• Caution: Be extremely careful and keep safety at the forefront. Pick an isolated area and make sure the slope is very short and very gentle.

You should have already experienced the thrill of sliding over snow in our previous exercises, but now you get to really ski. If you follow this exercise carefully, you should be able to glide down a gentle slope and come to a controlled stop.

Plan your stop first.

If no run out exists at the end, you'll have to make yourself stop--either by turning or stepping out. We strongly suggest turning, but read about stepping out to cover yourself:

Stopping--Turning
Shortly after starting your straight run, brush the tail of one ski away from you--your skis will form a "wedge" and you should start turning in the direction that the ski is pointing to. You should come to a stop because you won't be facing down the hill anymore!

Stopping--Stepping out
Shortly after starting your straight run, start "stepping" out of the turn until you face across the hill. You should come to a stop because you won't be facing down the hill anymore!

Now let's ski!

Switch to "manual" for a moment and climb up a gentle hill--only a short distance initially. (As you continue practicing, you can climb up a little more each time. Don't climb too far and get out of your comfort zone.)

Using a Bullfighter turn, carefully position your body and skis to face down the hill. This direction that your skis are pointed is referred to as the flow line; the line that water would flow down if poured onto the slope.

Take a deep breath, relax and gradually ease off the poles--you'll start sliding forward and between your poles. Maintain your balance throughout and try to keep your legs comfortably apart. Feel your legs touching lightly on the front of the boots.

Shortly after starting down the hill, turn to one side and come to a stop.

Now, climb back up by sidestepping or doing the duck walk. When you're comfortable, try doing the straight run while balancing on one ski, then the other. It's really not much different than the stepping. The only difference is you're staying on the same track.

Tips:
• If the hill seems too steep, try starting with your skis pointed slightly across the hill and glide across like that.
• Focus on keeping a balanced position with your hands in front of your body.