There are two approaches to skiing.

The first approach is based on downhill skiing. You put on your skis and ski straight down the mountain. When you pick up too much speed, you try to gain control by turning the skis forcefully to one side. When you have your speed under control, you point the tips of the skis downhill, and start the procedure all over again. This form of skiing can be very entertaining. However, the disadvantage is that it is a very tiring method and the chances of falling are greatly increased.

The second approach, which is based on the slalom method, is the approach that we concentrate on in this guide. Using this method, you attempt to control your speed from the start by making interconnected turns. As opposed to the downhill approach where the main goal is to get down the mountain as fast as possible, the aim of the slalom approach is to make controlled turns. This is absolutely the best way to get from the top of the mountain to the bottom alive, while preserving your strength. After only the first two or three turns, you will have reached the speed that matches your technical ability and temperament. If, after two or three turns, you find that your skis are accelerating undesirably, you should adjust your turn radius so that it better suits the gradient of the slop and the snow condition.

You may be familiar with the following scenario: you set off and the first turn goes very well. After two or three turns, you begin to pick up speed, and around the forth or fifth turn the skis are going faster than you planned. By the time you reach the seventh or eighth turn, your skis are going much too fast and you need to stop them. It is at this point, you probably cry out something along the lines of : "There must be something wrong with these skis!". Unfortunately it is seldom the fault of the skis themselves! It is more likely that each turn is never fully completed. Therefore you need to change the radius of your turn and to ski with a constant speed remaining longer in the same arc of the turn in order to complete your turn.