Popular Types of Skiing

For more than 30 years, Steve Keshtgar has been the president of Motor Parkway Enterprises in Brentwood, New York. Through his company, has operated several successful franchises of companies like Amoco and Mobil. In his free time, Steve Keshtgar enjoys outdoor sports such as boating and skiing.

While the fundamentals of skiing are well-known, the sport is deceptively complex, with different subtypes. Some of the more popular ones are downhill skiing, cross-country, and freestyle.

Downhill skiing is one of the more straightforward forms for novices; the skier moves down a slope and either climbs or uses a ski lift to return to the top. Also called Alpine skiing, this is common at resorts for amateurs and enthusiasts, and is usually the first form of skiing one learns.

Cross-country skiing may be done in the backcountry or in authorized cross-country ski areas, where the terrain is often flat or gently rolling. Skiers focus less on skiing up and down slopes and more on traversing great distances. Participants require specially designed equipment to navigate without the pull of gravity, such as longer and narrower skis, and flexible boots that bind to them while allowing the heels to lift and steer.

Freestyle skiing is an advanced form of downhill skiing. It involves a combination of stunts, leaps, acrobatic flips, and somersaults. While freestyle skiers often use downhill ski resorts, they will rarely use the same lines as leisure skiers. Instead, they’ll use specifically built routes with terrain that enables them to perform acrobatics.