Facing Fear

[Snowsong]

The Scary Stuff thread got me thinking about fear and how we all deal with it. Fear is appropriate when it gives us proper respect for something, but is inappropriate when it interferes with performance. Even the best skiers experience fear, but I think women show it more outwardly and berate themselves for being afraid. I think we've all had some heart-pounding experiences. I think one of the first steps is to acknowledge the fear and to stop blaming oneself for having it, and then finding small ways to expand one's comfort zone. For example, skiing a really steep slope when you're feeling good and the conditions are really good. Or skiing part of a hard slope, and then going backto a slope you are confident on. How do divas deal with fear?

 

[BatGirl]

One of the best bits of advice given to me is to just ski 10 feet of the mountain at a time. I'd get so caught up in how high/steep/etc. the slope was, the fear would take over. So I stopped focusing on the big picture and zeroed in on what was right in front of me. It's helped a bit, but I've still got a ways to go. The book you mentioned to me on the Scary Stuff thread sounds like a good starting point to conquer the rest of it.

 

[Snowsong]

Batgirl, I like that one. I see you are into inline skating. I got a pair because of the cross training for skiing, but have been reluctant to really get on them seriously. I had fractured my tailbone mt. biking, and am afraid of falling on my a** and doing the same thing again while on rollerblades. Maybe I can apply some of this to crossover activities as well.

 

[BatGirl]

Is there anything I can help you with? I'm a certified inline skating instructor, but have never tried teaching over email before. If it's your tailbone you're concerned about, my two pieces of advice would be 1 - keep your weight centered or towards the balls of your feet, and 2 - when you feel like you're going to fall, grab your knees. People tend to flail and throw their weight backwards when they lose their balance. This sends them backwards. By grabbing your knees, it automatically lowers your center of gravity and quiets your upper body, giving you a chance to regain your balance. If you still fall, it sends you in the direction of all your padding (you are wearing knee, elbow, and wrist pads, as well as a helmet, right? ;) ) and, in your case, away from the injured area.

ETA: Forgot to mention that much of the balance, edging, and pressure that applies to skiing crosses over to skating. In fact, the old Inline Instructor Certification Program's instructor manual was written in consultation with the PSIA.

 

[Snowsong]

Thanx Batgirl. I'm willing to barter if you are..if not, that's okay too. I'm certified in skiing and my mountain, Blue Knob, gets its biggest crowd from the DC, N. Va., Md. area. If you ever find you will be skiing at my area, I'm willing to give you a ski lesson in exchange for an inline skating lesson. I would then meet you somewhere near your area when the snow melts. I hope I haven't committed a newbie faux pas by getting too far off the original post.

 

[BatGirl]

I have no idea if we both committed the faux pas, but just in case, let's take this to PM.

 

[SnowHot]

Ladies carry on.
The only faux pas is if you work for a resort that prohibits you from educating out side your resort.

But then we're not in the business of policing that, you're just taking a chance on them reading this forum.;)

 

[Snowsong]

I'm ok if I'm skiing with someone on my own time, we don't have a set policy, although I don't make a habit of doing it.

BTW, I feel stupid, but what is the PM? Didn't find it in the acronym dictionary.

 

[Snowsong]

Okay, I figured out PM, but how do I do that from this site? (oh the pains of newbie-ness )

 

[SnowHot]

snowsong one of two ways

One
Click on private messages under your name in the upper right corner of your screen.
then go to the left side and select "send new message"


Two
Click on the name of the person you want to send a message.
Select "sent private message to****"

hope this helps.

 

[Snowsong]

Thank you. Now getting back to the original subject. Bailout maneuvers can come in handy if someone gets stuck. A wedge, side slipping, or side stepping can get someone out of a sticky situation. Never take the skis off, the ski boots are too slippery, the ski gives you a platform and an edge.

 

[Snowsong]

BTW, our technical director had his yoga teacher do a session with our snowsports school last season in exchange for lessons for her family. We have a small, close-knit school, and sometimes these arrangements can be beneficial. I don't want to come across as being unethical.

 

[ski diva]

Regarding fear:

Sometimes when I'm skiing I find myself thinking, "Boy, if I fell right now I could really get hurt." Then I put it out of my mind.

For the most part, I try not to think about it. Barring that, I try to avoid situations where I have to think about it (i.e. getting in over my head).

Fear is bad mojo. If you think about it too much, you invite all sorts of bad stuff in.

 

[ISki]

Ski with a good skier who can lead the way.

 

[ski diva]

I was actually up in the night thinking about this (I'm a bit of an insomniac), and I was wondering if this is something that would even be addressed in a forum like Epic, which is more heavily frequented by men.

Is fear something that's more inherently female, or is it just that we're more willing to talk about it? And if women are more fearful, is that one of the things that keeps more of us from skiing? I mean, I'm not someone who laughs in the face of danger -- far from it. But are women more fearful because they know if they get hurt, they're still going to have to take care of the kids, go to work, fix dinner, etc.? Is it some kind of self-regulating mechanism that a lot of men will deny or delude themselves about?

For example, I have a (male) friend who'll try anything -- jumping out of airplanes, that sort of stuff. But I'm not like that. I'm much more circumspect. If I see a ski trail, for example, that I know I can't handle, I'll back off.

What do you think?

(Now you know what my brain looks like at 2AM).

 

[SnowHot]

Ski Diva, I agree that men have more of a risky nature inheirant within them, but some girls assume those traits through the environment they immerse themselves into.

I will be the first to admit that I am intimidated at the thought of jumping off a cornice, but I soooooo want to do it. In this case, I'll demand that one of the guys shove me the first time, so I know the thrill of it and will eagerly do it on my own the next time.
Most guys look at that cornice and say why not.
Most women look at it and say, Oh, I don't know. Some of the women will do it, some won't and some just need a good shove.

 

[Snowsong]

I'm speaking in generalizations here, because there are always exceptions to the rule. I don't think you would find a thread like this on Epic. I think men in general hide their emotions and feel the need to be one of the guys. A guy might not tell you he is scared, but you may be able to tell by how he is skiing..stiff, etc. I do have a male ski buddy who does tell me he gets scared, and he is a good skier. Women on the other hand do show their emotions more and it seems as if I deal with more women who are scared, but I can't say I've ever had a guy admit that. I also don't know if it may be how many women have been raised. I get the impression the majority of us on this site are not 20 somethings. Many women didn't have the sports opportunities girls have today. When I look at the ads in the ski magazines geared towards girls, mostly snowboarding ads, my perception is they have a "'tude" - real attitude for going for it, for being a "betty." I know that as my skills improve, my confidence level rises, and I am able to manage my fear better and enjoy a little adrenaline rush, although I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I don't know that anyone ever gets over fear as much as learning to manage fear better. Even though extreme sports are much more common, I still don't think the majority of the population aspires to jump out of planes, etc.

 

[ISki]

I suspect testosterone. I think it makes men aggressive and gives them a shot of courage.

Or maybe women value health more highly then men? We even may steadily value it higher and higher as the birthdays rack up.

 

[Bonni]

How did the men get into this?;)


Back on topic, I'm not as fearful as I used to be. I've had some bad falls and injuries, but as your skills increase, your fear decreases.

Bob Barnes said in a thread on Epic once years ago that you don't have to look at a run and ski the whole thing..........all at once. You can just pick a point on it that's comfortable (across the hill if you must) and Go There.

Then, pick another point in the opposite direction and downslope, and Go There. By stringing together your Go There points, you can eventually get down almost anything.

I'm still on groomers, and that works well for this old lady! Besides, with adequate skills, you can side slip or wedge your way through a lot of scary areas.

 

[liquidfeet]

I welcome fear now ... it's in going where the fear is that I feel alive and younger. That's partly why I love skiing so much.

In my imagination I envision my younger self (30 years ago) not feeling nor paying attention to such fears. If I move through them now as if they aren't there, I'm doing what I imagine I would have done had I had the chance to ski when I was young. Plus, lots of adrenaline flows through my veins when I'm afraid, so that really magnifies everything.

Skiing the fearful stuff is a sure formula for making me feel younger!