Basic Procedures to learn WITHOUT ski instructor !

This is the beginning skiing section, so I will assume you are a just thinking or decide to ski this year!

Welcome !

I watched today a father with a 12 year old boy "stuck" on a relatively easy slope just because he did know some basic "procedures" all skiers should know BEFORE going on slopes!

You can practice these in your backyard or in any space where there is snow ( or a soft thick carpet) ! I teach this on some wrestling mats or gymnastic mats indoors !
1. How to get up ! Seems evident yet there are some key elements. One is NEVER point tips downhill while getting up !

2. How to fall ! Imagine we all think we know how to fall until you see some fantastic acrobatic moves worthy of Olympic gymnastic competitions.

3. How to get into ski bindings on level surface and slanted surfaces ! Yes it is different !

4. How to prepare bindings to accept boots! I have seen a skier try for 20 minutes to place boots into a "closed" rear unit! Look how it is done. Ask how it is done!

5. How to go to a "safe zone" ! The father in question was "helping" his son right in the middle of a narrow section of a ski run! Go of to side at all times,,if possible behind a tree, fence, person. ( The father should have been above son to protect him,,, He was 3 meters down the slope, shouting at son,,,,)

6. Learn how to take off ski bindings on level and slanted slopes !

7. Learn how to take OFF snow from ski boots soles ! ( A safety issue here )

8. Learn to take a breath right after falling ( do not move,,to see if you have pain ) Then get up slowly ! Most men around 30ish get up very very fast due to ego issues! DO NOT !

9. Learn to use your poles as aids in getting up ! Two together since you do not want to bend them !

10. Finally,,do not wait to practice this on your holiday! You have paid lots of money so practice at home with any skis,

Hope this helps you all.

PS We all passed this phase of skiing. We all visited the snow with out hips, head, shoulder (and other parts of our body )! It will make you a better skier !

Enjoy !

Pavel

As my other thread says....I still have problems standing up!!!

Good basics there pav, as ever!! Fancy coming to France in January, will pay :)

Iceman,
If you only knew the heavy schedule I have in the next few months ! All this strange weather has changed many plans!

I have 20 older skiers with free powder skis on the ready,,,,waiting for snow!

Had a meeting in France during the races which was cancelled!

Have two trips to Utah,,,

Yes we will meet one day (as with Dave Mac, and Dave ) since I know there are rumors that I do not exist ! That I am Dave's alter cyber-ego, causing all sorts of "issues" to make British skiers come on his site and complain about my comments!

I will give you one issue now !

Just finished 10 days on a Rossignol S3 ( you can look up specifics) ! If you read marketing jargon it is a "one quiver" ski doing miracles on all sorts of conditions ! Well they are terrible on hard packed near ice surfaces.
I just tried them on soft 10 cm. snow ! Sorry my Head SL and Fischer SL are much much better!

Will wait for +20 cm. of snow to see how good they are then ! So far I find them "slow" on edge sets, too soft on hard packed and too wide when no powder!

Perhaps good on powder but NOT a one quiver ski. I have several skis such as; VIST, Head Supershape, Fischer SL, Head SL much much better !

Sorry that is my opinion ( honest ) and I got the skis free for a season so I have no motivation to say otherwise !
Iceman have a great season !

Will do pav!!

Can't wait!!!!

Great tips as usual Pav.

People often query whether it is worth doing an introductory course on dry slopes before their 1st trip. My own experience is that a couple of lessons on a dry slope covered the type of basics that you have identified

This saved us a lot of hardship on our 1st trip. In fact, our instructor on that trip, a young Austrian man, missed some really basic points, like only turning while faced downhill because he had literally been on skis as soon as he could walk and had no memory of ever strugging with such a basic concept :shock:

It took him ages to spot that several members of the class were getting some really basic things wrong :roll:

Wanderer,
Thank you for the point I missed !

Yes of course,,,learning to turn at edge of ski slope while standing still!

Seems simple,,,yet for a neophyte it is a challenge!

Thank you !

Warren Miller in all his films ( not videos,,so several years ago ) would have a section on beginner skiers! This was done to make a point that we were all beginners and we all had to pass this "tadpole" phase! It was also pleasant to laugh at our errors, our "gauche" moves !

Please , for your own safety and pleasure new skiers,,,,,practice such "easy" survival moves BEFORE getting on slope !
Pavel

I received another great "suggestion" !

To most skiers putting ski boots is "evident", but to the neophyte it is a strange ritual!
Yes it seems so simple,,,but there are some tricks, some points, procedures you must respect.

I will assume you have never put on a ski boot, so please forgive if I mention some very very evident points such as; unbuckle buckles ! Seems so persons spent 15 minutes trying to put on ski boots with buckles on !

Welcome to your ski boots.

They have two essential functions;
1. to interface ( nice high tech word ) with you and ski. In short to mate with ski.
2. to make you comfortable ( in spite of what salesperson says ) while skiing.

All modern ski boots have buckles (4-5 ) in front of boot. There are some exceptions such as Dave Mac who loves his old ( rear entry ) boots so much that he still wears them.

You must unbuckle boots spread upper cuffs and allow tongue to spread two sides. I prefer to heat mine up for 15 minutes since I never take off my boots once I ski! It softens plastic and my liners. Yes I am "difficult" but I love it to have soft warm ski boots on !

Take off your street socks. Allow feet to dry off ( yes they are wet ) for 2-5 minutes while you are having a coffee. 90% of skiers just place wet feet into ski socks ( guess what happens ) . I have some baby powder which I sprinkle on feet and into ski socks or Dr. Shols foot powder will do.

Taking the top of boot tongue ( most ski boots now have a tug ribbon on top of tongue) insert your foot into the ski boot, Once in, make sure tongue is well centered. Make sure you feel "comfortable in ski boot BEFORE you buckle up !

Here is where 80% of skiers make a serious mistake. They buckle their boots very tightly at max tension! Never do this, Allow the foot and boot to get to know each other. It has been some time since they have "interfaced" ! Just wiggle toes to say '"hello" to boot!

While sitting down, raise foot several inches and bring down heel of boot with some force! This will make your heel moving into heel section of boots. DO NOT DO THIS on your kitchen tiles, your wood floor or Italian ceramic living room tiles!

Then beginning with first buckle near toes place buckle at very loose position ! That first buckle is not that important for skiing!
The second unit ( just above arch is key one ). It hold you down. Again DO NOT force this buckle. Easy soft position !
Keep going up.

Do same for other boot.
Always in soft buckle position,,,now flex boots by pressing knees forward. This is a signal to boots that you are ready to ski soon!

Again I will mention NOT to buckle your boots too much now! Remember this is just an "introduction" ! Wait until you have done at least one "warm up run" ! It will teach you to "feel your skis, to feel your toes and not to force skis!

Strange as it seems,,a soft boot buckle will make you a better skier! You will discover why later !

One last hint. You have a strap at very top of boots. Once on top slope you tighten this strap!

You will note that once the feet and boots get to know each other,,,they will hug each other,,come closer together,,,, THEN you can slowly adjust buckles! ( but never too much pressure since it will cause pressure points)

Hope this helps you love skiing!

I remember when I first learnt how to ski back in the 80's they used to teach to ski with boots undone to teach you to keep weight forward!! Seems a bad an dangerous idea now!!