Ski Vacations - Will I Get A Chance To Learn How To Ski?

Many people hesitate to plan a ski vacation, as they do not know how to ski. To them, it is simply out of the question. Little do they know that a big part of most ski packages at ski resorts is to invite and welcome beginner skiers.

If the family decides they want to do something different on their vacation, go ahead and book a ski resort! At the end of the vacation, everyone will be a more experienced skier by having learned how to ski, and had a great time doing it.

When the ski resort is booked, make sure that beginning ski lessons and package deals are available in both private and group sessions. Instructors from ski clubs will be available, with lifts taking the whole family to the top - slow and easy. Lessons and ski knowledge will be something waiting for your first day on the slope, and you can literally be skiing down a mountain after an hour of instruction.

Try to choose a ski resort that has beginning skiing with trainers from a ski club or school; this would be the best choice. Learning to ski is really quite easy, but it helps to have highly qualified teachers. Also, if there is a local ski club or school, it would be better to learn from there first - to go back repeatedly, other than just one week-end. Most resorts actually have a ski school on the premises, and lessons are reasonably priced in group and private lessons, but not all.

Some ski resorts cater to more advanced skiers, so try to make sure the ski resort is the one needed. It is a good idea, however, to schedule a training appointment before you arrive at the resort. This will ensure that you can start learning to ski the very first hour of your vacation.

When the first lessons begin, most ski instructors start by showing the new skier how to maneuver around with their equipment. When wearing ski boots, their body position will be inclined slightly forward - there is a reason for this. When a skier is skiing down a mountain, they will be inclined forward. Walking in ski boots the first time is a bit difficult - but it works just fine if learned to walk with the knees slightly bent.

Several maneuvers will need to be learned, with the first maneuver being called the plow, or snow-plow. This is a technique that is done by literally using your skis as a snow plow. You make the back of the skis slowly move outwards, away from the body by applying pressure - and this will then stop a person. You guide yourself on skies by bending your knees and leaning in one direction or another, depending on which way you want to go. All of these techniques can be learned in one hour, even if a person has never been on a pair of skis in their life.

The beauty of skiing is that after you have learned how to snow plow, and have learned how to guide on the skis, a person is ready to ski! Get on the lift, head up the mountain for a beginner's trail, and give it a try. Control your speed by snow plowing , while going very slowly at first. When you want to pick up some speed, draw your skis back in, in order to pick up a little more speed, then push them back out into the plow position to control that speed. As a beginner, you should stick to the trails that are designed for beginners. At most resorts, these trails are marked with a green emblem.

Blue trails are for intermediate skiers, and after one day of skiing the beginner trails, you may be ready for those trails. The black trails are for experts. These trails can be dangerous for people who do not have the skill level to handle them, so try to avoid black trails until you have had a great deal of ski instruction and experience. You will know when you are ready, by how you feel and the opinion of the instructors.