It can actually seem as through skiing is fairly straight-forward. You take the ski lift to the top of the mountain, ski down selected runs to the bottom of the hill - and so the story is repeated. However, there's actually a lot that needs to be considered. Skiing is a physical activity that demands a certain amount of coordination and involves different actions. In addition, a number of different external forces come into play when we ski. Even experts have difficulties in understanding the smallest details of skiing, as well as the physical influences that are part of the sport.

In this section we describe the fundamentals of alpine skiing, including general alpine movements and the turn itself. We will also give you some good advice on how to adapt your skiing to the speed you prefer and the terrain you can best cope with.

You can, as a skier, move on four different levels: back and forth, from side to side, up and down, and round your own axis.

The two central movements of skiing are the ones from side to side (the sideway movement) and up and down (the vertical movement) - and those we shall focus on.