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New to skiing, top 5 tips/things to learn for a noob? any guides???

RichardSmith

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Pass Pulled
Joined
Nov 28, 2019
Posts
7
Location
USA
what are the top important things to keep in mind while learning skiing? what skills should i learn first? will be going for a day only this time.
are there any good guides to watch or learn from
 

ADKmel

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Posts
2,344
Location
Southern Adirondacks NY
Sign up for a lesson, Please don't listen to your friends that 'you can do it" and just wing it, lessons will make it all much easier
Buy/rent a helmet.
Learn to ski in control and control your speed
Learn the skier's code.
Be Safe and Have FUN.

Welcome to Pugski.. there are Many threads on here on skiing technique but it will make more sense if you take a lesson
Where are you going skiing?
 

bbinder

Making fresh tracks
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
2,224
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Massachusetts
Taking a lesson is great advice. Otherwise, if this is your first time skiing, just have fun and don’t push yourself. My son-in-law watched youtube videos for 3 weeks before going skiing for the first time. He managed to pick up enough tips so that he didn’t kill himself and could almost keep up with his friend’s young children. Now he is hooked.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
1. Do not take a lesson from a family member, friend, spouse etc., pay for a lst timers group lesson. Money well spent!

2, Try to go for the lst time on a decent weather day. Try and avoid those really bad weather days for you lst day on the snow.
You don't have the right clothes, equipment and knowledge to enjoy one of those really bad weather days.

3. Rent your equipment, preferably from where you live if a day trip and then you can avoid the crowds and hassle at the hill.
If you are at a destination resort then obviously you will rent there, get there (rental area) early and avoid the crowds.

4. A hat and gloves are very important to keep warm, avoid levi's if you can and if you can't go on a decent weather day and wear levi's, I did 40 yrs ago and am still skiing.

5. FUN, laughs, friends, good food and après are all part of skiing. Enjoy yourself.

https://www.pugski.com/threads/new-skier-dos.3351/
https://www.pugski.com/threads/new-skier-dos.3351/
 

T-Square

Terry
Admin
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7,559
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Enfield, NH
  1. Rent equipment before buying.
  2. Take a lesson at a good ski school.
  3. Stay on the "bunny hill" longer than you think you should. (Those "easy trails" from the top are steeper and harder than you think.)
  4. Don‘t let your buddies tell you what to do. On the other hand listen to your instructor. They actually do know a bit about teaching newbies.
  5. Did I mention take a lesson? Hey maybe 2 or 3. Get good habits ingrained early. You will have more fun later.
 
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beginnerskier96

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Dec 4, 2019
Posts
90
Location
Surrey
1-Take lessons from experienced ski instructors.
2- Rent before buying equipment.
3-Stay fit and healthy too (the gym is perfect for this!)
4-Practice often as well on the bunny slope
5-Trust your instinct
6-Do not overestimate your ability either (use a ski level chart to guess)
7- Enjoy it!
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
Try to rent at a local shop unless advised otherwise by people who ski where you're going.
It's usually faster, cheaper, and can be done the night before.

Bus trips are amazingly cheap usually.

Best deals are often late season. Nobody skis in April.
 
Thread Starter
TS
R

RichardSmith

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Pass Pulled
Joined
Nov 28, 2019
Posts
7
Location
USA
Sign up for a lesson, Please don't listen to your friends that 'you can do it" and just wing it, lessons will make it all much easier
Buy/rent a helmet.
Learn to ski in control and control your speed
Learn the skier's code.
Be Safe and Have FUN.



Welcome to Pugski.. there are Many threads on here on skiing technique but it will make more sense if you take a lesson
Where are you going skiing?


thankyou!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

CalG

Out on the slopes
Pass Pulled
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Posts
1,962
Location
Vt
start with X country to get the feel of skis on your feet. spend a good day or two! Go on flats and down hill a bit, not tooo steep!
RENT with a package that includes a lesson with a higher level than "never ever" instructors. Those kids are little more than guides. (don't tell anyone I said this)

Don't get suckered into "going to the top" at 3:45 on a 4:00 closing....

Do ride the lift to the top just for the view. Then Plead your case for a taxi ride back down. Whee Haa!
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
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Feb 9, 2016
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75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
Do ride the lift to the top just for the view. Then Plead your case for a taxi ride back down. Whee Haa!
@CalG I'd imagine most resorts really, really frown on this. If it's a place that allows downloading on the lift or gondola - great. Go for the view and ride back down. If they don't download, beginners should not be going to the top and looking for "taxi rides" from patrol.
 

DerKomisar

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
May 1, 2018
Posts
158
Location
Outside Chicago
Get a lesson to train for the right terrain.
Don’t be embarrassed to be on the bunny hill while refining your technique. Anyone can zoom straight down a trail.
Rent before buying to get an idea of what you want.
If you do buy equipment, try late in season to get a decent deal at a local shop. When getting your boots, always get fitted by an experienced bootfitter.
Marry your boots, date your skis.
 

LiquidFeet

instructor
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,697
Location
New England
Plan on taking more than one lesson. One lesson will probably get you going as a beginner. Two or three might be better, depending on all kinds of unknowns. But your beginner lesson(s) won't teach you all you need to know. Plan on taking more lessons as your skiing life continues. There's so much to know and learn that can't be communicated in any single lesson.

Many recreational skiers think that once they know "how to ski" they are done with lessons. At that point they start blaming the weather or the grooming or their gear or whatever for their less than stellar experiences on snow, when much of their frustration is due to their underdeveloped technique. They mistakenly think that "trying harder" will help them become better. That often backfires, because what they are trying to do is based on misunderstandings formed in their early lessons or from listening to friends who don't know what they are talking about.

One of the best things about skiing is that you can, with good instruction, always get better and start enjoying that terrain you used to avoid. Joy on snow gets magnified.
 
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SkiSchoolPros

Impact Ecosystem- ie.Money with Meaning
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Dec 20, 2015
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207
Location
Colorado

mister moose

Instigator
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May 30, 2017
Posts
659
Location
Killington
Plan on taking more than one lesson.
This might be the best advice so far. Lots of other great advice is here, but "marry your boots and date your skis" doesn't matter if you don't set your expectations realistically. Everyone learns at different rates, and while you might be riding the lift your first day, you also might be struggling to turn still at the end of your first day.

My list to add to the rest:
1) Pick your weather. Don't try to learn on the coldest/windiest/rainiest/foggiest day.
2) Ideally find a local nearby hill that is easy to ski several times at.
3) Shop around. Lots of intro to skiing packages out there for great prices.
4) Don't go on a holiday, and if you can avoid it, don't go on a Saturday. Too crowded, and everything suffers compared to a quiet sunny Sunday afternoon.
5) Make some friends to ski with that are at your level.
 

vindibona1

Getting on the lift
Instructor
Joined
Jan 22, 2020
Posts
174
Location
Northern Illinoi
Hard to believe but I've seen experts on the bunny hill doing drills.

It shouldn't be hard to believe. Some drills are harder to do on slower terrain than on steeper. When I first learned the Whitepass turn, I was taught in on a beginner slope. It taught me how the difficulty level increases significantly when you don't have momentum behind you and slope angle to propel you. But the easy slope makes you really dial into proper movement patterns.
 

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