Becoming an effective Skier - Five Essential Points

Skiing is a great "leveller"! Let me explain!

You can have a great deal of money, but you can NOT buy the label "expert skier" ( Effective skier)

You can "work out" every day, yet never earn that label, "expert skier" (effective skier)

You can move to the alps, yet never become an "expert skier" (effective skier)


What do you have to do or what skills you have to acquire to become that, "effective skier"

This is what this post focuses on, the essential qualities needed to become an effectivet skier!

The first and perhaps the most important quality needed is skiing attitude. What is this "skiing attitude"!

This attitude is denoted by;
-positive feelings about skiing
-humble feelings about mountain, ski runs, nature
-pro-active actions on ski terrain
-humble acceptance of one's limitations
-constant desire to improve

The second quality is physical fitness. Skiing is a demanding sport! It requires the skier to push his/her physical abilities to their limits! You will never progress if you do not "push the envelope" of performance. Push your personal goals to better skiing! You get fit to ski not you ski to get fit,,,,is a popular mantra you hear from expert level skiers!

The third factor is proper equipment! Assuming you are not a rank beginner, buy ski equipment that will make you progress, that will demand correct technique! In short, if you have correct attitude and believe in yourself, buy equipment for the skier you will be ( in a couple of moths) rather than the skier you are! Read this text again! It has major implications!

Correct ski equipment can be a "wall" or a spring board! Take the time to know your skiing needs and do not "lower" your expectations or buying standards! In short, do not sell yourself short with cheaper equipment!

The fourth factor which is essential in becoming , "an expert" is to practice your improvement every time you ski! Note I did not state ski more! Nor did I say take more ski trips! Many people do this,,yet never progress from that plateau , "the intermediate skier"! Why?
Every skiing day just for one hour practice one aspect of your ski technique that is weak or flawed! For that one hour focus on that skiing technique all the way down! Be critical. Aim for perfection just for one hour! If you have to,,go to easy beginner runs for that perfection. Then move up to harder runs,,always seeking perfection! It does exist that perfect 10!

The final critical quality all expert skier possesses is, adaptability! That is changing skiing style based on ski conditions! There is not one way to ski! There is not one standard skiing position. Nature will dictate how you should ski! Let me illustrate.
Watch those young National team B ski racers fly down the race course! Beautiful fluid dynamic skiing with a "racing style". Take those very racers in powder up to chest level. Watch carefully. Those that ski the same style as if still racing will "blow out"! Those that adjust to new conditions will soar! Ask yourself why do most skiing "accidents" on the World Cup occur when skier "goes off line" ( not off course)? Because the ski conditions change "radically" in a fraction of a second, yet racers is still in the "icy surface skiing mode"!
In short if you want to improve,,ski all sorts of conditions, all sorts of skiing styles and learn to know how to judge snow conditions for various skiing styles.

Hope this short post helps you become the expert skier in you!

great insight Pavel, I think i have spotted a glaring omission though.........

read j2ski.com chat forum daily :!: :!: :!: :wink:

As usual, an insightful and inspiring post Pavel.

I particularly like the idea of taking an hour each day to really concentrate on improving technique. Like most one/two trip a year skiers, I tend to enjoy clocking up the piste miles in whatever mode is easiest and need to force myself to work sometimes. I think your approach really makes sense and will try to follow it on my next trip.

One thing surprises me - you have not mentioned lessons. I would have thought that taking lessons, even when more advanced, would always be advisable for those seeking to progress. I try to take a few private lessons each year and have found it very important, both in terms of forcing me to focus on technique but also in terms of eliminated "bad" technique. Unfortunately, given the variable quality of instructors, it can be a waste of time on occasion.

Keep up the good work.

Wanderer,

You are right,,I made a mistake. I should have mentionned the structured, well planned ski lessons.
The reason I forgot this? (not an excuse)

I focussed on the learner and how he/she deals with becoming better! Also I love round numbers; 5, 10 50 100 etc,,, so suggesting 6 items or factors just makes me look for 4 more to get that magic 10! Too lazy that day!

For you "aspiring" expert skiers,,,,by all means do take ski lessons with a "certified" competent ski instructor that you get along with! Also try to see same ski instructor so that you get progression! I often mention a "ski log" and here is a good time to repeat this! A skier's log will provide the places you have skied, the lessons you have taken and memories in future years of the progress you have made!
remember that huge huge steep run you did 5 years ago at resort XZY? Now it is so easy, so small so short!
You have made progress!

Thank you for the comment Wanderer!

Wanderer make an excellent point about lessons and even after several months his comment is even more important.

Can we all agree that we constantly learn (well most of us) and that we are constantly "improving" ( well most of us)!
The level "expert" is not a goal, a final objective, a "heaven like state" where you walk on water, skim the flakes, and fly off cliffs.

This level is perhaps the most "frustrating" part of skiing since you now know all the mistakes you are making and you are constatly "adjusting" ie learning to be smoother, cleaner, tighter!

Everyone should take lessons. Did you know that even ski school directors are required to take "refresher" courses , that are never advertised and never given in well known resorts!

Did you know that in a well run ski resort ski instructors are evaluated daily and every week before the public gets to ski slopes every ski instructor is taught how to improve teaching!

So by all means evry skier should take well structured ski classes.

Well said! *****

Nice.

However good you become there will always be:
- terrain you have never experienced
- snow you have never encountered
- steepness you never though possible
- habits you never acknowledged
- other skiers who are better and more experienced

Part of the fun of skiing for me is to constantly strive to improve. I've had some days where the snow was bad, but had fun trying to develop carving technique on some empty easy groomers.

In addition you develop a real respect for the people who are masters at it, and try and learn from them. I guess that's why pavelski's post "A Male problem and one possible solution" touches a nerve.

One good post deserves another.... here goes,

Ski with some people that ski better than you. Emulate what they do and you too will improve. Call it cheap lessons if you want to.

If you ski with an "expert" try the following:
- follow them down a hill and keep up
- follow in their tracks carve big and little turns as they do
- ski the terrain that they choose follow their "line" down
- copy their posture and hand position see how balance is achieved
- ski short pitches together turn for turn - try "figure eighting" their turns
- tap your poles in time with them to feel the rhythms of the sport
- ski up to their speed, to go a bit faster - to let the ski work
- try new stuff arms high, low, wide, close and feel the difference
- watch how they ski holistically and let your brain and eyes follow

- relax

Relax with one beer (only one) to relax yourself so you don't be too self critical. I once went skiing with a friend and she was horrible before lunch taking 40 minutes on one run. She was terrified of the unknown terrain and unsure of her skills. We stopped for lunch and she and I wanted to call it quits. We had some lunch and a beer and talked about how she was feeling. After her repast she felt better about herself and we went out to ski the same hill again. Night and day! She would ski to speed letting the skis run and do what they were designed to do turn at speed. She was a skier not a timid afraid sno-bunny. A rewarding instructional experience for me.

So that's it. HAve a good time with better friends.