One the first skiing Ira Riklis when starting out was how to sidestep his way up slopes. His sister kindly taught him that on their first family ski trip after he’d spent a futile hour trying to learn how to do the herringbone. But while sidestepping is a good way to climb up, what do you do when you’re going downhill and come to a place that’s too steep or too narrow, or too icy for you to comfortably handle?
For that, Ira Riklis strongly recommends that you learn how to sideslip. It’s a valuable tool that can get you out of some pretty dicey situations. Even advanced skiers encounter places where they need to sideslip. Of course, it’s best to learn and practice the technique before you find yourself in a spot where you need to use it. You can find instructions on how to do it online, but a better idea is to take a class and ask the instructor to teach you how to do it properly.