LEARNING TO SKI - Tactical References

Navigating High-Traffic Slopes: in high-traffic areas, imagine the slope as a highway with several “lanes” where you choose one and make short-radius turns in that same lane, avoiding to cross from lane to lane.
Multi-lane Turning: in less crowded or in wider slopes, make short radius turns remaining in one lane; intermediate radius turns across two lanes; and wide radius turns within three imaginary lanes.
Personal Space Widening: in high-traffic areas, it is common for other people to pass very close by, running the risk of being run over. A useful tactic is to extend your arms and poles sideways, widening your personal space.
Scraped Slope Avoidance: on narrow slopes with hard or icy snow, choose one side of the slope as the snow is generally softer on the sides because it is pushed by others as they tend to ski on the center of the slope.
Navigating Narrow Sections: in narrow sections, look first for areas where the trail or path widens further down to turn or brake and then ski straight on the narrow path.

Ski close to ski lift towers.
Ski close to the tree line to distinguish the snow surface by contrast.
Follow others and use them as a reference to determine the slant of the terrain.
Ski slowly and with short, rhythmic turns.
Adopt a lower stance.
Engage the abdominal muscles allowing the legs to adapt to the terrain.
Use goggles with light-colored lenses (yellow, orange, or light pink).
If conditions worsen, it is best to wait at a mountain lodge.

The best tactical reference for an icy slope is to avoid it.
Basically, there are two types of ice: “blue ice” is the hardest, has the highest water content, and makes it almost impossible to get an edge grip. “Gray ice” and frozen granular ice contain less water than blue ice and allow the edges to grip. This can be found in places where the surfaces have been smoothed transforming into ice patches.
Make sure that your edges are sharp.
Keep the buckles on your boots tight, as well as the upper Velcro strap, as it is better for the feet to feel secure.
Keep your edges sharp.
On slopes where there are partly hard snow or ice and partly softer snow, use the softer areas since the edges will grip there better.
Drift across the icy areas until the next softer snow, maintaining a low and balanced posture.
Avoid sudden movements of arms, torso, and especially legs.
Avoid accelerating and decelerating.
Slowly regulate the frequency of turns and the line of descent.
Avoid uncontrolled skidding by initiating a new turn.
Never lean toward the inner/uphill side.
Maintain a low posture and keep your feet hip-width apart (wide stance).
Exaggerate your balance on the outer/downhill ski for aggressive edging.
Remember that there are two ways to overcome skiing on ice: become stronger or become smarter.

A narrow trail for an intermediate skier can be a highway for an expert.
These are places where there is not enough space to maneuver the skis, to turn, or to brake easily.
The priority is speed control.
Emphasize turning by feet/leg steering with tails skidding at the end of each turn.
The most effective technique is to make short parallel turns.
Sometimes there will not be room or time enough for turning, then forward side slipping is a must.
If the trail has a slight incline, try gentle parallel turns; otherwise, a medium wedge may be sufficient depending on speed.
If the terrain is steeper, you will need to turn continuously using basic turns or, eventually, a braking wedge by scraping both inner edges into the snow.
If the slope has a double slant (one towards the valley and one to the side), the lower ski will scrape the snow with the big-toe edge to slow down. Another option is to brake repeatedly by turning both tails with an energetic push of the heels towards the steeper side.
You can also apply tails pushing alternately to one side and then the other to speed control.
An alternative option is to descend in a straight line and repeatedly skid the tails to the more favorable side in a kind of a “J” braking turn.