When they are first teaching children to ski they teach the snowplow stance which is something they sometimes call "Pizza" because it looks like the two skis are the edges of a pizza slice. The idea is to realize that if you put your skis in this position you can just shift your weight and turn right or left if you keep your skis in this position.
However, if you aren't really strong in your legs knees and ankles you don't want to be going very fast doing this. It is better for slower speeds like when you are first learning to ski and learning the principles of skiing.
Basically, you keep your skis in position with your leg and ankle and knee strength and go slow and shift your weight right if you want to turn left and shift your weight left if you want to turn right. So, it works to teach beginners to ski and to feel the different types of snow they are skiing on that day. Snow can be in many different conditions so you have to learn the conditions of the snow where you are that day to not fall down. Temperature, wind and sunlight changes the snow conditions all day long from slush to ice and back again depending upon the wind and snow and rain and sun coming down upon it that day. So, you have to slowly learn to ski on whatever the conditions presently are that moment. Or you can take your skis off and walk down if you don't like the conditions that day. But, have you ever tried walking with downhill boots on in snow? It's not very easy. But, Cross country ski boots are often pretty much like regular boots so they usually work better if you need to take your skis off and walk. However, if you are in 3 feet of powder snow that doesn't work either. Then if you take your skis off you would need snowshoes without your skis on because skis also can act as snowshoes in some conditions too, especially cross country or mountaineering skis. Downhill skis are mostly only for going downhill and that's all whereas cross country skis are for going uphill or downhill on. But, you need skins to go uphill or riffles on the bottom of your skis for going uphill.
This is what it looks like to snowplow while skiing:
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