How to Ski: Beginner to Expert - What Level Are You?

Do you think that you're a better skier than you actually are? Or maybe you're underselling yourself and you are actually a stronger skier than you currently think. In this video I'm going to clarify the levels of skiing from beginner to intermediate to advanced to expert. Knowing your current level is a key step to getting better since this will clarify what best to work on next. So if you want to know how your skiing compares stick around for a few minutes and I'll clarify the skills needed at each level. And if you make it to the end I'll reveal the mind-blowing thing about the difference between expert and elite skiers. By the way if you're new to the channel then welcome my name is George I'm a Basie level 4 ski instructor here in the European Alps and I love making educational videos to help skiers improve their level. So let's begin. I'm going to break down skier ability into levels. Beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. Each level is split into lower and strong. Number one, lower beginner. A beginner skier is someone on the progression from zero to parallel. You can slide along on gentle green runs and use a snowplow to slow down and stop. Once you can make snowplow turns the next step is plow parallel where you wedge around the turn and start getting the skis parallel as you traverse. And you'll need to start practicing the skills of side slipping and parallel stopping and start working towards keeping the skis parallel as you go around the turn. Number two, a strong beginner. A strong beginner can make rough parallel turns on easy blue runs and start getting around the mountain. You're starting to get the hang of the two golden rules of skiing of balancing on the outer ski and not leaning back but your posture probably isn't yet great. Typically it can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks for beginners to transition from zero to rough parallel skiing which normally depends on how fit and how sporty you are. Number three, lower intermediate. A beginner becomes an intermediate when you can confidently side slip without getting the upper ski caught and reverting to a snowplow. A low intermediate can make decent parallel turns on blue runs and make confident parallel stops. You're starting to make the skier's lightning bolt posture with the shins forwards into the boots. Number four, strong intermediate. A strong intermediate can make neat parallel turns on blue and red runs showing some up and down dynamic posture movements through the turn rather than being stiff and rigid as well as adding a pull plant as a finishing touch. You can get around most slopes and may have taken on some black runs but when the snow gets difficult your posture and control start to disappear. And this ladies and gentlemen is the intermediate plateau and this is where the majority of skiers end up. But there's nothing wrong with that and acquiring this level on skis is a real world superpower that allows you to have unbelievable amounts of fun exploring beautiful places with your friends and family. And getting from zero to strong intermediate typically takes about two to eight weeks of skiing experience but a large proportion of skiers plateau at this level and never make the progression up to advanced. Number five, lower advanced. So what's the difference between intermediate and advanced? Well I'll give you the simple answer and the technical answer. The simple answer is an advanced skier can ski all terrain in parallel including steep black runs. They have control at higher speeds on steeper slopes and in variable snow conditions such as ice or bumps. And the technical answer is that an advanced skier can show separation of the movements between the upper body and the lower body. Rotational separation is the ability to make turns with the legs while keeping the upper body facing more downhill. Lateral separation is the ability to tip your legs over without tipping your whole body over. Another key difference between an intermediate and an advanced skier is the ability to either skid or carve your turns. Carving turns are much bigger and faster where you slice your edges through the snow rather than scraping them across and spraying the snow. Carving involves edging your skis rather than rotating your skis and can give you more control at higher speeds as if you're connected to a train track. Getting to an advanced level on skis typically takes people somewhere around 8 to 20 weeks of skiing experience. Number six, strong advanced. Quick side note, just going to tell you about skiers for MSF. Now we are incredibly lucky to be able to go skiing and elsewhere in the world there's a lot of people who are just trying to survive. And despite how dangerous some of the world's conflicts and crises are right now, doctors without borders are on the ground risking their lives to provide emergency medical aid in places where health care systems have collapsed. So here's the idea, if us skiers can donate just one or two pounds per day that you go skiing then together you can actually make a big difference providing health care for people who are really suffering right now. So there's a link in the top right corner, let's show what our ski community can do. Thank you so much, back to the video. Number six, strong advanced. A strong advanced skier can make short turns with rotational separation as well as clean carved turns demonstrating good lateral separation. You can ski all over the mountain in confident parallel choosing to carve or skid your turns as is relevant to the terrain as well as tackling variable snow conditions with confidence. One of the most effective ways to hone your skills through advanced skiing is learning all about bumps and mogul skiing. Yes it may be an acquired taste but mogul skiing is insanely good fun. Bump skiing is really technical involving absorption skills, quick turning skills with tight parallel skis and tactical awareness of different ways to ski different types of bumps. Getting from zero to strong advanced generally takes upwards of 20 weeks of ski experience. Number seven, expert level skiing. So there are many different ways that an advanced skier can become an expert skier and this is the part where you get to choose what sort of skier you might want to be. You might be into piste performance and making expert levels short and long turns or getting into racing for example slalom or giant slalom. You could become an expert by getting into freestyle, jibbing around in the park, doing jumps, doing tricks or you might choose off-piste and free ride skiing where you prefer the natural mountain playground to the man-made one. Getting into powder and drops and skiing off-piste in difficult snow conditions. Or you could become an expert skier by being a backcountry explorer, honing your skills in ski touring, preparation, forecasting, understanding snowpack and avalanche science, maybe even getting into some big mountain steep skiing. Or you could just be technically excellent, being able to ski everything perfectly with efficiency and skill. Now I'm not going to break down expert into lower and stronger levels but let's just take a moment to think about the difference between expert and elite. Now the thing that I find mind-blowing about these levels of skiing is that the difference between expert and elite is bigger than the difference between zero and expert. It never ceases to amaze me what humans can do on skis when they become truly elites but that is a topic for another video. I hope you found that useful to clarify your skiing level, beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert. Now wherever you are on the spectrum, if you would like to improve your skiing then you can check out my other tutorials designed to help you improve your skiing through better understanding and take it easy, have fun and I'll see you in the next one.