I usually write super long articles that look tiring and wordy, but this time I’m changing my style—let’s start with an outline. You can take a photo of it with your phone, pull it out when you’re tired, and have a laugh—it might just cheer you up.
Many skiers feel they lack stamina, get exhausted after just a short time on the slopes, or wake up the next day with sore backs and legs. Here are some little tips to help you ski more easily—some come from personal experience, some are just wild guesses. If any of them happen to be right, just laugh it off.
Beginner(For beginners)
It’s common for beginners to get tired—very few can stick it out on the slopes for long.2Most beginners can’t last more than a few hours, mainly because their bodies haven’t yet figured out the right way to exert force when skiing. What follows might be just what you need.
1. Skiing, not walking – This tip isn’t just for first-timers standing on the slope for the first time. Always remember: ski, don’t walk. Whether you’re going downhill, on flat ground, or even uphill, try to ski rather than walk. Let your skis do the work while your upper body stays still. Keep your posture stable—that’s the key.
2. Relax your body – Relaxing doesn’t mean slouching or collapsing on the ground. It means not using your muscles to force movement. No matter how you try to push yourself, you’re still just standing there, and all that effort only makes you sweat and overheat—completely unnecessary. Just stay stable. Posture matters a lot.
3. Look forward, never look down – This applies not just to beginners, but many intermediate skiers overlook it too. Always keep your eyes on the direction you’re skiing. Looking down at the slope only makes you fearful. Fear leads to tension all over your body, which then makes you even more scared and tense... Don’t look at the ground or your skis—just have a general sense of where they are. Get used to feeling your balance with your body, not your eyes.
4. Choose wide trails – As a beginner, since you can’t yet control direction and speed well, practice on wider slopes. Try to make your path as wide as possible—the wider the trail, the easier it is to control.
5. Use plough turns, not plough stops – Plough stops are what you might learn in your second hour, but did anyone tell you that’s all they’re for? This technique should be limited to just the second hour. The only thing plough stops teach you is how to stop on a slope. Plough turns are how you actually ski down the runs. Some instructors might still be teaching the old-school method passed down for years. These days, skis can turn automatically—so start using plough turns as early as possible.
6. Start parallel turns as soon as possible – Mastering parallel turns is the ultimate goal for beginners and the key step into intermediate skiing. Learn them ASAP.
Intermediate (For intermediate skiers)
Once you’ve got the hang of parallel turns, you can pretty much handle all the machine-groomed intermediate runs in China. But steeper and longer advanced runs, like the long and steep ones at Beidahu9, can still be exhausting—if you want to go all the way down in one go, you’ll probably be wiped out. Intermediate skiers should pay more attention to adjusting their movements and skiing with more finesse.
Turn smoothly not hardly (The secret to skiing well is smooth movement, not intensity.) To turnSdon’tZjerk—this is a basic requirement. In short, rotate your skis at a consistent speed. Don’t twist abruptly—that doesn’t make you look cool, it just shows you’re not a skilled skier.
Right standing stance (Maintain proper stance) In China, lessons often don’t emphasize stance training, but if you want to ski well, having the correct stance is absolutely fundamental—and it’s also the fastest way to level up to advanced skiing.
Maintain properly speed no fast (Keep a suitable speed, not too fast) Going too fast means you’ll need to brake more often, which uses up more energy. Keeping your speed within a reasonable range is very important.
Use your edge and follow the ski (Get used to edging your skis and skiing along the edge as early as possible) Side-sliding uses up a lot of energy. To slow down, use the edges of your skis, and try to ski along the edge when moving. Work on improving your edge control as soon as you can.
Separate your body from hip (Separate your upper and lower body—the hips are the pivot point) Separating upper and lower body doesn’t mean your lower half weighs less or that you should only move your legs. Doing so saves energy. More importantly, it’s a crucial part of skiing. Only when you master this can you start to understand how to use your body’s strength and how to efficiently use gravity to ski.
Ski turn the body not the body turn ski (Let your skis guide your turns, don’t force the skis to turn) It might sound like the board is pulling you, but it’s not. Let me put it in simpler terms—Carving.
Advance and expert (Advanced and Expert Levels)
No need to say much for the expert level—just get plenty of rest and exercise!
Have a rest and talking (Get enough rest and relax through conversation)
Preserve enough energy forchallenging black (Conserve enough energy to tackle high difficulty)
Fluent on mogul and powder (Maintain smooth movement even in moguls, chopped powder, and deep snow)
Sufficient sleeping (Ensure adequate sleep)
Strong your body (Exercise your body)