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5 Beginner Ski Tricks to Get You Started

 

During the winter season, our Alpine Hotel in Corteno Golgi receives many guests who are super enthusiastic on going on a retreat in the nearby Aprica Ski Resort. We don’t blame them! Skiing is a must-try sport this season at the Italian Alps. If you are considering to have ski trip, why not learn a few tricks to impress your friends? Perhaps you're a beginner skier, and you don't know where to start, or how to perform anything. Rest assured, we have 5 easy beginner tricks that you can learn while you're on the slopes! They are foundational moves that can lead you into much more complex tricks.


Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

POPPING

This is a crucial beginner trick to learn as it can help you master other tricks that involve jumping. To do this, you should push yourself off the ground and perform a small jump - it doesn't have to be a big jump, but it should be enough to lift you off the ground. For some beginners, this might be a little daunting at first, so try starting with smaller hops until you get comfortable with giving it a little height. Once you've gotten the hang of it, you can proceed to try other jumps within this list.

OLLIE

At some point, you might want to try jumping over obstacles; the best way to practice is by practising an 'ollie'. To perform an 'ollie', the trick is to push your weight forward in front of your skis while keeping your feet close together. Then, shift the weight back towards the tail of your skis, then once ready, transfer all your weight to the back of the skis by pushing your hips forward to lift the front tip of your skis off the ground.


Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

BASIC JUMP

Once you've practised the art of 'popping', you can start considering doing basic jumps over slopes. The secret to the basic jump is that you should land perpendicular to the angle you've lifted off at. This means that you might have 'pop' harder to do so. Keep practising this trick until you've gotten the hang of it! Make sure that once you lift off the slope, that your body is square.

SAFETY GRAB

Now, to add a bit of flair to your basic jump, you can try and do the 'safety grab'. For this trick, you need to grab the right ski under the boot with your right hand, while the skis are uncrossed. While doing this, you should remember to keep your knees bent as much as you can, it will help you to reach the right ski. Doing this trick will make you look really cool!


Source: StompIt Ski

Source: StompIt Ski

SHIFTY

Now for our last beginner to intermediate trick on the list is the 'Shifty'. The shifty is a counter-rotation in the air with your upper body facing one way, while your lower half is facing the other. Once you achieve it, it's an enjoyable trick to learn and is the basis for many more advanced ski tricks. A few things to keep in mind - you should only rotate your body once you're in the air. When it comes to jumping, your body should always be square, and you should have a strong enough 'pop' to perform the trick - or else you might just fail.


Why not stay at Albergo Miramonti? We are located within the Alps, with a Hotel Spa, relaxing Cigar Lounge and an Italian Restaurant that serves local Valtellina Cuisine.

For more articles about the Italian Alps and Northern Italy, read our blog:

 
Patricia Sanchez