Slalom Skiing Tips
Slalom skiing is one of the most powerful and challenging events in the sport. It involves speed, strong carving turns, rhythm, and great confidence – it’s one of the most exhilarating things you can do on skis, but it is a very advanced technique.
If you aren’t quite ready for this level of skiing yet, take a look at our advanced skiing tips and skiing tips for experts to improve your skills, and above all keep practising – it’s the only guaranteed way of becoming a better skier and mastering ski slalom.
Slalom skiing is pretty intense and it’s best started under instruction. Luckily, the expert ski instructors at The Snow Centre are passionate about helping people develop their skiing and achieve their goals during ski lessons at both The Snow Centre Manchester and Hemel Hempstead.
Slalom Ski – Big Round Turns
You might think that sharp, fast turns would be needed in slalom skiing given that you need to fit the turn in between the gates, but really it’s quite the opposite. The reason those World Cup skiers look so smooth and flowing as they go through the ski slalom gates is because their turns are round. Tightening your turns simply ends up with skidding and chatter, leading to loss of the line and loss of time.
Slalom Ski – Quiet Body
When you ski through the gates in a slalom your body travels through rather than around the gate. This is where you hear the thwack of plastic on plastic as the skier ‘clears’ or ‘blocks’ the gate as they pass. How you do this is important: your arm movements that clear the gate must be independent from your body so that your body stays true to the line and you stay focused on where you are going. Any flailing around of the arms is only going to slow you down and move you off your ski line.
Slalom Ski – Pick Your Line
Where you focus your vision is highly important in a ski slalom. To ensure a smooth pass, make sure your skis go through the gate rather than around it. Get close enough to keep a fast line through the gates, but avoid “hooking” – where one ski goes the wrong side of the gate. Focusing your vision on the outside of the gate rather than the inside can really help with this. To ski a tight line, your body travels through the gate rather than around it. By focusing your vision on the outside of the gate, you can bring your skis closer to the inside, resulting in a tighter line and more accurate slalom skiing.
Slalom Ski – String Carving
To ski slalom, you must have strong carving skills. Skidding and chattering between gates will take you off your line, slow you down, and mean that you will very likely end up hooking or missing gates. The key to good carving in slalom skiing is to start the carving as early in the turn as possible, and doing this is all about body position. To get the skis to carve into the snow as soon as possible, the skier needs to absorb the pressure at the end of the turn by flexing their hips and knees and extending them again to force the skis into the snow at the start of a new turn.
Slalom Ski – Keep Working at It
Practice makes perfect, as they say. And it’s true: no amount of reading is going to improve your skiing that much. The only way to improve your slalom skiing is to get out onto the snow and keep practising until you get it right. Fortunately, both The Snow Centre Manchester and The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead are open seven days a week for you to do just that. Find out when you can ski and plan your next visit today. Book a private ski lesson to improve your skills with one of our dedicated instructors.
Interested in learning about different skiing techniques? Our guide to different skiing types is a good place to start.
Master the Slopes at The Snow Centre
If you're looking to take your skiing skills to the next level, be sure to head to your nearest The Snow Centre location and book one of our skiing lessons. Our skiing lessons at Manchester and Hemel Hempstead are led by our expert instructors who tailor the lessons to your needs, ensuring you’re always comfortable with your progression.
If you have any questions about our skiing lessons or any of the other lessons out on our real snow slopes, be sure to contact us, and a member of our team will be happy to help.
