On how many ways can you steer/turn

I'm a beginner (I've been skiing for 4 days, with an instructor). So after the snowplow, we learned how to make parallel turns. And all right, not to hard I did that too, keep your skis parallel, lower stance during the turn, then up, then down again....
But I've been looking at some instructions on the internet (youtube and stuff) and there seem to be more ways of turning. Like this carving, where you tilt your skiis. So I was wondering how many different ways of turning are there, and is it wrong to combine different parts of each into a unique way.
Which one should I use, and is it ok to start carving right away? Or is that more of a PRO way?

Skibeginner, welcome to J2ski.

This is a good question. I have passed through a lot of different ski method transitions. All are evolutionary, and many are interdependant with equipment.

After reading your question, I just jotted down how many differing styles of skiing I can remember having been through, and listed ten, but I am sure it will be a couple more.

I suggest, you just keep an open mind, keep taking the lessons. You will develop a style that is best suited to you.

Then I counted how many of the techniques, I use on a regular basis. At least six.

Essentially the same concepts apply to all turns. Very often the same basic lesson will be used for a beginner or advanced skier; only the terrain, speed, and dynamics will be different.

People here write a lot about carving. Maybe too much. The reality is that a lot of us ski on crowded slopes with children and poorly controlled fellow-skiers, and really going for it like a racer (even if one could) with high speed and committed to large radius turns is irresponsible, even if you have the fitness and skill to do that. Therefore building a really secure, skilled and elegant style for crowded slopes would be a good basis, although it is not talked about much. This takes more than a few days for most of us. When you get it, normal skiing is comfortable, safe, fun, and efficient (skiing well takes way less strength and energy than skiing badly at the same speed).

Probably after that foundation of good basic parallel turns in all situations is really solid and correct (including the old-fashioned way of wedeln, or really tight pivoted turns, which is handy in mogul fields and narrow paths), the carving for your high speed open runs, or turning in deep powder for your off-piste fun, are easier to add as the icing on the cake (only to become the norm if you in the minority who are less into regular busy-piste skiing, and more a wannabe racer, or a serious off-piste skier / full-blown tourer).

I am with Innsbrucker on carving. Plus carving is really easy as long as you have an open slope. The main thing is a solid parallel technique. Parallel means both legs have to work simultaneously and not in sequence, even a small lag is still a lag and has to be eliminated. Turns must be complete and their size controlled by edge set and not by twisting tails. You steer with your thighs, not with your feet. These are the foundations which will let you eventually master pretty much every type of turning on any terrain.

Well said on carving, Innsbrucker and Verbier SB.

However, the original question asks "How many different ways can you ski?" Appreciating the comments about the importance of solid parallel technique, both snowpough and stem christie are non-parallel.

Of course, most of us still use snowplough on a daily basis. But, in my early days,there were some very competent skiers who only skied stem christie. Before anyone jumps in and says !Ah, well what about off-piste?" ~ there was no piste and off piste.

I still do gegenshulter for a bit of fun, and balance drill ~ but in the 1920/30s gegenshulter was a useful ski tool.

One of the best Niederau instructors gets invitations to teach avalamont in the USA, (also called downward unweighting). I use this on a daily basis ~useful off piste and on bumps. My OH has a really neat down unweight technique.

The extension of down unweighting is called jetting, ~ looks great, but is a knee wrecker!

Lots of different ways....

How many ways,,,,,,???
In fact a good effective skier varies his/her turns constantly based on speed, terrain and desired effect.

There are some basic procedures you must master ( that will come with time) .
-keeping hands in front of hips
-keeping pressure on big toe
-looking ahead 3-4 meters
-never rotate body ( forcing turns with body )
-never sitting back on tails at end of turn
Above all be "soft" on edge sets. The faster you go,,,the softer touch you need on edges.

An interesting effective skiers plays with his/her skis all the time.

Having not skied for 20 years I returned to the slope last year. I discovered I had a good solid safe technique for parallel turns. However carving I found a challenge, I needed a quiet wide non icy piste (hard to find in Borovets. New year week) I did feel even when I could turn I didn't feel all that in control of speed and angle. Has anyone else found this? Or maybe the problem is old... New tricks!