How to Side Slip Skiing Maneuver

Have you gotten yourself in over your head on a slope that was too steep, or too narrow or too icy to confidently make turns. The Side Slip is a valuable maneuver that will allow you to get down safely in one piece. Even the most advance skier will encounter places where they'll need to side slip. The Slide slip introduces the use of parallel skis to brake. The Ski Patrol will use the sided slip as a key maneuver to bring a toboggan down the hill.

Find a safe area to tryout the side slip, a short yet steep pitch on a roomy hill. Stand in the traverse position across the hill so that your skis are on a perpendicular to the fall-line, with your hands in front of you.

With your weight on the inside edge of your downhill ski, roll your feet, ankles and knees downhill so your skis are off their edges and onto their bases. Your skis will begin to slide down the fall-line. Keep your skis across the fall-line as they slide.

When you’re ready to stop, roll your feet, ankles and knees back into the hill again. Dig your uphill edges back into the snow.

Practice this a few times in both direction until you’re comfortable and confident.

• Watch where you are going. Don’t look at your skis.
• Distributing your weight through your feet will help keep your skis across the hill’s fall-line.
• As you slip downhill, keep your skis slightly on their uphill edges. Maintain contact with your shins against the front of your boots. If your skis downhill edges catch, you'll fall over.
• Side slipping is controlled maneuver that needs to be eased into. Practicing will help you gain a sense of when your edges are losing their grip and starting to slip.
• If you have trouble with snow build up on the edge of your downhill ski causing you to slow down or stop. Shuffle your feet back and forth and that will help you ski over any snow build up.