How far could an inexperienced skier get while carrying someone else?

I know this sounds like a goofy question, but I'm working on a comedy story, and I want to know what I can do so this scene isn't totally unrealistic. In my first draft, I have one character preparing to ski down a mountain for the first time in his life--it's an emergency--and his friend starts to fall, panics, and grabs him for support. The two of them go hurtling down the mountain.

So, inexperienced skier going down a mountain, with another person holding onto him from behind (probably trying to stand on the skis). How far could they conceivably get before either the skis pop off or they fall?