How to Become an Intermediate Skier

How to Become an Intermediate Skier——Quick Reading Guide
1、Intermediate skiers need to be able to ski on blue runs with slopes between 25-40%.
2、Intermediate skiers can confidently ski the blue and green runs on the slopes with ease, while being able to maneuver through some sharp turns.
3、Six tips for becoming an intermediate skier include staying in good physical condition, warming up, skiing in all conditions, learning to cope with difficulties and planning your skiing, and staying relaxed during transitions.
4、Three common skiing mistakes include standing, boots that don’t fit, and equipment that is relatively low performing.

Do you want to improve your skiing skills? Want to advance from a beginner skier to an intermediate skier? After reading this article, it may help you to challenge the intermediate ski trails and advance to the intermediate level. In addition to skiing skills advancement, our outdoor sports safety awareness should also be improved, to learn more about skiing skills, you can read our beginner ski guide

Article Catalog

1intermediate ski slope

2What is an intermediate skier?

3skiing tips for intermediate

4common skiing mistakes

5Final Thoughts

6FAQ

7Extended Reading

intermediate ski slope

Usually ski resorts are graded according to different slopes, slopes less than 25% are beginner trails, they are usually indicated by green circles; while slopes between 25-40% are intermediate trails, usually indicated by blue squares; slopes over 40% are advanced trails, usually indicated by using black diamonds. Different slopes have different levels of difficulty, and this is the main reference to distinguish different trails.

What is an intermediate skier?

Intermediate skiers have mastered the basics, such as stops and turns, and have reached a breakthrough bottleneck. You have fully mastered all the skills of a beginner, to be able to be flexible on green runs and glide easily on all green runs, but this is not enough to become an intermediate skier, half plow turns, beginner parallel turns and parallel snow plows, abandoning the plow turns at the beginning of the course. Learn to plow on the slopes. When you can easily use the parallel “S” shape, you are close to the intermediate skiers, you need to continue to strengthen the skills of practice.

skiing tips for intermediate

1. Keep your body fit

Skiing is a very physically demanding sport. You need to be in a cold environment for a long time, you need your body to be able to carry the bad weather to be able to let you have fun in the snow. If you are about to go to the ski resort, the altitude is relatively high, you better practice a few weeks in advance how to reduce the plateau reaction. Usually this kind of teaching can be found on YouTube. There are more gentle breathing training methods, there are also more high-intensity training methods.

2. Warm up

Warming up before doing any exercise is necessary and should be considered basic common sense and habit. But in fact, in the snow, many people do not warm up, or a symbolic movement to open the ski. This is not right, to put it more seriously, is irresponsible to themselves. Why do you need to warm up before skiing? The purpose of the warm-up exercise is to use a short period of low-intensity action before the exercise, so that the muscle groups can be used later in the exercise, including ligaments, first contraction activity, in order to increase the local and general temperature and blood circulation, and to make the body’s various systems – including the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, neuromuscular system and bone and joint system – gradually adapt to the more intense exercise to prevent sports injuries. Doing ten minutes of simple stretching before skiing will get your blood flowing and make you feel different than usual when skiing.

3. Ski in any conditions

Beginners usually choose to go skiing on sunny days. Sunny days are cloudless, the view is very good, but ski resorts are not always able to have such sunny days. Most of them are cloudy days with low visibility or snowy weather, want to become an intermediate skier, the weather is also a difficulty to overcome, if you can be in the weather with low visibility, you can also be very good on the slopes using parallel type If you can use a parallel plow on the slopes in low visibility, your skiing skills will be greatly improved.

4. Learn to rise to the occasion

We in ski resorts or remote areas, no matter at any time, will not have a very ideal skiing environment, there will always be some bumps or icy ground. We can not always be very fast to find hair and avoid it, so we have to try it and to overcome it. When you successfully cross the bumpy snow surface, your skiing skills can be improved again.

5. Make a ski plan

Technical growth needs a perfect plan. Every day skiing,you need to ski the trails, need to improve again, and need to learn new skills so you can improve your growth to a goal. Advanced skiers will develop their own growth plan. His task in the ski resort every day will be very clear; usually, most people choose ski instructors. Ski instructors will also have a student growth plan so that you can learn to ski slowly according to the progress, or improve your skills.

6. Transition period

The transition from beginner to intermediate is the change of the snow plow to parallel turns. During the transition period, if you do not have a professional coach to guide you, you need to spend more time finding your feelings and trying to find your own rhythm again and again. The speed can be very slow, or you can break down the action step by step to try. In short, the rhythm of the transition period is very important.

7. Remember to relax

It may be easy to say, but when you learn a few days have not learned a skill, you may feel a lot of pressure; but if you can relax some, do not tighten your body, do not have to think about other things, do not think, you just focus on doing a good job, perhaps your inadvertent this skill you have learned. It may be amazing to talk about it, but those who have experienced it know that sometimes these things are just good so amazing.

common skiing mistakes

1. Incorrect standing posture

The body tilted backwards this is probably one of the most common mistakes. Ski instructors often advise, even if you are afraid of falling, the center of gravity should not sit back, otherwise you will certainly fall. However, in the process of skiing, once I encountered a slope or too fast, my body instinctively tilted backwards to pull myself back, so I fell; I think most people also have this experience, right? Then why will fall after the body tilted backwards? The reason for this is not complicated: when the center of gravity is sitting back, the body weight is not placed in front of the snow boots, resulting in a loss of balance, which leads to the front part of the snowboard not being close to the ground, and will even buckle, which means that the back part of the snowboard forces, your speed will be faster and faster. If you start to panic, forget to brake or turn, it will only end in a fall.

The correct approach: The simplest solution is to put your calves in front of your snow boots and focus your body weight mainly on your front feet, which will allow you to enter the snow in a balanced manner.

2. Loose ski boots

Ski boots are the bridge between you and your skis. The more stable the boots are fixed, the faster and more efficient your turns will be. Usually ski boots should not be too tight or too loose. A boot that is just right can give you a good sense of comfort and, at the same time, can achieve high performance.

3. Inadequate skiing equipment

Skiing needs to stay on the cold snowy mountains for a long time, some skiers think they have mastered the knack of skiing, they do not want to spend too much money to rent better equipment or buy professional ski equipment, in fact, this is not true; since you have mastered the knack of skiing, in fact, you should choose more professional equipment for this reason, because you challenge the harsher environment, the lack of equipment may greatly affect your skiing experience.

Final Thoughts

Becoming an intermediate skier is not your ultimate goal, your goal is to be a higher advanced as well as a professional skier, keep moving forward and surpass yourself on the way to enjoy skiing!

FAQ

How long does it take to become intermediate skier?

Spending 2-3 weeks practising the basics really pays off, and afterwards you’ll be ready for more complex techniques and steeper terrain. A big tick at this stage is parallel skiing, which means you’ll be making turns with your skis side by side rather than in the snowplough position.

What is the difference between a beginner and intermediate skier?

Beginner skiers want to find a ski that is going to be forgiving, light and has a soft flex. Intermediates want skis that are predictable and stable. Advanced and expert skiers, depending on their terrain preferences, will want a ski with versatility and reliability.

How do I know if I am an intermediate skier?

Intermediate lessons are for skiers who can confidently ski green and easy blue runs and are comfortable on less-than-ideal trail conditions. Level Four skiers are cautious intermediate skiers who can link turns at moderate speed on green or easy blue trails. You should be able to keep your skis parallel.

How good is an intermediate skier?

Why is skiing harder to master?

While learning to ski for the very first time, separated legs is a huge plus. However, the same bounty turns into a hurdle when you are required to learn how to make coherent moves with your legs. Most skiers take quite some time learning how to move their legs in coordination and thus stop progressing.

Can you ski 3 days in a row?

The number of days you can ski in a row will depend on your fitness and experience level; on average, 4-days in a row is the limit. Pick your days on the hill, if you know one day is going to be bad weather, take the day off and enjoy other activities that the mountain has to offer.