located on the bottom of the resort).
But be careful, in the beginner areas, there are also adults who do not control their equipment. Caution is the best policy if you want to make your baby slide.
If you have children and you want to introduce them to the pleasures of skiing, you have two options:
The ski school: either you opt to put them in the hands of professionals and there the trick is done. You no longer need to worry about teaching them the difficult art of skiing.
All you have to do is choose the school, enroll them according to their age (from 3 years old it’s all good), drop them off at lesson time with the appropriate equipment and go sit on the terrace of the nearest high altitude restaurant to enjoy the sun!
Of course, once their lesson is over, you will have to accompany them on the slopes so that they can progress, regardless of their level and age. So rely on the advice of their instructors.
Teaching them: If you are already a skier and want to pass on the virus to your children, no worries! But go slowly anyway! We don’t want any accidents.
We have listed for you, a few lines below, the key points to help you in their teaching of alpine skiing that it would be good not to neglect.
Beginning adult skiing: ski schools or beginner areas
If you or a friend have never put on a pair of “slats” in your life and want to start skiing, don’t worry, we have the solution! Indeed, you can start skiing at any age.
So just like for the kids, there are two options for learning: the ski school or by yourself.
The ski school will of course give you the right advice to progress at your level, gently and without rushing you. Just like for children, you will have the choice between private or group lessons in the different schools of your resort, choose your level and arrive on time for the appointment. Of course, you have to be honest with yourself and not overestimate yourself.
You might find yourself in a group that is too strong for you, which can be dangerous. Of course, as far as the price and the course are concerned, everything will depend on the school you have chosen.
And indeed, it can have a cost, and we hear it loud and clear. So if you can’t afford even the bare minimum of an hour or two of individual practice to understand the basics of skiing, here is a non-exhaustive list of tips to put into practice:
To do to progress in skiing :
Choose a flat terrain to start. Indeed, before launching yourself, even if only on the “baby”, you will have to understand the equipment, the terrain, and their functioning.
So preferably, we settle on the bottom of the resort, to put on the skis for the first time. Then you will avoid having to walk back down, with your skis on your shoulder, once at the top of the resort.
Do not put on your skis! Yes, it may seem silly when you say you are going to go skiing, but it is strongly advised not to put your boots on as soon as you arrive. The reason: you have to get used to shoes which can be uncomfortable. So walk before you slip!
Leave your poles at home! For your first hours or weeks of skiing, we advise you not to take poles. Indeed, they will bother you more than anything else. To start, you should try to put all your concentration on your skis, so no poles. Besides, it’s easier to learn without anything in your hands, isn’t it?
Put on one ski after the other. Once you get used to the boots, we advise you to put on only one ski and to slide in balance on only one leg. This is exactly like riding a scooter. Then once you’ve glided on the right foot, do the left.
Do skating steps. They’ll be your greatest allies for any dish. And we can see you coming, no pushing on the sticks! You must learn to slide by pushing the snow with your skis, so one skis after the other, like in rollerblading or ice skating. Do you see the picture?
These steps will help you move forward and up to reach the nearest ski lift. And if you’re sliding backward, open your feet a little more to form a big V with your skis.
There is also another technique to get over the steeper slopes: the staircase technique. Simply put your skis perpendicular to the slope and go up one foot after the other by pressing on the edges.
To Avoid:
Going out on a trail that is too difficult from the start. Do not overestimate yourself, it is better to start slowly to progress quickly, rather than to choose the difficult way. It will be neither fun nor an easy time. Moreover, you risk putting yourself and others in danger.
To launch you on top of a “baby” or of a green without knowing how to brake. We join the previous point, but it seems important to us to underline.
Because on these relatively easy slopes, all types of beginners of different ages meet. It is therefore obvious to start only when you have understood how to stop on a gentle slope, almost flat. This will avoid big accidents between young and old.
Sitting down to brake. Please do not sit on the back of your skis or lie on your back when you want to break! It won’t stop you.
You will not only hurt yourself but also the people around you because you will not be in control. If you are afraid or fall, it is better to sit on the side of your skis so that they are perpendicular to the piste. This will prevent you from getting a “strike” at the bottom.
Don’t look if someone is in your path. So yes, this may sound basic, but some people keep going down the run with human obstacles in front of them. Wait a few seconds before jumping in, so you don’t add to everyone’s stress of avoiding them.
Park at the top of the lift. We know those traffic jams at the top of a beginner slope. Everyone stays in front of the carpet or the small ski lift without moving.
The arrival is however great.
So to avoid any small accident on the arrival of the lift, move a few meters so that everyone can arrive without encumbers. And once you go on bigger slopes, the process will remain the same, especially at the arrival of a chairlift! The “strike” is never far away.