Timidity

[2ski2moro]

Ooooo, I love those piles! There's so much you can do: treat them like little jumps and catch some air or practice mogul technique. Go straight over them and work on absorbsion...fun! But not if it's ice in between the piles!

I can jump the piles, it's landing that is my problem.

 

[Ice Kitten]

I think the worst for me is if I have to deal with a crowded run. I go slower, instead of skiing the run as I know I can. The fear is being out of control and not being able to stop. I revert to bad habits. I make shorter turns, skiing around the piles instead of just skiing through them.

Any tips for this?

I have the same problem, and resort to the same bad habits! When we were out last night it was fairly quiet, but the ski team were practicing all over the hill so the folks I did encounter were flying past me a little too close for *my* comfort. Although I'd rather have those skiers than have to worry about a five year old in front of me holding onto a wedge for dear life! That little one might not be going fast, but I'm way more worried about both of us losing control.

....sigh

 

[Cyprissa]

@contesstant the speed is only an issue in that I can’t necessarily do what I want. I didn’t do the Sella Ronda trip because I don’t think I would have managed to ski it in time before the lifts closed. My husband said I absolutely could have skied the terrain.

@marzNC i like the musings so no worries on that account. I am currently skiing in Europe but it looks like we are moving back to DC next year so not sure where I will be spending my time. I feel like I have made the transition on technique pretty easily...actually way easier than I thought. I basically practice on the blues early on and then move to the reds. Also, honestly I prefer the challenge of the red pistes to the crowds on the blues. The resort I was just at doesn’t groom very much so even the blues were relatively bumped up.

@SallyCat I don’t mind piles either.

 

[nopoleskier]

I super like this! I think too many of us forget that skiing is supposed to be fun, and we get caught up in comparing ourselves to one another. None of us -- as far as I know, anyway -- are going to be in the Olympics. You do what you can. If you want to improve your technique, fine -- but don't let rule your ability to enjoy yourself. I'd like to be a better skier, mostly for the purposes of skiing more varied conditions and terrain. But if it ain't fun, why do it?

FUN.. EXACTLY.. ..No FUN.. No Go...

 

[marzNC]

@marzNC i like the musings so no worries on that account. I am currently skiing in Europe but it looks like we are moving back to DC next year so not sure where I will be spending my time. I feel like I have made the transition on technique pretty easily...actually way easier than I thought. I basically practice on the blues early on and then move to the reds. Also, honestly I prefer the challenge of the red pistes to the crowds on the blues. The resort I was just at doesn’t groom very much so even the blues were relatively bumped up.

Yep, one reason to work on getting more confident on more complex terrain is to get away from the intermediates and people on the easier trails who probably do not have as much control as they think they do.

First thing in the morning, are the blues empty enough to take at a relatively fast speed?

If you end up in DC next season, perhaps we can meet up at Massanutten for a day.

 

[Cyprissa]

Yep, one reason to work on getting more confident on more complex terrain is to get away from the intermediates and people on the easier trails who probably do not have as much control as they think they do.

First thing in the morning, are the blues empty enough to take at a relatively fast speed?

If you end up in DC next season, perhaps we can meet up at Massanutten for a day.

The blues aren’t too bad first thing so I do try to ski them with some speed and also hit them more than once. This time I also made it a goal to ski from top to bottom without stopping which is a 931 meter or 3054 foot descent. I did it but even with constant reminders to use some finesse instead of power, I was wiped out by the end.

I’d love to meet up next season!

 

[marzNC]

The blues aren’t too bad first thing so I do try to ski them with some speed and also hit them more than once. This time I also made it a goal to ski from top to bottom without stopping which is a 931 meter or 3054 foot descent. I did it but even with constant reminders to use some finesse instead of power, I was wiped out by the end.

I’d love to meet up next season!

Wow! Such a difference from the Mid-Atlantic where a long run takes <5 minutes to finish even when not really going very fast. Ironically I have more fun on small hills now than before because I know what to work on and how to make use of available trails to practice.

I haven't skied in Europe yet. Partially because I think if I go once, I'll want to go again. Have flown enough to Europe in the past to not want to deal with the jet lag since there are so many ski areas in North America to explore.

 

[Cyprissa]

Wow! Such a difference from the Mid-Atlantic where a long run takes <5 minutes to finish even when not really going very fast. Ironically I have more fun on small hills now than before because I know what to work on and how to make use of available trails to practice.

I haven't skied in Europe yet. Partially because I think if I go once, I'll want to go again. Have flown enough to Europe in the past to not want to deal with the jet lag since there are so many ski areas in North America to explore.

Jet lag and altitude are definitely not pleasant in combination I’m sure. I grew up in Vermont and even by those standards, the mountains here seem huge. Honestly, the best part of skiing in Europe is that it’s not all corporate. Tiny family run Rifugio dot the landscape and each mountain has multiple ski schools and a one day pass to the Dolomiti Superski is only €53. I will really miss that and I feel pretty lucky to have lived here. I basically don’t want to go home to DC. Last time we lived in DC is when I stopped skiing so I will be really sad if I don’t keep it up this time.

 

[marzNC]

. . . Last time we lived in DC is when I stopped skiing so I will be really sad if I don’t keep it up this time.

Can understand that scenario. Especially if skiing has to be on weekends.

I grew up in NYC, learned to ski in the Adirondacks when I was having a blast at North Country School (junior boarding school) for middle school, then moved to NC in high school. Didn't ski at all for ten years. Even as an intermediate, the NC hills didn't seem worth the effort. Ended up spending a week at Massanutten because my husband had bought into timeshare before I met him. We checked out the resort when my daughter was a toddler. By then I'd already retired to spend more time with family. Mnut seemed like a good place for a kid to learn to ski. Turned out my daughter also loved to ski from the first day in ski school at age 4 (2004). She was riding the beginner lift after lunch. By the time I took to Alta Lodge for a NCS alumni gathering in 2008, she was more than ready to ski blues. After that, I had to up my game to stay a better skier than she was becoming. I wasn't able to keep up with her off-piste by the time she was 11 because I didn't start taking lessons regularly until after a knee injury in 2012 (not skiing).

My husband is a non-skier for assorted reasons. It's been great making new friends to ski with over the last 10 years. Otherwise might only be skiing groomers on a ski resort vacation out west every few years like I did as a working adult. Fun in it's own way for a few days. But off-piste is definitely more fun for a full week or more at a big mountain.

 

[newboots]

@newboots -Lol! Btw - your bf tuned my skis today!

Hope it's a good tune! What's the update on the clinic? Going well? (If it's already posted, I'll find it. Just getting started on today's posts.)

 

[W8N2SKI]

I guess I've accomplished one of my goals this season: I found the joy in it again!

My motto is "ski happy!"

 

[Tvan]

Hope it's a good tune! What's the update on the clinic? Going well? (If it's already posted, I'll find it. Just getting started on today's posts.)

@newboots - the tune was GREAT and I had a really good ski day today. I’m going to do a write up on the full program once I get home.

 

[volklgirl]

Another tip is to head for the NASTAR course, or take some race training. You'll learn: To be able to turn and stop when you HAVE to turn and stop, not just when you want to; to ski round, complete turns; upper body discipline; and to search for speed, rather than trying to kill it.

It's the best way to improve your skiing in a big hurry, and it's FUN! NASTAR, in particular is a great program as it's run on a handicap system, so you're competing against no one but yourself (and the pacesetter). Either you're fast enough to get a medal, or you're not. There's no 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. It's almost always held on a green or blue run, and it's a fairly open "modified GS" course. Seriously, give it a try!!

 

[SallyCat]

I think the worst for me is if I have to deal with a crowded run

A crowded run is place where you should be cautious; it's not a good venue for learning or pushing the limits of your ability.

There was a tragic death at my home mountain last Sunday evening: a skier-to-skier collision. I had an extremely close call that same afternoon with a speeding skier who very nearly hit me from behind. I think that timidity may actually be appropriate on crowded slopes.

 

[diymom]

The times that get to me the most are when I am skiing a predictable pattern down a near empty wide blue run and yet an advanced skier sees fit to ski within a foot of me. If my path is predictable, they should be able to give me wide berth as they pass. And if they were to argue that my path was predictable enough to make it ok to ski that close to me, what if I were to decide unpredictably to ski to the side to stop for some reason?

 

[skibum4ever]

I agree about crowded slopes. My body is a snowboarder magnet, and I've been hit more than once. Getting hit last July led to my sciatica issues which are still with me 6 months later. Of course it's not just a snowboarder problem. Some years ago I was in a women's clinic following another skier down a crowded slope. I remember thinking that this particular drill might be dangerous on a busy run. Sure enough, I was hit from behind by a skier. I was not seriously hurt but I sure felt shaken up.

A couple of weeks ago (skiing mid-week) I thought I was becoming less sensitive to skier/boarder traffic. Unfortunately this past Saturday I realized that I am still extremely cautious and crowd averse. I find myself getting very defensive when a slope is too crowded. This nervousness shows itself in my posture and turn shape.

This form of timidity may actually be a survival technique.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

I'm another one who gets nervous on crowded trails. When there's few people I can focus on myself and practice the things I want to work on, but once it gets crowded I get defensive and immediately find myself resorting to Z type turns--just trying to take up as little space as possible on the trail to avoid other people and praying "please don't anyone hit me". I hate when huge clots of people are descending all at the same time.

 

[newboots]

I learned from skiing with friends, especially @SallyCat , that pulling over and waiting for a break in the traffic is (1) just as smart as it is with your car or bike and (2) makes skiing more fun, less tense. Sometimes it's a bit of a wait, but who came out skiing to feel stress?

 

[contesstant]

I learned from skiing with friends, especially @SallyCat , that pulling over and waiting for a break in the traffic is (1) just as smart as it is with your car or bike and (2) makes skiing more fun, less tense. Sometimes it's a bit of a wait, but who came out skiing to feel stress?

That's what I do. It drives people who ski with me nuts. I don't care!

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

I learned from skiing with friends, especially @SallyCat , that pulling over and waiting for a break in the traffic is (1) just as smart as it is with your car or bike and (2) makes skiing more fun, less tense. Sometimes it's a bit of a wait, but who came out skiing to feel stress?

I do that too!