With the arrival of winter, there is no more suitable and agreeable physical activities than skiing, right?

According to the news, during the New Year’s Day that just passed, many ski resorts in China reported that the number of tourists they received during the holiday reached saturation point. Not only young people, the old and children also like skiing. Just imagine a sport that the body doesn’t resist conditionally in the cold winter. Isn’t it exciting?

Back to the point, are there any other skiing options besides snowboard and ski?

Yes, modern skiing also embraces Ultrashort ski, Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, freestyle skiing, Nordic combined, snowskate, snowkiting, etc. Today, we mainly concentrate on tourism skiing – snowboard and ski since other skiing sports are commonly seen in competitive competitions, like Winter Olympics.

Snowboard

Snowboard has only one board, similar to surfboarding and skateboarding on land. Skiers need to keep sliding down the mountain sideways. Beginners will first learn to move the snowboard sideways to scrape the snow downhill in a forward or backward direction. Because both feet are fastened to the same snowboard, it will be difficult to keep the center of gravity and balance. It takes more time to learn how to slide and turn than skis. Additionally, snowboarding shoes are soft to put on and take off yourself, getting you easier to move around on the snow.

Ski

The physical principle of ski is similar to that of roller skating. The ski boots are respectively fixed on the snowboard with a binding and the feet are in the toe-in and toe-out stance, maintaining balance and sliding with the help of two ski poles. The ski boots are hard and heavy, beginners may feel lumbersome and slippery with the shoes on when walking on the flat ground, and need great assistance when putting on and off the shoes. So, the basic movements are relatively easy to learn, and there is less chance of falling.

Ski Equipment and Accessories

As the Chinese saying goes, “A handy tool makes a handy man”. Before learning to ski, you should first know more about various ski equipment and accessories. Generally, there are snow wear, tapering trousers, gloves, snow cap, ski boots, snow training shoes, ski glasses/goggle, helmets, kneepads, and advanced skis of different types, structures, toughness, shapes, lengths, and hole forms. Most ski resorts provide rental services for basic equipment, so beginners don’t need to spend too much money on equipment purchases. Alternatively, they can consider about equipment rental first.

Of course, you can rent a ski locker to store your personal belongings. But for your valuable jewelry, watch, cellphone, and wallet, it’s better to store them into a Biometric Privacy Safe with digit password or fingerprint lock and fasten it to a stationary post to avoid theft.

Another thing worth noting is that skiing is the combination of elegance and speed. It requires a lot of physical labor, and your body will heat up and sweat a lot during the sport. If you wear too many clothes, your body will overheat.

The Important Techniques for Skiing

Walking

Although most of time you are sliding while skiing, there are times you need to walk. You can go straight in a relatively flat place and make the skis parallel to the heading direction. But in a steeper place, you have to craw like crabs. It it better for beginners to take off the skis and put them on again when arriving the ski area. Before taking off or installing the skis on the slope, you must first adjust the skis to be perpendicular to the snow track, so as to prevent them from falling down the slope.

Posture

The knees should be slightly bent. Look your eyes straight into the distance instead of staring at the skis tips. The center of gravity is forward not backward, and the calf should firmly press the snow boots forward. Then, hold the ski poles in both hands, raise them forward, and bend the elbows slightly. Note that beginners should not put their hands in the noose of the rod handle.

Slow Down

There are two double-board ski shapes when skiing. Beginners use the splayed ones, also called the wedged skis. When decelerating, the force point of the feet is on the inner heels, and the chest and abdomen are raised to ensure that the center of gravity leans forward. In addition, unless on the flat ground, beginners should not let the skis move forward in parallel, but always maintain a splayed posture. And adjust the skis inward when accelerating and make it outward when decelerating. Always be careful not to go too fast. When stopping, slow down gradually and don’t go for a quick stop.

Make a Turn

Lean the body leftward to turn right and rightward to turn left.

Fall Down

The most important thing is to hold down your chin to close your chest to avoid a blow on the back side of the head. The second is to relax the limbs, for a stiff body is more likely to get injured. The last thing is not to hold on firmly. Once losing the center of gravity, beginners should not try to regain control, but let it fall down naturally to avoid severe injury. It is also recommended that beginners take off their skis when climbing up from the ground and put them on after standing up. Remember that the skis should be perpendicular to the ski track.

How to Prevent Injuries while Skiing?

Beginners are prone to accidental falls due to loss of balance while skiing. To avoid bone fractures, herniated discs, or severe lumbar spine problems caused by falling down, we should first learn “how to fall down safely”.

When falling backwards, most people are used to support the ground with their palms and let the tailbone hit the ground forcefully, however, this is not right.

If you feel your body out of balance while skiing, it is recommended that you should wrap your hands around your chest and then fall leftward or rightward using the side of the buttocks. Since the fat on the buttocks is the thickest on the body, you can use it as the “human shock absorber” to resist impact and avoid injuries to the tailbone.

Before falling down, you should also throw off the ski poles, skis, etc., to prevent the ski poles from stabbing your hands and wrists or spraining your feet.

If, unfortunately, an accident occurs and the injured ones cannot move, do not move him forcibly. Instead, you should make a large cross with the skis near the injured to alert skiers rearward to dodge the obstacles and tell rescuers to locate the injured. Later, go to the nearest cable car station or site for help.

Bring your family and friends to start your first skiing!