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There’s a fine line between prepared progression and reckless risk-taking on the slopes! Like every other learned skill, it takes time to reach the peaks of skiing and boarding skills. While everyone’s rate of progression will vary, there are some clear-cut milestones to guide your progression plan.
To progress with confidence and improve your overall experience, these step-by-step guidelines will help you identify when you are ready for the greens, blues, blacks, and the toughest terrain on the mountain.
Beginner Skills and Progression Milestones
While it may be tempting to risk the lift lines and try a green or blue run before you’re ready, flat ground and beginner bunny hills are the best places to begin. If you are brand-new to the sport, we also recommend checking out our ski trip essentials and working with an instructor until you are familiar with the basics.
Truth be told, the first days of skiing and snowboarding are challenging, both mentally and physically. If you are unfamiliar with board/ski sports and the niche balance and coordination skills involved, your first few days on the mountain will require patience, perseverance, and (most likely) a sore backside from the inevitability of your first few falls!
During the early stages, you will learn the basics like gear use, correct stance, skating on flat ground, and the fundamentals of turning and stopping with control. While these basics may seem daunting or insurmountable at first, both skiing and boarding get easier with practice.
Once you have a basic grasp of the balance, turning, and stopping fundamentals, you are ready to progress to your first green run!
Intermediate Skill Development & Objectives
As you gradually become more comfortable with your gear, turning, and stopping, you’ll begin to fall less and can start to build upon the basics. If you are working with a knowledgeable instructor, your first few runs will consist of ultra-wide, sweeping turns across the face of the slope. By performing wider turns, it’s much easier to maintain lower speeds while developing familiarity with the feel of the snow and how different ski/board angles affect acceleration and control.
As your turning and stopping skills solidify and you become more comfortable with the speed of the greens, you can gradually start to reduce the width of your turns. As you reach this milestone, you can also begin exploring harder green runs or test your skills on blue runs that offer varying gradients and snow conditions. Once you can change direction with consistency and can keep your speed in check on the steeper blues, you are ready to elevate your difficulty level.
Advanced & Expert Terrain is the Next Chapter
With the shredding basics behind you, the best of skiing and boarding is ahead. If you can perform smooth s-turns and maintain balance at high speeds, you are ready for the majority of the mountain.
If you’re after adrenaline, you’ll find it in the terrain park. The progression possibilities are limitless in the park; the park is also one of the best places to learn from other seasoned skiers and riders. Filled with features like rails, lips, kickers, and icy half-pipes, you’ll want to grab a helmet from the Ski Bum before you go flying.
If you’re after the freshest snow on the mountain, you’ll find it deep within the trees and backcountry. Be warned – tree runs and backcountry terrain is often the riskiest terrain of all, especially since many of these remote areas are isolated from the primary trails. If your ambitions take you deep into the powdery forests, our ski and snowboard clothing shop in Delaware is the only shop you need to prepare for the most extreme backcountry conditions.
Looking for gear that aligns with your specific skill level? Contact our ski and board experts for in-depth gear recommendations today.
