V-1 means you pole and skate on one side, and skate without poling to the other side.

In the V-1, you can pole to either the left side or the right side. Poling to both sides is the V-2, which you can see here.

V-1 is the low gear for skiing. You can do it anywhere when skiing. It is the most common technique for going uphills. Most beginner skiers start with V-1. The V-1 does not require as much balance as the V-2.

Notice the body position: Knees and ankles bent, with the hips over the feet. Note: in the top two vids, they use the label "straight ski." A better label is flat ski. Always glide with your ski flat on the snow, not on the edge of the ski.

V-2 means you pole and skate on two sides. For every glide, you pole. V-2 is high gear. It works best in flat sections and as you get stronger, going up small hills. To ski the V-2, you need to have good balance. For most beginner skiers, the timing of the V-2 is harder than the V-1.

The V-2 Alternative means you glide on one side and pole, and then glide on the other side without poling. There are two videos with the V-2 Alternate, showing poling on the right side and poling on the left side.

V-2 Alternative is a high gear. It works best in flat sections with good glide and downhills. It gets the name Open Field, because it works best in sections of the course that are like fields...flat areas. To ski the V-2 Alternative, you need to have good balance.