Different Types Of Skiing Vacations
Something For Everyone
There are many different types of skiing and you can find snow skiing vacations that caters for most of them.
Alpine skiing or downhill skiing is what most of us consider traditional skiing, i.e. sliding down snow covered hills on skis with fixed heel bindings
Backcountry skiing is used for all skiing that is done in the wild, i.e. where there are no lifts, circuits, etc.
Backcountry snowboarding is snowboarding in the wild, i.e. where there are no lifts, circuits, etc.
Crosscountry skiing is when skiers push themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles, i.e. kind of walking on skis on the snow
Extreme skiing is downhill skiing on longer and steeper slopes than normal, i.e. performed off-piste
Free skiing is about executing as many tricks as possible and staying as long as possible in the air / off the ground, i.e. includes back flips, spins of 360 degrees, etc.
Freestyle skiing combines acrobatic and skiing and is organized into number of different disciplines
Glade skiing or tree skiing is any types of skiing downhill (alpine skiing, telemark skiing, etc) performed off-trails in the woods or in maintained woods trails
Grass skiing as the name indicates is skiing on the grass, using special short skis with rolling treads or wheels
Heliskiing is when helicopter is used instead of ski lift to access off-trail downhill skiing, i.e. skiing in more untouched environment and conditions than ski resorts can offer
Indoor skiing as the name indicates is skiing indoors in a climate controlled environment, i.e. allows skiing and snowboarding to take place all year round and in any climate across the globe (maybe most famously in Dubai)
Mogul skiing is type of freestyle skiing but the terrain consists of large number of different bumps, i.e. moguls
Monoskiing uses monoski, i.e. similar to snowboard except the feet's are side by side and point in the direction of the board
Newschool skiing is type of freestyle skiing that involves more advanced tricks and jumps, including use of various obstacles
Night skiing is as the name indicates skiing after it gets dark with the help of electric lights along the slope for better visibility
Nordic skiing are all types of skiing where the heel of the boot is not fixed to the ski (as it is in Alpine skiing), including crosscountry skiing, ski jumping, telemark skiing
Roller skiing is the non snow equivalent to crosscountry skiing, i.e. using special skis / skates with wheels to ski on tarmac
Ski jumping is when skiers jump from high ramp overhanging a snow covered slope and attempt to land the furthest down the hill, special wide and long skis are used for ski jumping
Ski mountaineering is the types of skiing that combines the techniques of skiing with those of mountaineering, i.e. form of ski touring but includes more challenging travel over mountain terrains
Ski touring uses special ski equipment that enables the skier to climb the descend slope without the aid of ski lifts, i.e. skiing in the wild over various terrain. Ski touring permits access to places during winter that would be difficult or impossible to access on foot
Ski joring is when the skier is pulled along, the ski joring pulling can be done by dog(s), horse or motor vehicle
Snowboarding is inspired by skateboarding and surfing and is very popular form (alternative) of skiing. Snowboard is one wide board with special snowboarding boots and bindings but unlike monoskiing you face to the side when on a snowboard
Snowcat skiing is off trail downhill skiing accessed by snowcat instead of ski lift, i.e. similar to heliskiing though you cannot reach as remote areas by snowcat
Snowkiting is when kite power is used to glide on snow or ice, i.e. similar to kitesurfing except with the footwear used in skiing or snowboarding, kite skiing has some similarities to crosscountry skiing except the pull comes from a kite
Speed skiing is the types of skiing that is all about speed, i.e. ski downhill in straight line as fast as possible, special slopes, equipment and skiing suit are used for speed skiing
Telemark skiing or free heel skiing (as in crosscountry skiing) is downhill skiing using special skiing technique. Telemark turn is led with the heel flat on the outside ski while the inside ski is pulled beneath the skiers body with a flexed knee and raised heel, i.e. the skis are not quite parallel resulting in graceful strokes down the mountain
Some of the above types of skiing are more dangerous than others are, and some are for expert skiers only, e.g. glade skiing, speed skiing and ski jumping.
The most popular recreational types of skiing include alpine skiing, snowboarding and crosscountry skiing. As well as all kind of variations of downhill skiing, like telemark skiing, heliskiing, ski touring, etc.
The best snow skiing vacations offers you the opportunity to participate in number of types of skiing.