Snowplow Stop
You'll have a reliable, always-available emergency brake from day one, letting you ski with confidence instead of fear.
Using the pizza wedge shape to create friction and slow to a complete stop — the first braking technique every new skier needs.
Watch & Learn
Not clicking? Try a different teaching style below:
Key Moments
Push your heels out and tips together to form the classic pizza triangle
Press outward on both heels equally to increase friction and slow down
Hold the wedge wide and firm until you are completely stationary
Narrow or widen the wedge to modulate how quickly you slow down
What It Should Feel Like
- ✓Like spreading peanut butter with both heels pressing outward at the same time
- ✓Your inner boot edges biting into the snow as the wedge widens
- ✓A gradual, comfortable deceleration you can increase or ease off at will
Common Mistakes & Fixes
Only pushing one heel out
Both heels push equally — an asymmetric wedge will steer you sideways instead of stopping
Bending at the waist instead of the knees
Bend your knees and keep your torso upright — power comes from your legs
Collapsing the wedge before fully stopped
Hold the pizza until you are completely still before relaxing your feet
Practice Drills
Pizza statue: stand on a flat section in the wedge position and hold it for 30 seconds — trains your muscles to maintain the shape under fatigue
Count to three: each time you stop, count slowly to three before releasing the wedge — builds the habit of holding it until fully stopped
Graduated slope practice: start on the flattest possible green and only move to a slightly steeper section after five clean stops