Wedge Turns
You'll have your first reliable way to steer and slow down, giving you the confidence to safely navigate any beginner slope.
The foundation of learning to ski — pushing your tails out into a pizza shape to create drag, then steering with weight shifts to turn left and right.
Watch & Learn
Not clicking? Try a different teaching style below:
Key Moments
Tips together, tails apart — stand in this wedge shape on flat ground first
Press on right foot to turn left, press on left foot to turn right
Eyes down the slope — where you look is where you go, always
Let the turn finish fully before starting the next — don't rush transitions
What It Should Feel Like
- ✓Your legs feel like a compass opening and closing as you steer across the slope
- ✓Pressing through your heel creates the most reliable braking drag
- ✓Speed drops naturally when you turn across the fall line — the slope does the work
Common Mistakes & Fixes
Looking at your ski tips
Eyes always downhill toward where you're going, not down at your feet
Sitting back on the tails
Lean forward into your boots — shins pressing against the boot tongues
Arms pinned to your sides
Hands out in front at hip height like you're carrying a serving tray
Practice Drills
Straight run and stop: point straight downhill, build a little speed, then use a full wedge to stop — repeat until stopping feels automatic
Linked turn count: connect turns down the slope and count how many you can chain together — aim for 10 clean ones in a row
Traverse and turn: ski diagonally across the full width of the run before each turn — it slows you down and lets you focus on steering