How to Be a Great Skier

As with any sport, the ultimate goal of skiing is to be as good at it as you can be while having fun doing it. The world's best skiers who win Winter Olympic gold and world championship titles, eat, sleep and breathe skiing and are usually doing something ski-related every day of their lives. Weekend skiers and part-time enthusiasts generally don't have the time or the funding to make that commitment, but can still take several steps to get better. Becoming a great skier requires improving your overall health through weight and flexibility training, increasing your stamina and improving on your existing skill set.

Instructions

    • 1

      Develop your muscles to improve your overall strength and stamina, which will allow you to make better cuts, land longer jumps and ski longer into the day. Target the core muscles of your body, especially your legs. Work on you thigh and calf muscles with exercises such as squats, lunges and calf raises. Develop good upper body strength as well to help you push off harder with your poles. Perform upper body strength-training exercises, such as pull-ups, lat-bar pull downs and arm curls.

    • 2

      Improve your flexibility to also help you make better cuts and help you absorb impacts better. Include a series of overall muscle stretches, such as to your shoulders, back, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Stretch before hitting the ski slopes as well.

    • 3

      Develop a good cardiovascular exercise routine to improve your stamina and keep your body skiing at maximum efficiency. Include running and walking (including uphill climbs), swimming, bicycling and jumping rope. Start off slow, such as two or three times per week. Do your cardio work on the days that you do not weight train.

    • 4

      Improve your overall coordination, balance and speed. Practice standing on one foot for as long as you can to help improve your balance, which will help you maintain balance while skiing. Work on your lateral movements with a series of side-to-side stepping motions. Include rollerblading as part of your cardiovascular routine, which will also aid you in your lateral movement training as well as your speed.

    • 5

      Take lessons from a ski instructor to improve your overall skiing ability. Learn from your ski instructor the skills and tips to take your skiing to the next level, whether it's making longer jumps or skiing down steeper hills.

    • 6

      Ski as often as possible. Make an effort to go skiing every chance you get during the season and consider taking skiing vacations to other parts of the world during the offseason; certain resorts even allow skiers to ski on grass during the summer months.