Skiing Advice and Information

There are many different types of skiing which are popular throughout the world and they can all be grouped into two categories; Nordic Skiing and Alpine Skiing. Nordic skiing is the oldest category and includes sports that evolved from the skiing as gone in Scandinavia. Nordic style skiing is where your skis are attached at the toes of the skier's boots, but not at the heels. Alpine skiing however is where the skis are bound to both the heal and the toes of the boots.

Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing involves skiing down snow covered hills and mountains. This type of skiing is both mentally and physically challenging due to the gravitational force of the mountain. The main technical challenges faced by skiers are simply how to control and dominate the direction and speed of their descent down the mountain. Alpine skiing was first introduced as an Official Special Olympics Sport in 1977 at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA. Alpine skiing facilities offer courses at varying degrees of difficulty for both novice and experienced skiers.

Cross-Country Skiing
Cross country skiing is classed as a Nordic skiing sport. It originated from the Scandinavian countries of Northern Europe. This type of skiing involves travelling on varied terrain, rather than skiing on a downhill slope, as in Alpine Skiing. It used to be used as a method of transport in the early twentieth century and continues to be a very popular sport. Cross country skiing uses bindings which are the equipment used to attach the skier to his or her skis, that are different than other skiing techniques. In cross country skiing, bindings such as the New Nordic Norm (NNN) bindings are used, because they allow more freedom of movement at the heel. Many cross country skiers also incorporate Tidemarks’ skiing techniques, which require the ability to lift the heel from the ski. Although Cross country skiing is very physically demanding it does allow the skier to see varied and beautiful terrain.

Backcountry Skiing
Backcountry skiing is a type of extreme skiing where the skier skis away from the marked out groomed ski areas. This is viewed at a lot more challenging than traditional skiing because the snow is not groomed which could mean it is hiding instabilities or hazards. It evolves travelling much further from the normal path and often uses helicopters to search for pristine areas to ski. This type of skiing should only be tried by intermediate to advanced skiers.

HeliSkiing
HeliSkiing which is the abbreviation of Helicopter skiing is a very advanced form of skiing. This type of skiing involves taking a helicopter to a ski site so as to reach trails which are not accessible by other any other way. Heliskiing carries a lot more risks than traditional skiing, particularly due to the risk of avalanche. Because of the risk the skier is expected to carry transceivers at all times in case of emergency. However, there are companies that offer heliskiing and have staff to monitor weather conditions and decide whether the skier can ski or not. Only highly skilled skiers should consider this type of skiing.

FreeStyle Skiing
Freestyle skiing dates back to the 1930s when Norwegian skiers began to make acrobatic movements during alpine and cross-country training. The International Ski Federation (FIS) recognised the sport in 1979 and brought in regulations to curb the dangerous element of the sport. There are two main branches of freestyle skiing. One involves the more traditional events of moguls and aerials. The other and a more newer branch often called new school, comprising events such as halfpipe, big air, slopestyle, and skier-cross. Freestyle skiing is an amazing and exciting discipline which is gaining in popularity and evolving all the time.

Snowboarding
Snowboarding isn’t really skiing as it involves standing on a single board rather than 2 skis. Some people claim it is easier to learn than skiing itself. The sport was inspired by skateboarding and surfing as it is a combination of the both except on snow. The sport is now a Winter Olympic Games sport since 1998

Speed Skiing
Speed Skiing like its name suggests is all about speed. It is the sport of skiing fastest in a straight line downhill. It is classed as the fastest not motorized sport on earth and is not performed on normal pistes. This type of skiing can only be practiced on steep specially designed courses.

Ski Mountaineering
Ski mountaineering encompasses the techniques of skiing with those of mountaineering. The main goal of ski mountaineering is to climb a beautiful mountain and then use to skis to ski down the mountain preferably from the summit. This type of sport is particularly popular in the European but there are some ranges in North America which offer excellent ski-mountaineering opportunities.

There are many more types of skiing and the above is just a chosen few. Visit the pages on the left more more information on each type so skiing.