3 Ways to Get Up After Falling on Skis

When you're first learning to ski, it's pretty likely you'll fall at some point. Don't worry: everyone does it, even the most adept skiers. The main thing to remember is to take your time getting up so you don't tire yourself out or get yourself into a trickier situation than you started in. Be methodical.

Video: How to Get up When You Fall Skiing

Here are three ways to get up when you fall on skis

Option 1

1. 1. 1. Position your skis downhill of your body.
      2. Roll onto your belly with your skis in the air and wide apart. Place your skis down on the ground in a v-shape with the tails close together at the bottom and the tips pointing up and out. Look over each shoulder to make sure you can see your ski tips.
      3. Push up on your hands and knees with your hips toward the sky.
      4. Keep your weight mostly on your hands and walk your feet together until you feel balanced enough to stand up.
      5. Little by little, bring your skis together then bring one ski around so you're standing across the slope with skis parallel and you're ready to ski again.

Option 2

1. Position your skis downhill of your body so you're not fighting against gravity.
2. Make sure your skis are parallel across the slope, so you don't slide downhill.
3. Imagine an arc (or rainbow) that runs from near your waist out and around to the tip of your skis.
4. Put your hands on the snow near your waist and lift your hips up in the air like you're doing a push up.
5. Keep your chest facing the snow.
6. Little by little walk your hands from your waist along the imaginary arc toward your ski tips until you feel balanced and then you can stand up.

Option 3

This is a great option if you're not that flexible. It involves clicking out of one ski.

1. Get your skis downhill of your body.
2. Make sure your skis are parallel across the slope, so you don't slide downhill.
3. On your uphill ski, use your pole to push on the release point on your binding to unclick your boots.
4. Pull your knee underneath you.
5. Balance on the downhill ski and stand up.
6. Then click back into your ski.

For more details, watch our video on how to put on skis: