While standing on a flat slope, with your body comfortably flexed and lined up with your skis, raise your hands and arms so that your poles can swing freely.

Swing one first, then the other. On the way forward, gently slap your thigh with the pole (about one third up from the basket).

Add a pole touch with the other pole--as one pole touches the snow the other slaps the thigh.

Practice this until it feels natural.

Onto the hill

First on a moderate slope, point your skis across the hill and twist your upper torso to face down the hill.

Reach both arms down the hill, with the tips of your poles behind you. Then, rest the pole closest to your ski tips about one third of the way from the tip on your uphill thigh and reach the other (tail-side) pole tip down the flow line below your feet.

Begin moving by touching the downhill pole to the snow to signal a release and change of direction. As your skis enter the flow line, return the touched pole and swing the other. As the skis turn the other way, the new pole touches down the flow line, the old pole slaps the thigh.

As you gain confidence, take it to steeper and steeper terrain.

Tips:

• The arms shouldn't move from their position in the flow line, facing down the hill.
• If you feel like you've lost it, check to make sure that you are slapping the pole one third of the way up from the tip, while pointing the grip down the hill.