Skiing is not only one of the best exercises out there filled with health benefits, but it is also among the most entertaining winter activities, and the fun can be brought to a whole different level with the help of many ski tricks. In this article, we’ll show you some of the skiing tricks for beginners and how to do ski tricks that will serve as a foundation for your skiing career.
1. Popping
The first trick among easy ski tricks you should learn is popping. This trick is rather simple, but it is essential for the vast majority of more complex tricks that include jumping. Once on the skis, bring your body in a half-squat and jump straight up while keeping your skis parallel to the snow. Practice while still, then try it as you move and increase the speed as you practice.
2. Ollie
By learning how to do Ollie, jumping over different obstacles will become way easier. The goal is to learn how to put your weight on your backside so you can lift the front of the skis and jump while using the backside of your skis as a spring. Here is how to perform an Ollie:
- Lean slightly forward and then in your next move throw your weight backward to make your skis bend up.
- When the top of skis is up, lean forward while keeping the skis up in the air.
- Jump upward and forward.
This movement will require lots and lots of practice to find proper timing, but once you get a hold of it, you’ll see how useful this trick can be.
3. Straight Jump
After you’ve mastered popping and Ollie, it is time to try your first real jump. You’ll need to find a snow bump, speed up a bit and go straight to it. Once you reach the bump, the laws of physics will take over and you’ll find yourself up, in the air. Don’t try to grab your skis or anything like that but focus solely onto your skis and try to position them parallel to the snow, same as with popping. Focus on your body and how to keep balance when you fall back to the surface. It may sound simple, but these jumps are pretty impressive, once you learn how to perform them well.
4. Safety Grab
Many of the most impressive ski tricks have one thing in common – safety grab. Do it all the same as with straight jump, but as you pop, add some extra kick to it. Then, just as you reach the peak of your flight, bring your knees up and grab the side of your ski with your hand, hold it and let go when you start to fall. Simple but effective, this will be your first real ski trick and it will boost your morale up.
5. Shifty
As the name itself says, shifty includes a bit of shifting, so learn how to fall. The goal is to rotate your upper body one way while your lower body faces the opposite direction. Gain speed to hit the bump and as you rise in the air straighten up your whole body. Then, when straight, rotate your upper body using your hands to the left and lower body from your hips to the right. You can practice this trick on a trampoline before you hit the snow just to get your body used to movements. Later you can try bending or extending your legs or many different shifty options.
6. Backward
This is not only fun and effective but how to ski. Once you do, hit a blue slope to avoid gaining too much velocity, stand in a position like you’re going to ski forward only turn your face uphill, legs bent and all, and as soon as you start moving backward, begin to carve the same way you normally do.
You might also like: How To Jump On Skis
7. 180
Before you think about trying out a “180”, hit the trampoline and make sure to repeat the turn while in the air to give yourself a chance to become familiar with it. Then, once on the snow, try it with only your boots so you know how the extra weight affects the maneuver. If all is good, hit the jumper. Once you reach the jumper, start rotating your upper body, and the rest will follow once you’re in the air. What makes this trick tricky is the fact that you’ll have to look over your shoulder once you turn, so it may take some time to get used to it.
8. 5050 On A Box
This trick is essential for all freestyle skiers. It is rather simple – all you have to do is to hit the jumper, place your skis straight on the box and go over it. Again, although simple, it is crucial for all the tricks you plan to do that include boxes.
9. Box Slide To Forwards/Switch
Once you become completely comfortable with box skiing, try following – as you jump onto the box, rotate your hips sideways and slide that way until the end. Then, either rotate them back to have your skis face forward or again the same way so you end up skiing backward.
FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about ski tricks.
Q: How do you do tricks on a ski?
Most ski tricks are simply a combination of the main ski techniques and maneuvers. Once you master them all, it is completely up to your own creativity and desire to try different stuff by doing them slower, faster, reversed…
Q: Is it easier to do tricks on skis or snowboard?
It depends on each person individually, but common thought among skiers and snowboarders is that skiing is easier to learn but harder to master, so you could say that it is easier to learn ski tricks but it will take more time to master them all.
Q: What is a cork ski trick?
A cork ski trick is an off-axis flip with a backward 540°spin while keeping the feet below the head. It is one of the most famous and popular ski tricks and it combines most of the basic tricks described above.
Globo Surf Overview
Although these are easy ski tricks, they shouldn’t be taken lightly because mastering skiing tricks for beginners will give you the chance to develop and learn how to do ski tricks that will take the breath away from everyone you know.
More Snow Ski Lesson Guides: