Discover downhill skiing

A little bit of history~ 

The first ski resorts emerged in France about a hundred years ago.

Initially practised by a closed circle of professional enthusiasts, downhill skiing then became popularised, becoming THE ultimate winter sport.

 

Where do you do it ?~ 

As its name suggests, downhill skiing is only practiced ongroomed slopes, offered by the various ski areas.It is therefore the job of the ski resorts to prepare, maintain and ensure the security of the slopes in winter. You can reach them using the lifts, i.e. cable cars, gondolas, chair lifts and ski lifts.

Off-piste, the snow is in its natural condition. Skiing on this type of snow is referred to as All Mountain or Freeride skiing.

In a ski resort, each piste is colour coded according to its level of difficulty:~The green piste is considered as the easiest.They are suited to people who are learning how to ski. Then comes the blue piste, which has an easy to medium difficulty and is suitable for beginner skiers. Red pistes are for intermediate skiers, with a gradient of between 30 and 40%. Finally, the black piste, which is the most difficult, is for advanced skiers, who enjoy a steep slope to gain speed. This is referred to as carving, which means that the ski edges are used to carve out great-looking turns.

When skiing for the first time, it is advisable to take a lesson with a ski instructor. It will help you to adopt the right techniques so that you can start on the right basis.

At the beginning, you will ski using thethe snowplough technique on green/blue slopes. You will learn to control your speed, balance and direction. Then, you will do a series of skidded turns followed by parallel turns . Once you feel comfortable on the red slopes, you can move to the steeper ones and try to practise carving to discover new gliding sensations.

The ski slopes form a huge playground, where there are a large number of skiers.It is therefore important to be vigilant and pay careful attention to what is going on around you. There is a code of conduct on the slopes that must be followed to ensure you have a trouble-free day of skiing.

Downhill skiing combines sport with pleasure. 

It offers you a sense of freedom that is associated with the surroundings around you.. Given that it exercises all the muscles (abs, arms, calves, buttocks, shoulders, legs, etc.), piste skiing is a complete sport. It also helps to improve your balance, coordination and agility.

Given that the sun's rays are stronger at altitude, a piste skiing session will increase your level of vitamin D, which will give your immune system a boost. (As long as you protect your face with sunscreen!)

Doing a sports activity at altitude also improves blood circulation by speeding up the heart rate.Muscles develop and calories burn faster.

Finally, downhill skiing is a sport that's shared.Whether you are with friends or family, you can enjoy some particularly special times between skiing sessions to get together and have a great time.