Finally the temperature went below zero here in Finland! It is winter now. It is really weird that there has been snow in Europe for weeks already, but nothing here in Nordic countries (remember our news of moving Alpine Skiing World Cup Levi race to Austria). Anyhow, now the temperature is cold and soon we will receive masses of snow, right?

Have you just started skiing or are you planning to start skiing? Have you already tried skiing? If you are a beginner, this article series is right for you. We provide you some valuable beginner’s skiing tips in this article series. We as authors of Homeboy’s World of Skiing blog, are all very experienced skiers on all terrains from race tracks to backcountries and moguls to powder fields. We know a thing or two about skiing, snowboarding, telemark skiing, moguls skiing and even monoskiing and ballet skiing. We have crawled many backcountries and we have been to races. We are not alpine champions but we have a broad experience in skiing.

Beginners tips for skiing - Learn to ski straight from the beginning

Ok, was this good enough self-promotion? I think it is time to move on with our beginner’s skiing tips. So this article opens a series of 6 articles on beginner’s skiing tips. We will tell you everything we know about learning to ski, based on our experiences. In this first part we start from the very beginning.

Learn to ski - Lesson #1: Think about your motivation to learn to ski. Why are you interested in skiing and do you think your motivation will remain?

It all starts from motivation. What is your motivation to start skiing? How did you come up with the idea of learning to ski? I am not asking you to say if it is a good idea or not, I say it is a great idea. You have discovered a great sport. Instead I want you to think about your motivation and the level of your enthusiasm. What is your driving force to start skiing? It is important to make the motivation clear for yourself, because if your motivation is weak, you might quit skiing in a couple of weeks.

This happened to me when I tried to learn golf. My motivation was purely ridiculous. I wanted to play golf just because it was so fancy sport, but I did not understand my motivation on that time. After few days of practicing I realized that it’s absolutely not my sport. I started to think about my motivation to the sport, and I found out that in fact I don’t have any real motivation or enthusiasm to play golf. I do not like it. I actually hate it! So, I quit. I lost some money with this experiment, but hopefully not much.

Learn to ski - Lesson #2: Rent all the equipment for the first ten times. Do not purchase immediately

The second lesson is related to investments. After you have figured out your motivation to ski, you probably would like to rush into a ski store and purchase all the possible skiing equipment. Hold your horses! Skiing equipment are pretty expensive, so consider renting the equipment for the first ten times. Yes, not less than ten, because if you go skiing ten times during the same year, you most probably will continue the sport. If you go over this point, you will not loose your investment to ski gear.

Learn to ski - Lesson #3: Read books and DVD’s on skiing in order to understand the basics

There is one thing more to do before you actually go skiing, which is the reading part. I encourage you to read a couple of books and watch at least one instructional DVD of skiing before hitting the slopes. As with any other thing you do, it is reasonable to read and watch what experienced people say about the sport. I encourage you to borrow books from your local library or buy them online. Although I recommend you to read books, it is certainly reasonable to read Homeboy’s World of Skiing, because we can provide you lots of useful beginner’s skiing tips.

We have discussed the very basics so far, your motivation to skiing, renting equipment rather than purchasing immediately, and reading books and watching DVD’s in order to understand the basics of skiing. This was the boring but important part. Next time we go straight to the basics of skiing techniques! Meanwhile, check out these books and DVD’s we recommend.

Anyone Can Be an Expert Skier 1: The New Way to Ski (Includes Bonus DVD) Book ($16.47)

Inner Skiing: Revised Edition Book ($13.50)

Breakthrough on Skis I: Expert Skiing Simplified DVD ($29.95)

All Mountain Skiing Tactics (Set of 4 DVD’s) (Check the current price)