The Chairlift

• The chairlift can be extremely dangerous if you don't know how to use it. So, before a ski instructor takes you up the mountain, he should teach you how to use the chairlift. This is not difficult, but it's not the same as sitting on a chair -- you need to shuffle forward fast enough, then sit backward as the chair picks you up. Then, you need to get out of the way as quickly as possible when you get off the chairlift. Most ski instructors will have the lift operators slow the chairlift down your first couple times so that you can master this skill and build the confidence you need to avoid injury.
  
  

Snow Plow

• Once on the mountain, the snow plow technique is the most important skill a skier learns. It is when you point the backs of both of your skis in opposite directions and point the fronts of your skis towards one another. Children's ski instructors call this a "pizza" because of its resemblance to a piece of pizza. This skill is the first skill your ski instructor should teach you because being able to stop is paramount for safe skiing.
  
  

Falling Down

• Every skier is going to fall, especially beginner skiers. Once you've figured out how to stop, you need to learn how to fall. Your ski instructor will tell you to try to fall on your side rather than on your knees, as this is less painful. This is more of a psychological skill than a physical one -- learning that falling is not going to kill you, and likely won't even hurt you.
  
  

Getting Up

• The second half of falling is harder than the first. You need to be able to get up on your own, preferably without poles. Your ski instructor will have your entire class fall down -- he should fall, too -- and then you will get up together. The key points he'll teach you are to put your skis perpendicular to the mountain so that you don't slide down as you stand up and that you need to have them parallel to one another. Once you have this, it's just a matter of pushing off the ground until you are standing.
  
  

Traversing

• If you can snowplow, fall down and get up, then you are ready to go on the mountain. Your instructor will take you up to a small hill and teach you how to manage your speed by turning, which is done by pushing one leg slightly ahead of the other. This is the fundamental strategy involved in skiing well -- going across the mountain rather than snowplowing down it sets the foundations for learning how to ski parallel, and if you are taught this well then you should pick up more advanced skiing in no time.