A Rookie’s Guide to: Skiing

Have you been wanting to get into new sports? Don’t worry, here is everything you need to know about the sport of skiing.

(Image credit to Keystone - SDA)

History of Skiing

Skiing initially began thousands of years ago for people to travel across snow for reasons such as transportation and survival during winter. Sometime in the 1800s, skiing started to become a sport, especially in Norway. A Norwegian skier named Sondre Norheim helped improve the design of skis and developed new techniques for turning and controlling skis downhill. Those ideas were the foundation of the skiing we now know. By the early 20th century, skiing had spread to many mountain regions in Europe and North America. Ski resorts began to open up in countries such as Switzerland and Austria, making skiing more popular with tourists as well as athletes. It officially became an Olympic sport at the Winter Olympics in 1936.

Different categories

There are several different types of skiing, each of which uses different techniques and is done on different kinds of terrain. Here are some of them:

Alpine Skiing

Alpine skiing is the most common type of skiing. In most cases, the skiers go downhill on a well-managed slope at ski resorts or slopes and use lifts to get back up the mountain. Skiers control their speed by turning and using the edges of their skis while also keeping them parallel at the same time. Alpine skiing includes competitive events such as Downhill, which focuses on speed, the Super-G, which combines speed and turning, the Giant Slalom, which includes wider turns and the regular Slalom, where athletes make quick turns between closely spaced gates.

Cross-Country skiing

Cross-country skiing, also called XC or Nordic skiing, is done on flat or a terrain in which it's possible to roll on, instead of steep mountains. The skiers move forward using their skis and poles to gain speed, similar to walking or running on snow. It requires a lot of strong endurance, as cross-country skiing uses human power rather than taking a lift. There are two types of XC. Classic skiing focuses mainly on keeping your skis parallel as you kick out and glide forward, whereas Skate skiing requires you to kick your skis out to the side in a similar manner to how you would while ice skating.

Freestyle Skiing

Freestyle skiing focuses mainly on tricks, jumps or any kind of aerial movements. This time, the skiers perform their skills in parks or on special courses. Freestyle events include Moguls, which focuses on skiing quickly over bumps while also performing jumps, Aerials, which consists mainly of performing flips and twists after launching off large jumps, Slopestyle, which is completing tricks on rails, boxes and jumps in a terrain park, and last but not least Ski cross, which is racing against other skiers on a course with jumps and turns in them.

Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry skiing, also referred to as off-piste skiing, is any type of skiing done outside of the patrolled boundaries of a ski area. Even though most people use telemark or alpine touring gear, it’s also very common to just use standard downhill equipment. This type requires special equipment and knowledge of avalanche safety as well as skills for skiing.

Alpine Touring

Alpine Touring, AT for short, combines climbing and skiing. AT can also be considered a style of Backcountry skiing because you need to have knowledge about avalanche safety as well. However, skiers use special bindings that allow their heels to lift while walking uphill and then lock down for skiing downhill.

Ski Mountaineering

Ski Mountaineering is also a subclass of Backcountry skiing, with its focus being on reaching the summit of a peak and then skiing back down. Ski mountaineers typically use AT gear to travel across snowy slopes and glaciers. However, in addition to your standard gear, you also need ski crampons, boot crampons, an ice axe and rope to climb the mountain

Equipment

Each type of skiing uses different equipment. Let’s have a look at the most common ones that get used frequently. Almost every ski type uses at least the same two things out of the most common five. These five things are skis, boots, bindings, poles and protective gear such as a helmet and visor. However, there are many differences you need to look out for.

Alpine Skiing

Because alpine skiing focuses mainly on speed and control, the skis are usually shorter, wider, and stiffer, allowing them to remain stable at higher speeds. They also have a curved shape called a sidecut, which helps the skier turn more easily. The bindings for alpine skiing keep the heels firmly attached to the skis so that the skier can turn and stop better. The boots most commonly used for alpine skiing are hard plastic boots that provide support for the ankles and legs. Ski poles are also used for balance and good timing during turns.

Cross-country skiing

In comparison to Alpine skiing, XC skis are longer, narrower, and lighter than downhill skis. That allows them to glide smoothly across the snowy ground. The bindings are also designed so that the heel can lift freely to allow a sliding motion. XC boots are also way lighter and more flexible, so that movement is way easier. Cross-country skiers also use longer poles to help push themselves forward and to pick up speed.

Freestyle skiing

The skis used for freestyle skiing are mostly twin-tip skis, which means that both the front and the back ends curve slightly upward. That allows skiers to land jumps more precisely and to even ski backwards when performing tricks. The boots are mainly similar to alpine boots, just a tad bit more flexible for movement.

AT, Backcountry skiing, Ski Touring

For these types of skiing, it uses equipment that can be used for travelling both uphill and downhill in natural mountain areas. The skis used for these are mostly lighter than alpine skis but just a bit wider so that they can float better on deep powder snow. The special touring bindings allow the heel to lift when going uphill, but then later on lock down for better control when skiing down. Boots are also lighter and sometimes include a walking mode to make the climbing easier. Since these activities take place outside of ski areas, the skiers often also carry additional avalanche safety gear in case of an accident.

How are times measured in ski racing?

In most competitive skiing events, it’s essential to have accurate timing because even a difference of a few hundredths of a second can decide the winner of a race. This is similar to most types of qualifying in motorsports. The race starts from the gate. When the skier opens the gate and pushes forward, an electronic signal automatically starts the timer. Along the course itself, the skiers must touch through a series of gates placed along the slope. Failing to hit one of the gates usually results in a disqualification or penalty because each athlete needs to follow the exact course. When the light beam or electric sensor get passed at the finish line, the time gets stopped automatically. When you watch the ski race on TV, you’ll also see the speed and the times of the athlete in the three sectors of the slope, which can help immensely at the start of watching the ski race.

And that’s all the info you might need. If you’re into sports with high speeds, then you might want to give watching skiing a try.

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Article written by Sania Zimmermann

© Sania Zimmermann 2026