Alpine Downhill Skiing

It’s the type of skiing that you get a chairlift or other mechanical means of getting to the top of the mountain, and skiing down. The kit is specialised for travelling downhill, with your boot fixed to the ski.

Cross Country Skiing

Rather than using lifts, cross country skiers ski up the mountains themselves! They don’t ski down mountains as steep as the ones in downhill skiing. Cross country skiing is much more aerobically demanding and it’s cheaper as you don’t have to pay for lift passes. Cross country skiing uses a soft boot rather than the hard ones used in downhill, and the heel is not attached to the ski. The skis are lightweight and designed for self-propelled travel over a variety of terrain, not just down hills.

Freestyle Skiing

This generally refers to turns, tricks and air! This is now a competitive sport and athletes compete in various disciplines including aerials (jumps), acro (choreographed routine), moguls (bumps on the slopes that are skied on and jumped over), big air (twists, spins and various positions in the air), and dual moguls (to competitors head-to-head on the moguls!).  

Snowboarding

This isn’t really skiing at all but we thought we’d mention it here anyway! Snowboarding involves standing on a single board rather than two skis. It’s great fun and worth checking out. Many people find it easier to learn to snowboard than they do to ski.

Off-piste Skiing

This simply means skiing off the groomed piste on untouched snow. It requires fairly advanced skills and is potentially dangerous. However, it’s an unbelievable rush and we recommend getting lessons and giving it a go once you have mastered your intermediate skills.