Nothing is impossible. Remember that. The way to success is alway practice, practice, practice. Today, we want to help you improve your skiing techniques. We spoke to our internal expert, Maria Davidson, who has been teaching about skiing for 15 years. Her clients vary from beginners to professionals and today she has written a summary of her best tips. Hopefully this will help you improve no matter where you are in your journey!

First time carvers

Let’s start of with the basics. Are you a newbie who want’s to learn the carving technique? Once you have learned how to balance in your skis, move your feet accordingly to where you want to go. Trust me, you can do this! Remember to bend your knees, and switch the weight between your feet. Then lean in to the curve. In between the weight switch, try to stand up, then go down in a ”pumping” motion. You want to keep the front of your legs close to your boots. Use your arms to make a turn. You can stare them in the direction you want to go in order to help your skis go in that direction. Lastly, when you lean in to the curve, try to make your skis carve in to the snow with their edges.

Pros who want to learn freestyle

If you want to learn how to freestyle, the 180 is a good place to start. Try this on a flat surface first. Bend your knees and turn your shoulders quickly as well as your head in the direction you aim to turn in. Use your arms to and swing them in the same direction. Lastly you should twist your body with the motion. Keep on practicing on a flat surface before you take this to the downhills!

Once you have mastered the 180, it is time for the 360. The basics are the same, except now you are going the whole way around. You need to turn your head in the direction you want to turn. For this move you need to first move your arms back before swinging them in the direction you are going.

Now it’s time to practice. Remember that everybody has to start somewhere, in order to grow. Never give up and keep on doing what you love! 

You can also find all of this in action on our youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/oakley/

We hope you learned something from todays blogpost! For us, it is important to keep evolving and learning in order to keep feeling excited about skiing. Now we want to hear your best tips for beginners, intermediates or pros. Share in the comment section and we will make sure to read and respond to as many people as possible! Also, don’t forget to post videos of you skiing on your Instagram and tag us and we will repost some of our favorites.

Best of luck, Maria and Thomas from the Oakley team 

Tony Mia: the biggest name in the skiing industry right now. Everybody is talking about his impressive performance at the latest Champions game. He is not only a remarkable skier, but also a family man that has brought his hobby in to his whole family. Today we got a chance to meet this adventures person and talk about everything from his career to his private life. 

Tony is not in America often. We got to meet him in LA, where he was a summer house together with his family. Most of his time he spends in Bergen, Norway, where he is born and raised. When he arrives in the studio he has brought his two kids, Leon and Nora.

How do you feel being outside your element, in sunny California? 

”To be honest I already miss the snow, but I have really enjoyed trying out surfing with my kids! We will be here for another week and then it’s back to the usual, skiing everyday.” 

I have heard roomers that you still live in the same house you grew up in, located in Bergen? 

”Yes, that is actually true. But I haven’t stayed there the whole time, I moved away from home for a long while. When my parents told me they were going to sell the house I came up with the idea to move back in there. So me and my wife decided to renovate certain parts of the house and today we live there with our kids. I have always loved the house, it is close to the forrest as well as right next to the mountains.”

Was it there it all started, your interest for skiing? Would you want to tell me about the start of your career? 

”Exactly, my family has always been really in to everything that has to do with skiing. I fell for it quickly, I have always been drawn to adventures. I later have found out that I have ADHD which might have been a reason for me loving to always be moving and test my limits. My parents noticed I had something special and entered me in to a contest for the best juvenile skiers in Norway when I was 10. I won the competition and got sponsorships right away. After that everything has just gotten crazier and crazier with the years, I am so thankful for where I am today. I still have that crazy kid inside of me but now I also value so much more in life. My family is extremely important to me and therefore we spend a lot of time skiing together whenever we are free.”

Could you tell us about a typical weekend in your life? 

”All of my family loves to be out in the nature, luckily. I suppose we will see if that changes when the kids become teenagers. But for now, we start our days early even on the weekends. We love to get up and make a big family breakfast, including waffles, scrambled eggs and fruits just to mention some. We then put on all our warm clothes and head out in the woods to do cross country skiing. We always bring some snacks and if the weather is good, we take a brake and sit and enjoy the snacks for a while on out typical spot. It is either that or going up to the actual mountains for carving or tricks.”

That sounds lovely! Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

My plan is to buy a house somewhere in the alps. I plan on taking the skiing career down a notch and live there with my family in the winter season. I don’t think I will participate in skiing competitions, I am getting old now soon. But I will still try my best to be a part of the community!” 

Interviewer: Steve Sandy, the Oakley team.

Where do YOU see yourself in 10 years? Leave a comment!