Am I crazy?

[Tammy]

Hi Divas!

Well, this is my second full season of skiing and I made it down my very first black diamond run ever!

Quick question; do any of you say anything out loud sometimes-- for example a word, mantra, nonsense-- to help remind you to turn when encountering steep stuff?

Anyway, I noticed that doing this helped me get down that black diamond slope without falling. Thankfully, there was no one else on the slope nearby .

What's your opinion on this?

 

[volklgirl]

I read your thread title and all I could say is "yes?".


But.... the answer to your query is "Yup!"
There have been several discussions where we've admitted to talking to ourselves, yelling at ourselves, or singing out loud while tackling difficult conditions.

Many, many, many of us here do this!

 

[Christy]

I had a teacher who encouraged us to find a song with good rhythm and sing it outloud. That was we were learning to use poles.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Ha! Absolutely not crazy!* Chat/sing away! Do whatever helps. You will have a LOT of company :D Congrats on your milestone - it's a big one!!

*but are you asking us to reveal our respective nonsense phrases or songs???

 

[PowDiva85]

after the camp i did in february i realized how important keeping my hands up and forward was to my balance so I chant "hands forward hands forward!" to myself on tough runs. It really helps! Hopefully ill be able to do it internally eventually. :p

 

[SkiNurse]

Oh yeah. I sing, cuss at myself, cheer myself on, etc. Pequenita has actually heard me cuss at myself! :ROTF:

 

[Jilly]

I was counting bumps today. Usually it's music, but today needed just plain counting.

Nothing wrong with it, just do it!

 

[plainjane]

What helps me is not spending time standing there and staring down a steep run for too long. My key thoughts are "just go for it" and "be aggresssive"!

 

[ScottishGirlie]

I used to struggle in moguls. A had a moguls lesson a few years ago and remember my instructor telling me to think of moguls as my friends. It made me giggle and I just learned so much that day.

Now if I'm standing on a mogul run about to go down and feel a bit apprehensive, I think of moguls being my friends, just as my instructo said in the past. It makes me smile and relax and I feel less tense starting to ski down. Something so simple, but it helps me no end!

 

[dloveski]

in my women's clinic, when skiing the steeps, we did a little drill consisting of 'mooning' and 'flashing'.

when going down, moon, then stand up and 'flash the Wasatch' and then moon and so on.

Today, when going down a bowl, I found myself saying 'down and moon', 'up and flash', 'down and moon', and so on.

whatever gets you down and makes it fun---do it!!!!!

 

[Tammy]

Ha! Absolutely not crazy!* Chat/sing away! Do whatever helps. You will have a LOT of company :D Congrats on your milestone - it's a big one!!

*but are you asking us to reveal our respective nonsense phrases or songs???

Thanks for the kind words . I'm still all giddy about it and hopefully will be able to do it again on Sunday!

If you'd like to share some of the things you say or sing, cool, and if you'd prefer not to share then that's cool too :D.

I'm enjoying and learning from reading everyone's responses so far. Thanks!

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

My most successful race season was when I kept saying: "Dig, dig, dig (those edges in)" all the way through the racecourse!

 

[frenchgirl]

Congratulations on going on your first black run! No you are not crazy! I sometimes do the same thing when things are hard. At the beginning of the season I used to count 1, 2, 3,4 and turn on 4 for better flow. I also would say "edge, edge" or "believe in your skis"
on steeper terrain.

 

[mollmeister]

I don't have a mantra, exactly. . . but I do tell myself (sometimes out loud ::blush: to "strap on my ovaries" when I am about to do something that scares me a little, and I am hesitating.

I also kinda' yodel and sometimes sing when there's powder.
::more blushing::

And I cuss at myself when I am sucking for no good reason.

 

[ski diva]

in my women's clinic, when skiing the steeps, we did a little drill consisting of 'mooning' and 'flashing'.

when going down, moon, then stand up and 'flash the Wasatch' and then moon and so on.

Today, when going down a bowl, I found myself saying 'down and moon', 'up and flash', 'down and moon', and so on.

THIS I have to try. I love it!

 

[LilaBear]

I have used the phrase "you can do it Duffy Moon" since I saw a TV movie as a kid. Duffy Moon chants this to himself in a singsong voice, I remember nothing else about the movie. It makes me smile because it reminds me of my ten year old self watching TV with my younger brother, and it's been my mantra in many circumstances.

Of course I've just had to google before writing this to find out it was an after school special called "The amazing cosmic awareness of Duffy Moon". The kid has a book that encourages him to "THINK BIG" and gives him coping techniques.

 

[Tammy]

I read your thread title and all I could say is "yes?".


But.... the answer to your query is "Yup!"
There have been several discussions where we've admitted to talking to ourselves, yelling at ourselves, or singing out loud while tackling difficult conditions.

Many, many, many of us here do this!

I think it could be argued by some that a small level of insanity is a prerequisite for downhill skiing or snowboarding . This is what keeps it amazing and incredibly addictive for me though :D.

Anyway, thanks again for all of your responses-- I've added a few more mantras to my list!

Cheers,

-T

 

[Pequenita]

Oh yeah. I sing, cuss at myself, cheer myself on, etc. Pequenita has actually heard me cuss at myself! :ROTF:

Too funny - I read the original post and thought, "SkiNurse yells at herself to turn. Out loud."