Ski Like a Pro

Lisa Densmore
Her Sports + Fitness Magazine

Hit the slopes on alpine skis and enjoy dramatic mountain views, invigorating fresh air, and the chance to fly down a trail as fast you as dare. Even better, skiing tones your legs and boosts strength and anaerobic capacity.

With advances in both techniques and gear, dare devils and tenuous turners alike can improve their skiing. These tips will help you cruise down runs with ease.

Relax Your Toes. Its an unconscious act, clenching your toes when you get nervous. If you relax your toes, the joints in your entire lower body stay loose, ready to absorb variations in terrain.

Flex Your Ankles. Concentrate on bending forward at the ankles, rather than the knees. If your ankles flex forward, your knees automatically bend, and you can maintain a more upright, balanced body position.

Keep Your Shins Against the Tongues of Your Boots. Women tend to lean back on their skis, making it difficult to initiate turns. If your shins stay in contact with your boot tongues, your weight stays centered, and you have better control.

Put Pressure on Your Ski Tips to Start a Turn. Resist slamming all your weight to the middle of your skis at the beginning of the turn, which causes them to chatter. Your skis respond better if you steer your ski tips into the turn first, then let your feet follow.

Roll Your Skis From Edge to Edge. A flat ski with its wide tip is more likely to get tossed around by chunky snow and bumps. When you finish a turn -- rather than flattening your skis before starting the next curve -- roll your skis immediately into the new turn. This makes your technique more fluid, improves your control on ice and reduces the chance of an unexpected fall.

Keep Your Skis Parallel. A common mistake many skiers make when starting a turn is to hold the downhill ski on edge while allowing the uphill ski to go flat. Both skis should enter each turn and roll on edge simultaneously.

Keep Your Hands Forward. If your hands drop by your sides or if you allow a hand to cross over your skis, your skis will skid rather than carve. Your hands should be comfortably forward, as if holding a tray of food.

Plant Your Pole Down the Hill. As you finish a turn, plant your pole with the downhill hand. Touch your pole tip to the side of the ski rather than forward. An accurate pole plant helps you navigate the steeps with more confidence and puts rhythm in your turns.

Stay Centered in Powder. In the old days skiers used to sit back in powder to get their tips up. No more. Most skis are wider today, providing better buoyancy. By remaining centered and equally weighting both skis, youll float through the fluff with less leg-burn and fewer wipeouts.

Look Ahead, Not at Your Skis. Plan a path and avoid surprises by looking in front of you, not at the ground. Youll have more time to react to the terrain, obstacles and other skiers, and keeping your head up will help keep your torso oriented downhill.

Gearing Up

With new high-tech materials, women-specific ski gear is lightweight, fits comfortably and is designed for the female form without sacrificing performance.

Skis. Short and wide is in. Pick a ski that stands at a height between your chin and forehead. When in doubt, err on the shorter side. Today, a 170-centimeter womens ski is considered very long. Most women prefer skis that are 145 to 160 centimeters.

Boots. Your heel and ankle should be held securely in place, and you should be able to bend the boot forward at its hinge-point. If youre still in old-fashioned rear-entry boots, its time to upgrade. They may be comfortable, but they sacrifice performance.

Bindings. Manufacturers take the guesswork out of bindings. Most skis come with an integrated pair that allows the ski to flex naturally.

Poles. To judge whether a ski pole is the right length, turn it upside down and hold it directly under the basket, the round plastic disc near the tip of the pole that prevents it from sinking deep into the snow. When your hand is touching the basket, your elbow should bend 90 degrees.

Clothing. You can find skiwear as expensive and fashionable as you desire, but you can get by with layers under a waterproof breathable shell and pant. Avoid cotton, which is cold, and wear technical, moisture-wicking fabrics next to your skin and fleece or wool layers for insulation. On a cold day, a fleece neck gaiter stays snug against your neck and face and is a better choice than a scarf, which could get caught on the chairlift.

Accessories. A helmet and goggles are preferable over a hat and sunglasses. The latest helmets have excellent venting and look rather stylish. Research shows that while wearing a helmet wont save you from a major injury if the impact is hard enough, it will greatly reduce the chance of minor head trauma. Wearing goggles keeps your face warmer, protects your eyes from the sun and prevents them from watering.