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Side slipping

Skiing / Popular

Release and engage the edges to slip sideways down a steep pitch.

What coaches agree on

  • Treat your edges like a dimmer switch: relax your ankles and knees to flatten the skis and let them slide, then roll them back into the hill to grip and slow or stop.
  • Stay flexed at your ankles, knees, and hips instead of standing stiff or bending at the waist, and keep your upper body quiet and facing downhill so your legs alone do the edging work.
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  • Reach for a side slip whenever a slope or entrance feels too steep or narrow to turn on safely — it gets you down in a controlled, straight line until you find a better spot, and it's the same release-and-grip motion underlying falling leaf and pivot slips.

Common mistakes

  • Drifting sideways out of a tight, ski-width corridor during repeated pivots instead of tracking straight down the fall line in a narrow lane.
  • Letting your weight lean back or too far forward instead of staying centered over the downhill ski, which tips your ski tips or tails and sends you sliding forward or backward instead of straight sideways.
How to sideslip
Beginner

How to sideslip

Coach's take: Best in the group — explains the why behind every mistake, not just the fix.

3.8
Side Slipping in Skiing.
Beginner

Side Slipping in Skiing.

Coach's take: Solid technique once it gets going, just wade through the intro to reach it.

3.2
Edging skills for skiing
Beginner

Edging skills for skiing

Coach's take: You had to be there -- thin on takeaways once you strip the chatter out.

2.0