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How to fold an origami ski slope

A real project. Fold a snow-capped mountain with fan-pleated ridges and folded slopes, then fold a chairlift, pines, a lodge with a smoking chimney, a skier mid-turn and a snowboarder, and stand it up.

You need: 25 pieces: slate blue (32.5 × 22 cm), light blue A4, white, green, brown, red, grey, yellow, navy, orange, purple and skin-tone bits. Glue.. Challenge, 80 steps, about 100 minutes.

Steps

  1. Mountain: first ridge. Start with the mountain: a 32.5 × 22 cm slate-blue piece, white side up. From a dot on the top edge 3 cm left of centre, fold the right part over on a slant.
  2. Mountain: fold back. Fold the flap back out on a line just inside its first fold. The pleat leaves a sharp ridge running down from the summit.
  3. Mountain: left ridge. Pleat the left side the same way: fold the left part over on a slant from the summit, as shown.
  4. Mountain: fold back. Fold it back out just inside the fold. A second ridge.
  5. Mountain: third ridge. Pleat the right side once more, further out: fold the outer part over on a slant from the summit.
  6. Mountain: fold back again. Fold it back out just inside the fold. Three snowy ridges now run down from the summit.
  7. Mountain: snow cap. Fold the bottom edge up in front, all layers, to about 3 cm below the summit. The slate side is the mountain; the white top is snow.
  8. Mountain: left slope. Fold the left part behind on a steep slant from the summit down to the left, as shown.
  9. Mountain: right slope. Fold the right part behind on a slant from the summit down to the right. A big pleated peak with a snowy top!
  10. Mountain: square the side. Fold the bit sticking out at the bottom left behind, so the mountain is 29.7 cm wide like the sky.
  11. Sun: new sheet. Set the mountain aside. For the sun, take a 2.6 cm yellow square, yellow side up.
  12. Sun: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.8 cm along both edges, so it is an octagon.
  13. Sun: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 2.9 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  14. Cable: new sheet. Set the sun aside. For the chairlift cable, take a 13.9 × 0.8 cm dark grey strip, slanting up to the left.
  15. Cable: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way. A thin, strong cable.
  16. Pylon: new sheet. Set the cable aside. For a lift pylon, take a 1.2 × 7.7 cm dark grey strip, standing tall.
  17. Pylon: fold in half. Fold the right half behind, the long way. A slim steel pylon.
  18. Top pylon: new sheet. Set the pylon aside. For a lift pylon, take a 1.2 × 9.1 cm dark grey strip, standing tall.
  19. Top pylon: fold in half. Fold the right half behind, the long way. A slim steel pylon.
  20. Chair: new sheet. Set the top pylon aside. For a lift chair, take a 1 × 5 cm red strip, standing tall.
  21. Chair: fold in half. Fold the left half behind, the long way.
  22. Chair: seat. Fold the bottom part to the left on a 45° slant, 2.4 cm below the top. The hanger now ends in a seat.
  23. Chair: backrest. Fold the end of the seat up on a 45° slant, so it stands up as a backrest. A chairlift chair!
  24. Second chair: new sheet. Set the chair aside. For a lift chair, take a 1 × 5 cm red strip, standing tall.
  25. Second chair: fold in half. Fold the left half behind, the long way.
  26. Second chair: seat. Fold the bottom part to the left on a 45° slant, 2.4 cm below the top. The hanger now ends in a seat.
  27. Second chair: backrest. Fold the end of the seat up on a 45° slant, so it stands up as a backrest. A chairlift chair!
  28. Snow: new sheet. Set the chair aside. For the snowy slope, take a 29.7 × 13 cm white piece, lying long.
  29. Snow: the slope. Fold the top right corner behind on a long slant, from the top left corner to 6 cm down the right edge. The slope runs downhill to the right.
  30. Fir tree: new sheet. Set the snow aside. For a fir tree, take a 6.4 cm dark green square, turned like a diamond.
  31. Fir tree: narrow it. Fold the two upper edges behind so they meet along the middle, from the top corner. A kite.
  32. Fir tree: square the base. Fold the bottom corner up behind, level with the widest points. A tall green triangle.
  33. Fir tree: pleat. Fold the top part down in front on the line shown.
  34. Fir tree: pleat back. Fold it back up, 4 mm lower. The ledge is a layer of branches: a fir tree!
  35. Second fir: new sheet. Set the tree aside. For a fir tree, take a 5.4 cm dark green square, turned like a diamond.
  36. Second fir: narrow it. Fold the two upper edges behind so they meet along the middle, from the top corner. A kite.
  37. Second fir: square the base. Fold the bottom corner up behind, level with the widest points. A tall green triangle.
  38. Second fir: pleat. Fold the top part down in front on the line shown.
  39. Second fir: pleat back. Fold it back up, 4 mm lower. The ledge is a layer of branches: a fir tree!
  40. Third fir: new sheet. Set the tree aside. For a fir tree, take a 6 cm dark green square, turned like a diamond.
  41. Third fir: narrow it. Fold the two upper edges behind so they meet along the middle, from the top corner. A kite.
  42. Third fir: square the base. Fold the bottom corner up behind, level with the widest points. A tall green triangle.
  43. Third fir: pleat. Fold the top part down in front on the line shown.
  44. Third fir: pleat back. Fold it back up, 4 mm lower. The ledge is a layer of branches: a fir tree!
  45. Chimney: new sheet. Set the tree aside. For the lodge chimney, take a 1 × 2.6 cm grey piece, standing tall.
  46. Chimney: snow cap. Fold the top edge down in front, 4 mm. The white band is snow on top.
  47. Lodge: new sheet. Set the chimney aside. For the ski lodge, take a 5.8 × 10 cm brown piece, brown side up.
  48. Lodge: snowy roof. Fold the top edge down in front, 3 cm. The white band is the snow-covered roof.
  49. Lodge: gable. Fold both top corners behind on slants from the top middle to 6 mm above the bottom of the white band. A steep roof.
  50. Lodge: snow drift. Fold the bottom edge up in front, 5 mm: snow piled against the wall.
  51. Ski: new sheet. Set the lodge aside. For the skier's skis, take a 9.7 × 0.9 cm yellow strip, slanting down to the right.
  52. Ski: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way.
  53. Ski: turn up the tip. Fold the right end up on a long slant, 1.3 cm from the end, so the tip curls up.
  54. Legs: new sheet. Set the ski aside. For the legs, take a 4.8 × 1.5 cm navy strip, slanting down to the right.
  55. Legs: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way, so it is navy on both sides.
  56. Legs: bend the knees. Fold the lower part back down to the left at the knee, as shown. Bent knees, ready to carve the turn.
  57. Jacket: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For the jacket, take a 3.6 × 2 cm orange piece, leaning forward as shown.
  58. Jacket: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 4 mm along each edge.
  59. Arm: new sheet. Set the jacket aside. For the arm, take a 3.2 × 1.2 cm orange strip, slanting down to the right.
  60. Arm: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way. The arm reaches forward to plant the pole.
  61. Pole: new sheet. Set the arm aside. For the ski pole, take a 5.4 × 0.6 cm grey strip, slanting down to the right.
  62. Pole: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way. A thin ski pole.
  63. Head: new sheet. Set the pole aside. For the head, take a 1.8 × 2.4 cm skin-tone piece, skin side up.
  64. Head: woolly hat. Fold the top edge down in front, 7 mm. The white band is a woolly hat.
  65. Head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 4 mm along each edge, for a round head.
  66. Board: new sheet. Set the hat aside. For the snowboard, take a 6.4 × 1 cm green strip, lying nearly flat.
  67. Board: round the ends. Fold all four corners behind, 4 mm along each edge. A snowboard!
  68. Legs: new sheet. Set the board aside. For the rider's legs, take a 7.6 × 1.5 cm grey strip, slanting up to the right.
  69. Legs: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way, so it is grey on both sides.
  70. Legs: wide stance. Fold the upper half down on a level line at the hips. The legs stand wide apart, like an upside-down V.
  71. Arms: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For the arms, take a 6.4 × 1.2 cm purple strip, slanting down to the right.
  72. Arms: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way. Arms out wide for balance.
  73. Coat: new sheet. Set the arms aside. For the coat, take a 3.1 × 2 cm purple piece, standing tall.
  74. Coat: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 4 mm along each edge.
  75. Rider's head: new sheet. Set the coat aside. For the rider's head, take a 1.8 × 2.4 cm skin-tone piece, skin side up.
  76. Rider's head: woolly hat. Fold the top edge down in front, 7 mm. The white band is a woolly hat.
  77. Rider's head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 4 mm along each edge, for a round head.
  78. Sky: new sheet. Set the head aside. Last, the sky: a light blue A4 sheet, blue side up, lying long. The whole slope is glued on it.
  79. Build the slope. Glue the parts onto the sky in the order you made them: mountain, sun, lift, snow, pines, lodge, then the skier and the snowboarder.
  80. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you just left of the lodge, and stand the whole slope up on the table.

Fresh tracks!

Draw goggles, faces, ski tracks, windows and a few birds. Add white smoke puffs, snow on the pines and pompoms on the hats.

What to fold next