🎿 Ski School 3D

Learn how to ski, one lesson at a time

Ski School 3D is a free game that teaches the real first steps of skiing. Coach Pip, a friendly instructor, takes you from the very beginning, checking your gear, to riding the chairlift and taking your first jumps, through eight short lessons on a beginner mountain. Every lesson practises one skill that real ski schools teach on the first days, using the same words instructors use: pizza, french fries and hockey stop.

It is a game first, so it is fun even if you never plan to ski. But if you or your child are getting ready for a first ski trip, it is a lovely way to learn what the lessons will be about.

The eight lessons

1. Gear Check: a quick quiz about skis, boots, poles, helmets and goggles, and a few safety rules. 2. Pizza Stop: glide down a gentle slope, then push your ski tails out into a pizza (a snowplough) and stop inside the box. 3. Pizza Turns: turn through cones while keeping your pizza and staying under the speed limit. 4. French Fries: skis side by side, like two french fries, for faster parallel turns through a slalom, against the clock. 5. Hockey Stop: build some speed, then turn your skis across the hill and skid to a quick stop in the box. 6. Chairlift: sit down when the chair arrives, lower the safety bar, raise it near the top, and stand up and ski away at the right moment. 7. First Jumps: three small kickers to fly off and land. 8. Final Exam: a run that mixes everything, with gates, a slow zone and a time to beat.

How to ski: the basics in real life

Stance: stand tall with your knees and ankles slightly bent, hands forward, weight over the middle of your feet, and look where you want to go, not at your skis. The pizza (snowplough): push the backs of your skis apart so the tips nearly touch, making a wedge. A bigger pizza slows you down more; a big enough pizza stops you. This is the first thing every beginner learns, because it gives you control. Pizza turns: keep the wedge and press a little more on one ski to turn the other way: press on the left ski to turn right, and the right ski to turn left. French fries: once you are confident, bring your skis parallel for smoother, faster turns. Stopping fast: the hockey stop turns both skis across the slope so their edges scrape you to a halt.

The chairlift is easier than it looks: stand on the line, look over your shoulder, sit down when the chair touches your legs, lower the safety bar, and raise it as you reach the top before standing up and gliding away. And always remember the skier's code: the skier below you has priority, stop where others can see you, and stay in control.

Is skiing or snowboarding easier?

It is one of the most asked questions in winter sports. Most people find skiing easier to start: you face forward, your legs move separately, and the pizza gives you an easy way to slow down, so beginners often ski small slopes on day one. Snowboarding is usually harder for the first few days, with more falls, but many people find it gets easier faster after that. Both are great fun, and on our site you can try both: skiing here, and snowboarding in our Snowboard Games.

Stars and outfits

Each lesson gives up to three stars for doing it well: stopping close to the middle of the box, staying under the speed limit, beating the clock. Stars unlock new outfits for your skier: Berry, Sunny and Polar Pro.

Play anywhere

Ski School 3D runs in any modern browser on computers, Chromebooks and tablets, with no download and no account. On touch screens, buttons with a pizza and a tuck make it easy. Stars are saved only in your own browser, and there is nothing to buy. See the Parents & Safety page for more.

After ski school

Ready for more? Explore a whole resort in Ski Resort Mountain 3D, race gates in Alpine Ski Racing 3D, or practise maths on skis in Ski Math Slalom. All of them are on the Ski Games page.

Frequently asked questions