This paper analyses new methods of teaching skiing in terms of a computational paradigm for learning called increasingly complex microworlds (ICM). Examining the factors that underlie the dramatic enhancement of the learning of skiing led to the focus on the processes of simplification, debugging, and coaching. These three processes are studied in detail, showing how the structure of each is affected by the basic skill required to perform a task, the equipment involved in its execution, and the environment in which the skill is executed. Throughout, parallels are drawn between the process of learning to ski, and learning computer programming and problem solving. The goal is to achieve insight into the complex issues of skill acquisition and design of learning environments (especially computer based ones) through analysis of the intuitively understandable domain of ski instruction. (Author/JEG)