The 5 Ski Mistakes 90% skiers do!

We all start as neophytes, but how we progress to becoming experts is dependant on knowing what you do wrong.

There are some simple techniques that just seem to "stop" skiers from progressing.

Here are 5 of the most common.

1. Looking at skis while skiing.

Some skiers are mesmerized by the graphics on their skis, so they focus on them. Others believe if they "will" their skis to turn they will. Others ( of the opposite sex) use the "wife look". You know THAT look all husbands know. It seems tp work with men, so women get that look and stare at the ski tips. Seems that skis are dumbmer then men!

Never look at your skis. Look 5 meters ahead.


2. Trailing arm

Look carfully at skiers going down ski run. 99% have this common ski disease, the dreaded trailing arm. What is it!
After every turn, the arm that initiated the turn, ie left turn is left arm,,,right turn is right arm this arm is "forgotten" and falls behind body.
Seems a silly point, just for looks you say! Well what you are doing is causing your body to rotate and be "behind" the ski rytm. That is why some skiers seem to ski well, but as the speed picks up or the slpe gets steeper, they can not link more than 3 turns. They fall behind each turn.
The cause is that forgotten arm. It feels abandoned and sulcks a second or two causing the skier to realise it needs that arm for next term.

Parents with two children know well this problem thus accord equal attention to both children. So should you.

3. Leaning back.

This is the most common problem for many skiers from experts to beginners. It is a mental thing.
We want to get away from "cliffs" , high edges so we lean away from fall zone. So it is in skiing. We perceive "steeper" sections as dangerous so we lean away ( back) from the void!
Even if this void is a "beginner slope".


4. Forcing the ski. ( mainly a male problem)
For some skiing is a battle of wills. THe skis are like wild stallions which must be dominated. For some by brute force.
For some with that "wife look"!
Skis are your friends. Get to know them, let them show you what they can do. All they want to do is please you. Give them a chance and yes they will bring you levels of pleasure your lover can't.
Be soft of them and they will respond. Force them and they will resist. Remember Newton's Law of action and opposite reaction"


5. I have left the most important mistake for last. This is the one which will cause you grief!
It is beliveing you have mastered skiing. One person on this site asked," I am going on a ski holiday for 5 days to Davos, will I master skiing during this holiday!"
You never master skiing. By humble!
Skiing will always throw you a "curve" when you thin you are great. There is always something to learn!
So have fun learning. That is the essence of skiing ...learning!

That is why I feel so dumb when I ski , but I do hide it well when I take Corbett's Dive!

How true you are.

I'm always committing mistake number 1 - even though I know I shouldn't!

I know I'll never commit mistake number 5. The better you get, the better you realise you can be!

pavelski wrote:

Here are 5 of the most common.

1. Looking at skis while skiing.

2. Trailing arm

3. Leaning back.


 

that's true but you could reduce this three things not five. Really these three are the same thing in nearly every case. Looking at the skis nearly always triggers an instinctive vertigo and forces people back, the trailing arm has the same effect in shifting the centre of balance back as well.

OTOH, so important to be worth mentioning twice Or the top 10 mistakes where 9 of them are leaning back

Pavel

I thought that the 5 thiings that 90% of skiers do wrongly are
1. Fall down
2. get up
3. fall down again
4. drink too much and
5. then of course fall down.

LOL

Ski till it hurts from laughing.....

James,

Those are just "initiation" challenges to see if you have the "stuff" to continue to ski!

pavelski wrote:

2. Trailing arm

Look carfully at skiers going down ski run. 99% have this common ski disease, the dreaded trailing arm. What is it!
After every turn, the arm that initiated the turn, ie left turn is left arm,,,right turn is right arm this arm is "forgotten" and falls behind body.
Seems a silly point, just for looks you say! Well what you are doing is causing your body to rotate and be "behind" the ski rytm. That is why some skiers seem to ski well, but as the speed picks up or the slpe gets steeper, they can not link more than 3 turns. They fall behind each turn.
The cause is that forgotten arm. It feels abandoned and sulcks a second or two causing the skier to realise it needs that arm for next term.

 

This is my greatest thing to correct. I may start off in "good" form with all the intentions of taking it "easy" and planning to keep the hands out front with a flick of the wrist working the poles but as the thrill of speed takes over my intentions of maintaining good form dwindle in the wind and I find myself getting sloppy with the hands. The hay - makers return and like you say Pavel, the upper body starts twisting. It takes a lot of concentration before it becomes second nature. But it sure is fun trying

Mike

Haha, great read, I see most of these things happen all the time! The 'wife-stare' was the best!

Very good read by Pavelski!

Pav,

Surely the 6th thing most skiers here do wrong is spend their lives in chat rooms or message forums instead of going skiing.

Now about my next post …

Jan

Jan,

That was not fair. While you have lots of snow here I still have grass! Today I collected 15 bags of leaves!
Cleaned my pond and installed heater for Koi fish, cleaned out Summer gardening tools,set up Winter bird feeder!

This is called getting my ski fix! Not as good as skiing but at least I can imagine skiing there!

Oh yes I also decorated my house for Christmas,,,,so there

Pavel

christmas decorations already Pav Is this the norm in your area for this time of year or are you just bored through a lack of snow

Frezywater,

I have an old house which I decorate depending on the seasons!

In Fall it is hay in front with corn stalks. Scarcrows, pumkins etc...

Spring it is flowers everywhere with hanging pots, wild flowers here and there. Pond etc....

Winter is Christmas decorations!

Since I have to use ladders I like to decorate before the huge snow storms come!
Yes in my area Christmas decorations are beginning to appear!

It also helps me not think about skiing!!!!!