If you live in a place that has snow, you always have the option to hit the slopes and try something new. But be careful—as a beginner, you should be warned that a slew of people skiing and snowboarding on the same mountain can lead to some unwanted collisions.
Skiing across the bottom of a slope without looking up the mountain, according to Collinson, is the most common cause of crashes on the slope. Luckily, the solution is simple. “Just keep your head on a swivel,” he says.
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Stop below groups
“Whether you’re with a group or you don’t know the folks, the polite thing to do is to ski around a gathering of people and stop below them,” says Collinson.
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Don’t scrape moguls
When skiing a mogul run, Collinson says that it’s preferred to stay in the groove and to avoid what he calls sideswiping, where your skis knock snow off of the bump.
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Stay straight on cat tracks
Cat tracks are flat and narrow trails that cut across the mountain and connect larger trails to each other. Most skiers usually want to get a lot of speed on these, and therefore Collinson suggests staying straight as to not get in front of anyone who is trying to carry their speed.
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Don’t lower the bar with a warning
When you’re on a chairlift, be sure to give everyone else a heads up before lowering the bar. “I’ve had my head down, unbuckling my boots and have had the bar slammed into my skull,” Collinson says. “That’s never fun.”
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Avoid the gaper gap
“The number one thing to avoid being a gaper is to avoid what we call the gaper gap, which is when there’s a large gap between your goggles and your helmet or hat,” Collinson says. “If your forehead is showing, that’s a telltale sign of being a gaper.”
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Have the proper equipment
Donning the proper equipment is a key to not appearing like a gaper. This doesn’t mean you need to shell out for that season’s newest duds, but wearing things like a bicycle helmet, jeans instead of ski pants, and rear-entry ski boots, according to Collinson, are telltales of a newb.
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Don’t fear the chairlift
There are other ways to spot a gaper than just what they’re wearing. For example, not being able to get on and off a chairlift without struggling or, worse yet, holding up the line. “I understand that it can get kind of scary with all of the big moving parts and all of the people,” Collinson says. “But it really is just about sitting down. When the chair comes up behind you, turn outside so you’re facing away from the other people and towards the railing. Have your knees flexed, lean into your boot, and when the chair hits the back of your legs, just lean back into it and let the chair scoop you up.”
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Skip the Jerry tuck
“The Jerry tuck is a semi-evolution of a racing tuck but with really bad form, where you lean far back into your boot and your hands are at your waistline with your elbows out like a turkey,” Collinson explains. “It looks ridiculous. The only right time for a Jerry tuck is if you’re messing around with your buddies and/or you had a few beers at the mid-mountain lodge.”
