Skiing is an exciting but dangerous sport, so getting the proper training through a school like Beaver Creek Ski School is essential.  Unlike sports like football and baseball, skiing is not something that is easily learned without training.

If you want to learn to ski, your best, safest option is to take lessons.  Beaver Creek Ski and Snowboard School in Colorado is considered by its graduates to be the best ski school in the country.  Offering lessons and accommodations for all ages, this ski school provides a family oriented atmosphere that will give you the skills to hit the slopes.

Children’s Lessons at Beaver Creek Ski School

Children learn easily and can gain a love and passion for skiing at a young age.  However, the risk of skiing is very real; it is important to educate children to ensure that they are both comfortable and protected.  Even the most safety cautious parents will feel that their children are in good hands at Beaver Creek Ski School.

The children’s ski area, called The Ranch, features courses designed to promote correct body movement.  Parents can view their children through windows and watch their progress during the lessons.  Since it takes patience and care to work with children, instructors are specially selected.  Children are divided into three age groups:

• Ages 3-6 get a day of lessons, lift access, and a healthy lunch.
• Ages 7-14 can choose between ski or snowboard lessons.
• Ages 14-18 can take lessons year round and have access to a special lift.

For children under the age of 3, childcare is available with a reservation.

Adult Lessons at Beaver Creek Ski School

Even professionals had to start somewhere!  No matter your age, it’s never too late to begin a passion for skiing.  Adults 19 and up can enjoy lessons to match their skill level.  Lessons are not only for beginners; there is always room for improvement.

Whether you are just beginning and need to learn the basics, or you have been skiing for years but want to advance, there is a lesson group for you.  Lessons at Beaver Creek Ski School will give you the confidence you need to navigate the slope and terrain level of your choice.  Depending on your level of commitment to the sport, you can join a group that will advance your skills appropriately.

Private Lessons at Beaver Creek Ski School

Although group lessons are effective, some prefer to have their instructor all to themselves.  Private lessons are perfect for those who are serious about becoming a great skier. If you want to make ski lessons a family affair, up to 5 people above the age of 3 can enjoy private instruction.

Private lessons include exclusive lifts, overnight equipment storage, and video analysis of your progress.  With the advantage of individualized instruction, you can improve and reach your goal quickly.

If you want to learn to ski, Beaver Creek Ski School is the place to go.  With all the options available for different age groups and families, there is no need to put off that ski trip you’ve wanted to take for years.

Learn how to apply wax to skis

People who learn ski waxing ‘do it yourself’ techniques benefit in many ways. The biggest of which is obviously a financial benefit. Skiing is a sport that costs money.

Plain and simple.

Traveling to the resort, buying or renting skis and equipment, and getting a lift ticket: these are all things that can prove to be very expensive. Why spend even more money on a professional to wax your skis?

The answer is simple: you shouldn’t. Not when you can just as easily do it yourself.

Here’s how:

How to Wax Skis: Everything You Will Need

In order to do the best job possible waxing your skis, you will need to have with you the following items:

• Skis

• Ski wax (available at every major ski equipment retailer)

• Sawhorses or similar supports

• Electric iron (the older the better)

• A few pages of newspaper

• A brush with nylon bristles

• A scraper

Each of these items is easy to find. If they aren’t already in your garage or closet, then the local hardware or all-purpose store will surely have everything you need.

Applying Wax to Skis

Here’s a step by step list of instructions for you to follow to improve your ski waxing techniques. Ski waxing Do-It-Yourself is a fairly simple process as long as you stick to these directions.

1. With the sawhorses set up, place the pages of newspaper on the ground between them. This is to help catch any stray drops of wax. It’s much easier to just throw away a soiled piece of newspaper than to clean wax out of a carpet or off the floor.

2. Place the skis on top of the sawhorses upside down, so that the bindings are facing the ground and the bottoms are facing the ceiling.

3. Heat up the ski wax with the electric iron on low. This part takes a little time, but you want to make sure it is at the right temperature. You don’t want to burn the wax, just get it hot enough for the wax to drip onto the skis.

4. At a rate of approximately 3 drops every inch, evenly spread the wax along each of your skis.

5. Once the wax has cooled, use the iron on the skis to melt it along the ski base.

6. Once the wax has cooled again, use the scraper to get rid of any excess wax.

7. Now brush the bottom of the skis and you are ready to carve your way down the nearest mountain.

How to Wax Alpine Skis

If you are going to wax your alpine skis or cross-country skis, then the ski wax instruction process remains the same. The only difference is in the wax itself.

Make sure you always pay attention to what you’re buying when it comes to ski waxing ‘do it yourself’ techniques.

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Top Beginners Tips for Snow Skiing

So, you want to be a snow bunny? Well, first things first: you’ve got to learn the basics of snow skiing.

Before you ride the lift to the top of the mountain and carve your way through moguls and powder bowls back to the lodge, there are steps you must take. This article will explore some basics of snow skiing for you to become familiar with before you take the plunge.

Let’s get started.

Skiing Beginners Tips #1: Before you begin

Wait! Don’t jump in the car and head for the mountain yet. There’s some stuff to take care of at home first.

1. Find the right skis: It is important that you have the right skis for your first lesson. Most experienced skiers will tell you that it is advisable to rent your first pair skis. This is because when you are first learning, shorter skis are easier to control. Once you’ve become a little better at managing your balance, speed, and technique, longer skis will be better.

Go to a pro shop that specializes in winter sports, and talk to an expert about which length and width of skis will work best for you.

2. Make sure your boots fit right: Are they too tight? Are you sure? Ask a professional sales person to help find the perfect ski boots for you. Don’t trust your own judgment on these.

3. Get some clothes that are more than just warm. Yes, of course you want to be warm on the mountain. But you also want to be dry. Find a jacket and pants that fit comfortably, will keep you warm, and above all are waterproof!

Skiing Beginners Tips #2: Take a Class

Just because you’ve seen someone skiing on TV, or have a friend or family member that goes skiing on a regular basis, don’t assume that you know all there is to know about the basics of snow skiing. Skiing is one of those activities that look about a million times easier than it actually is. Be sure that you take a beginner’s skiing class to get pointers from an expert.

Fortunately, most major ski resorts offer such classes. Depending on the location and time of year, these classes can be fairly cheap. And on some mountains, they are actually free.

Take advantage of these!

Skiing Beginners Tips #3: Learn the Techniques

1. Snow Plow: With the tips of your skis pointed toward each other in an upside down shape, you should be able to control your speed and your direction with relative ease. This is called the Snow Plow. Keep the inside edges of your skis titled toward the ground and you will be in the driver’s seat.

2. Side-to-Side Skiing: Don’t aim downhill until you’re ready to pick up some speed. Try traversing the slope, from far side to far side. This will keep your speed slow and you in control.

3. Falling: Everybody falls. Everybody. Don’t be embarrassed and don’t try to outsmart the fall. If you try to correct yourself with your poles or stepping with your skis, you’re bound to hurt yourself. If you feel like you are about to fall, do one simple thing: sit down. Just sit right down wherever you are. Then you’ll stay safe.

And staying safe is the most basic of the basics of snow skiing.

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Despite what you may think, learning how to ski powder is not as difficult as it may sound. If you are already an experienced downhill skier, making the switch from a harder surface of snow to powder is a fairly simple process.

As long as you know the basic fundamentals of how to snow ski, you will be able to work your way through powder after a mere afternoon of trial and error.

The two most important things that should stay in your mind while you are learning how to ski powder are:

• Maintain an even balance

• Evenly distribute your weight

As long as you can master these concepts, you should have no problem at all learning the basics of how to ski powder.

How to Ski Powder: Tips and Techniques of Snow Skiing through Powder

The following is a step by step list of instructions for skiing in powder. You should spend some time reading over these and understanding them before trying to ski through powder on your own.

Let’s get started:

1. Be aware and stay focused – This may seem like an unnecessary rule to put on the list (especially at number one), but it truly isn’t.

When skiing on powder, you must always be conscious of where you are and what you are doing at all times. Likewise, you need to remain alert to what your body is telling you and how the snow feels under you.

Being aware and staying focused will not only make your descent more fun, but will keep you safe.

2. With your knees and hips aimed downhill, keep your skis shoulder-width apart and balance your weight evenly over the center of your skis.

3. When turning, steer by pointing both feet in the direction you want to go. When ready to turn again, plant you downhill pole below your bottom ski. Use your pole as a target and aim to turn right around it.

4. At the end of each turn, lift the weight off your skis. By pulling up on you feet, ankles, and knees, you will actually raise your skis to the top layer of the powder. And this will make it much easier for you to make your next turn.

5. Make sure your upper body is always pointing downhill when you are skiing through powder. The only part of you that rotates is your lower body. This helps with your momentum and balance.

Suggestions and Cautions About How to Ski Powder

• Yes, you do want to lean back slightly when you are skiing through powder, but not too much. People tend to believe that the more you lean back the easier the skiing will be. But this is untrue. Leaning back to too far for too long will exhaust you and make the skiing more work than it has to be. So don’t do it!

• If you are at a ski resort, always be aware of what kind of slope you are on and what the difficulty rating is. Snow skiing is a dangerous sport, and the more you know beforehand, the safer you will be.

• If you want to snow in deep powder, special skis are advisable. There are skis with wider waists that are meant for this kind of activity.

• Learning how to ski powder and how to snow ski takes time. Don’t be in a rush to know everything all at once. Don’t ever be afraid to seek out a professional to aid and support you.

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You’ve been skiing for a while and are confident on the green beginner slopes. They’re starting to get boring, and you’re looking for some more adventure. However, when you actually look at a blue intermediate slope, it seems much more steep and intimidating than ever before. Many beginners find themselves in this trap–they can ski straight down a gentle slope but lack the skills to tackle a steeper blue. After you’ve followed these five steps, you’ll have everything you need to ski down those intermediates like a pro.

1. Master the snow plow turn.

This step is essential–skiing down a blue slope without turning can be very daunting and dangerous for a beginner. To turn while skiing in the snow plow (forming a pizza shape with your skis to control speed), simply shift your weight onto and press down onto the ski that is the opposite of the direction in which you wish to turn–if you want to turn left, shift your weight onto the right ski and vice versa. Once you can ski down a green slope in a slalom fashion, zig-zagging across the slope and avoiding all obstacles, you are ready to move on to step 2.

2. Start using “angulation”.

Angulation is a fancy name for a simple position that is vital to skiing down more advanced terrain. You’ll usually angulate yourself between turns when skiing back and forth down a slope. After you complete a turn, bring your skis together parallel as you coast straight across the slope. Once your skis are parallel, tilt your skis sideways up the slope, so that they form a very shallow “V” with the hill. Your lower legs should also be tilted towards the top of the hill. Then, bend your body in the opposite direction–down the hill. Your body should form something like “C” or a “( “, with the open part pointing down the hill. When you first start using angulation, you will fall more than you are accustomed to; however, this is all part of the learning process. Once you’re combining snow plow turns and angulation to zig-zag down a green run, you’re ready for step 3.

3. Find and “scout out” an easy blue slope.

To ensure that your first blue slope experience goes well, you must find the right slope. The ski resort employees, the ski resort’s website, other more advanced skiers, and any internet forums focused on that ski resort are great sources of information about the difficulty of various blue slopes. As a general rule of thumb, wide slopes are always better for the more inexperienced, and short blue slopes are not necessarily the easiest. Additionally, do not choose a lift line, as these will have poles in the middle of the slope and having the lift running above you will be distracting. Once you have a few ideas, check the resort’s grooming report to make sure that the run you will be skiing is groomed. Now, you should get as close as possible to that slope, either skiing past it on a green run or riding over it on a lift to get an idea of where the steep sections and are located.

4. Pick a good time to try the blue slope.

The best times to attempt a more difficult slope are generally right after the resort’s opening or immediately after an early lunch. During these times, you will be fresh, the snow on the slopes will be much nicer, and they will often be less crowded, making it much less stressful for a timid skier.

5. Ski!!!

When your chosen time arrives, try to take your mind off the uncertainty and worry that comes with such a new frontier. Be sure to take a friend for support, encouragement, and safety. Once you’re at the top of the slop, don’t look down. Simply start skiing across the slope, with your skis pointed slightly downhill. Don’t ski too slowly–the 180 degree turns that you need will be almost impossible if you’re crawling along. A slow to moderate speed is perfect. Ski from one edge to the other, using angulation and snow plow turns at the end of each parallel traverse. Ignore the other skiers–they will recognize you as a beginner and watch out for you. Ignore the pull to just ski straight down–you will most likely fall and hurt yourself. You will fall a few times even if you zig-zag, but do not be discouraged–every skier must fall to learn. Once you’re at the bottom, congratulate yourself on a job well done–treat yourslef to a warming hot chocolate or even a fancy dinner…you’ve done it!

Skiing blue runs will soon become easy if you follow these five steps–these same steps, the techniques aside, would apply for learning to ski any other type of run. Remember–the people who really hurt themselves while skiing more advanced runs aren’t the prudent, inexperienced skiers–those who are very confident on a slope and ski straight down at full speed are much more liable to injury. Skiing is always a blast, whether you ski greens, blues, or double black diamonds–don’t let a difficult slope get in the way of your enjoyment of the greatest winter sport!

By: Lucas

Moguls are skiing’s agility course. To ski them well, you must make quick, almost reflexive shifts in position and balance on terrain that changes from moment to moment. More than any type of skiing, mogul skiing requires practice, practice and more practice.

Although there are different ways to ski moguls, the best skiers’ skis rarely lose contact with the snow. The goal is to flow with the bumps while absorbing the variances in terrain as you go.

1. Practice Your Stance

Before you tackle moguls, you should be able to make strong parallel turns with a quiet upper body. If you watch a good mogul skier’s upper body, it appears to float motionless down the hill. Only the lower body is pumping turns and absorbing terrain.

To help you develop this upper/lower body separation, imagine a triangle with your hands (both held in front of you) and your forehead as the points. Keep that triangle quiet and facing downhill. Practice this position on groomed runs until it becomes natural.

2. Learn to Absorb

When you ski bumps, your legs act as shock absorbers. Draw them up as you pass over the bumps, then extend them into the troughs. The following drills will help you with this concept.

* On easy, groomed terrain, practice hopping the whole ski into the air as you enter the fall line, changing direction in the air. As you land, bend your ankles and knees to absorb the impact and guide the tips of your skis to finish the turn.

* Traverse a run with small bumps, concentrating on letting your legs absorb and extend over the moguls. Repeat this exercise until it feels smooth and you can do it without jarring your upper body.

3. Pivot on the Bumps

One way to change direction while skiing moguls involves pivoting on top of each mogul. As you reach the top of the mogul, steer the skis to the new direction with your feet and knees. Next, slip down the back side of the bump while balancing your weight over the downhill ski. While sliding, reach your pole toward the top of the next bump; your next pole plant goes there.

As your ski tips slide down the back of the mogul, begin to extend your legs to compensate for the trough. When you approach the new bump, begin compressing (drawing your feet up under your hips) to absorb the bump. If your pole plant was on time, your center of mass will follow your feet to and over the top of the mogul.

Try the following exercises to get the feel of pivoting and slipping.

* Traverse a run with small bumps. As your ski tips reach the top of a bump, steer slightly uphill, then let your skis slip down the back side.

* Practice turning one bump at a time. Come to a complete stop before you try the next bump.

4. Pick a Good Line

Picking the correct line is crucial to good mogul skiing. Before you start skiing, plan your next few turns. If the moguls are well-formed, a natural turning pattern will emerge that will enable you to stay in the fall line and make round turns. Remember, the goal is to keep your upper body facing down the hill so your line will be relatively straight.

Learning to choose a line is much easier if you can follow a good mogul skier and if you start on unintimidating terrain. By allowing another person to pick the line, you can concentrate on your turns. Eventually, the line will become second nature.

5. Additional Tips

* Get aggressive on easy terrain before trying steeper slopes.

* Use visualization techniques

* As you watch good skiers, note their fluidity and rhythm. If the skier you’re watching can’t link at least 10 turns together smoothly without impact, look around for someone else.

* If you’re in the appropriate terrain for your skills, try to forget technique for a few runs and just react.

* Make a commitment to ski a specific number of turns before stopping.

* Although it’s easier to turn on short skis, don’t take them into advanced or expert mogul terrain; they form irregularly shaped moguls.

* Breathe. Inhale on extension; exhale on absorption.

By: Reginald Herron

Learning How to Ski is Easier Than You Would Think

You have always wanted to go on a skiing trip, but you do not know how to ski. Do not let this stop you from going on a skiing vacation. You can learn how to ski and have fun in the process of learning this great sport. The best thing is that you really do not have to know the first thing about skiing in order to learn because many ski resorts of ski lessons on the site.

Many ski resorts hire skiing instructors or schools to teach their visitors just that, how to ski. The lessons are reasonably priced and group and private lessons are available. It is best that you schedule a class or lesson in advance. When scheduling in advance, you will be able to start learning to ski in the first hour or two of your arrival at the resort.

Many ski instructors start the lessons by showing you how to maneuver with your equipment. When it comes to wearing ski boots, you will be inclined forward due to the fact when you are skiing downhill you will be inclined forward on your skis. The first time that you walk in ski boots can be a bit tricky. You will want to bend your knees slightly because this makes it easier to walk in ski boots.

You will learn the plow or snow plow as one of your first maneuvers. This maneuver is done by using your skis as a snow plow literally. By making the back of your skis slowly move outwards, away from your body and applying pressure, allows you to create a way for you to stop. When you bend your knees and lean one way or another, this allows you to guide yourself down the slope in the direction that you want to move. You will be able to learn these techniques in about an hour even if you have never set a foot on a pair of skis in your life.

Once you have learned how to guide yourself and learn the snow plow technique you will be ready to ski. You can control your speed down the slopes with snow plowing if you feel you are going to fast to begin with. Once you have mastered the art of controlling your speed and snow plowing, you can draw your skis back in to pick up speed and push them back out to the plow position to slow yourself down.

Use the beginner’s trails since you are a beginner because they are set up for those that are starting out skiing. The beginner, intermediate, and advanced ski slopes are set up with emblems so they are easy to identify. A green emblem marks beginners’ slopes, a blue emblem identifies intermediate slopes, and a black emblem identifies the advance or expert slopes. Once you have spent a day on the beginner’s slopes, you may be ready to try an intermediate slope or trails. The black trails or slopes for the experts or advanced skiers can be very dangerous for people who have just begun to ski. It is best to avoid those slopes until you have a great deal of skiing instructions and experience under your belt.

By: Karen Barnes

For the past three winters, my wife and I have been teaching my two boys, ages 5 and 7, how to downhill ski. We are avid skiers and want to pass on the joy of snow skiing to our boys. Over the last three ski seasons, we’ve learned quite a bit about keeping our boys happy while they learn to ski.

By following these simple rules, your kids should progress quickly and learn to love skiing.

1. Ski when the weather’s nice. The first season, skiing should be done when the weather is decent. You don’t want to subject your kids to extremely cold or wet conditions. The first few mountain experiences should be fun. If they’re cold or wet they’ll associate skiing with being miserable and they won’t want to go again. This may mean you don’t take your kids skiing until spring conditions arrive later in the season.

2. Don’t force your kids to ski. If they don’t want to hit the slopes, let them horse around in the snow first. Build a snowman or have a snowball fight. The first season we were constantly negotiating with our boys telling them we’ll spend a half hour building a snowman then we’ll spend an hour skiing. By the second season they weren’t interested in snowmen anymore, they wanted to ski.

3. Hot chocolate breaks work like magic. We stop for hot chocolate breaks at least once each ski day. The kids associate this treat with skiing and it gets them even more excited to hit the slopes knowing they’ll end up with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

4. Play games while your skiing. Play follow the leader or make airplane noises. Have your kids try to spray you with snow when they stop. If you make skiing about having fun and not about learning to ski they’ll progress much quicker.

4. Avoid putting your kids into ski school. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but I have found most ski schools don’t teach much skiing to new skiers. Obviously if you don’t know how to ski yourself you’ll have to put the kids in ski school, but you’ll spend a lot of money and may not get much return.

Ski schools, can be good for kids that have a couple seasons under their belt because they’ll be skiing with other kids, but for new skiers, I wouldn’t recommend it. Let me explain:

We put my youngest into ski school when he was 4. The instructors worked with him on a hill that was nearly flat. Even if his skis were pointed straight down the hill, he would barely move. They tried to teach him how to stop by having him make a wedge with his skis, but making a wedge is difficult when your basically standing still.

I watched this until the lesson was over. When I picked him up from ski school he was frustrated and didn’t want to do anything associated with skiing. The instructor said he needed more time in the ski school.

I disagreed and took him up the lift where he could generate some speed. On his first run down the bunny hill, he was able to turn, stop and do all the things he couldn’t do in class. He was beaming with pride.

He simply needed a steeper slope. It’s much easier to make wedges and turns if you have some speed. We waved to the ski instructor as we sped by her.

5. Have your kids ski with other kids. I’ve already touched on this, but doing this is a great idea and will improve they’re skiing dramatically. When they’re with their peers they’re having fun and trying to keep up with one another. If you have timid skiers putting them with more aggressive skiing kids will usually solve the problem.

6. Show your kids that it’s OK and even fun to fall. During our first season my oldest was pretty nervous about falling. My older brother alleviated that fear when he intentionally fell in front of my boys. They laughed and laughed and even commented that they were better skiers than my brother.

It immediately took the fear of falling out of the equation. I still intentionally, (sometimes unintentionally) fall in front of my kids. It never ceases to make them laugh hysterically. The more dramatic you make the fall the better.

If you follow these 6 rules and have some patience your kids will become excellent and eager skiers.

By: Chris G.