Why not ski like an expert?

Ski the whole mountain with a smile!!

Hey – we’re not robots!! Yet many, many folks ski like they might be.., making only one kinda turn, over and over, run after run, day after day. Why??

It’s not lack of ability – in fact, kinda weirdly it’s more common with folks that have a pretty-good-looking-groomer-turn (hello ski instructors!). So why do I take issue with this? Well, when terrain changes, those skiers stay with that same favorite turn (OK, they may hunch over a bit or grit their teeth) … even though that standard set of moves is suddenly working a whole lot less well.

So I’d like to suggest a (more fun) alternative…

First, let’s just to be clear – skiing ( surviving) an occasional black or double diamond piste does NOT make someone an expert skier. The simplest definition of an “expert” level skier is someone who can ski ANY terrain well – and maybe even make it look easy. They ski the whole mountain with a smile!

OK, so how do they do that? Good athletic genes? While that might not hurt, if you watch carefully you will see that they do it by altering their movement patterns to suit the conditions and line that they want to ski. And that may even just be feeling playful and joyously messing around while still fully in control. What you cannot really see is that being flexible and precise in how they make turns generates not just effectiveness and control, but [BONUS] lots of cool body sensations and a sense of amazing freedom. An occasional hoot might be a good clue too!

So here’s the thing…., HOW does someone become an expert skier?? Well here it is boiled down to simplicity – expert skiers did not become experts by making the same turns day after day, on the same runs, run after run, year after year. No, – they develop what I call “precise variability”.

OK, if YOU want to ski like an expert someday, how to get there? Of course one faster path is get personal feedback, analysis and guidance by hiring an instructor or enrolling in clinics – but not everybody has the bucks or is, shall we say, open to advice or a critique of their skiing. So for you DIY folks, another path is to see what you can accomplish on your own.  I propose that there is a path that is quite do-able. It consists of one simple discipline – doing a daily drill of your choosing. This approach is based on making visible, then  interrupting unconscious habits while exploring and expanding the range of effective choices you will have to draw from. I’ve pulled together a bit of general guidance and a list of serious-play drills that you can do entirely on your own. Drills that – IF you make each them a new habit for a whole day – will definitely move your skiing up several notches. For free. Guaranteed.

Some guidance:
Think progression, not perfection. Small changes can add up to a big improvement. Pick ONE of the items from the Drill O’ The Day list and set out to do it throughout an entire day of skiing. Try it on, then keep doing it. Next day, surprise yourself doing it from time to time just as part of a normal day of skiing – you own it. Soon you’ll be reaping benefits that arise from having one new choice of how you can move and use your skis. And, if you like it, it might even begin to qualify as a newer, likely better “habit”.

I’ve included two levels of each task plus a note pointing out the underlying fundamentals that you are advancing (just in case you want to impress a ski instructor). Be smart, don’t rush – master the first one before going to the second!

OK, that wasn’t bad, right? Might even be fun to have a focus and to add choices or refinements. Cool. OK, pick another play and do it for a day’s worth of skiing.
The point in each drill is to interrupt an automated existing pattern and to provide better choices, so… each drill will typically feel awkward at first. You’ll likely catch yourself “forgetting” to do it. Don’t worry, simply return to doing the play. Until you own it.

See the Drill O’ The Day menu page for  specific ideas for daily drills. If you really get into it and invent a drill, let me know and maybe we can add it to this list. Have fun with it!