Question: How do people get over the fear of going fast?

[Tra262007]

My BF always talks about the view while skiing. I never notice it. Something tells me it is because I am not looking out very far! ha ha

He told me the same thing while he was trying to teach me how to auto cross. He said he is looking to the next turn and therefore extremely prepared for it while I was only looking at the current turn.

There is a saying in racing that feeling fast is going slow. That means that you are never prepared for the next thing so you are always catching up. I wonder if skiing is the same way. If you feel like you are going slow you could actually be going fast because you are smooth and prepared for the next event to happen.

HMMMMMMM looking forward to skiing!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Three years of skiing? Well, you’re just getting under way, fellow diva. Yes, lots of terrific strides and progress happen in those early first few years. I echo the suggestion above to polish things up with a lesson once per season, if possible/at least.

But there’s been one omission among posts here: mileage. So much of skiing is All About Mileage. Turn, turn, turn again. Then some more. Over and over. Old expression among my group is that “by the 50,000th turn, I might get it right.”

The speed will come. Or - possibly would be your choice to rein it in. Key word: choice.

For the record, not all very experienced, accomplished skiers choose speed. DH, long-time and now-retired L2 instructor, is always highly controlled, never beyond moderate speed. Choice. Some in my (all-male) “posse” just....blaze. But — put those “blazers” in some steep bumps, and - well, technical expertise and crazy-tight control work best every time there!

 

[CTskigrrl]

There is a saying in racing that feeling fast is going slow. That means that you are never prepared for the next thing so you are always catching up. I wonder if skiing is the same way.

I think you're definitely on to something there. I second what everyone else has said about looking ahead, longer skis, physics etc. Sounds like you might need a little confidence building with speed. One suggestion (if you haven't already tried this) is to dial back the terrain and ramp up the speed. i.e. go fast on gentle terrain - when there aren't a whole lot of people on the hill - safety first Do some "railroad track" (changes in direction by rolling skis onto their edges with no skidding/slipping) turns on a green slope. If you're doing it right, you'll continue to build speed and you'll feel like a hero ripping carved turns. Once you're confident with this, throw it in on some short intermediate pitches and see if you can adjust the radius of your turns by bending the ski more or less. You'll find that with enough practice you can turn the speed up or dial it down as a matter of preference, using your turn shape to control speed. But like others have said, go the speed that you're comfortable with. I am by no means a fast skier - I definitely take a scenic route around the trail to every bump and powder stash I can find. I have line ADD and I'm never in a rush to get back on the chairlift. I like SKIING too much for that. Do what feels right, but most of all, have fun!

 

[pinto]

Another thing that helps is to crash at speed and not get hurt. Of course, it's also possible to crash at speed and get hurt, so I wouldn't advise trying this on purpose, especially near trees or any other people, lol, but it helps to just do it and realize you can pick yourself up and keep going. Most crashes don't result in injury, especially if you know how to fall.

 

[contesstant]

I found that sheet of ice because I WASN'T look far enough ahead!

I think my mantra for this season is going to be "look ahead!"

 

[abc]

- I definitely take a scenic route around the trail to every bump and powder stash I can find. I have line ADD and I'm never in a rush to get back on the chairlift. I like SKIING too much for that.

That's a good one!

 

[Tra262007]

So my BF compiled some videos from one run at Breck. Bonanza I think it is which is a blue groomer. He put this together for me so I can watch it. This video was from the morning on my third day of skiing out of 4 days. I had never skied more than 1 day a week up till this week. The first 2 days were Private lessons thanks to Brecks Epic Wish Program last year! (Thanks Breck!) This was the first day after the lesson.

I stopped pole touching for some reason during the lessons. Maybe to much other stuff to think about. Later in the day I started to pole touch again.

In the Video you can see me check my speed at points by going wide on turns or even occasionally starting a turn with a slight wedge for a second. All and All I think this video looks a lot better than I feel while I ski.

My BF could not figure out how to put music on the video so it is pretty silent since he had the waterproof case on the Gopro.

Here is basically the end of my 2012/2013 ski season on the Volkl Oceana 141s.

 

[Kimmyt]

Well, you're doing way better than that guy who cut in front of the camera at the end there, even if he is going faster...

 

[Serafina]

I don't think you look bad at all! I can understand why you might not be comfortable picking up more speed, though. I can also understand why you might have stopped doing pole plants. When I was at a similar stage with my skiing there were a ton of things going on that I still had to think about - now I don't think about them, they just happen - but it's easy to hit sort of an internal information-processing boundary where in order to pay attention to one thing you have to divert attention from a different thing. As you get more practice one thing after another will become second nature. You'll wind up paying attention to different stuff, like flexing your skis, or timing your pole plants, or changing up your turn shape, stuff like that. For now, I give you this thought: you get the technique down at the speed at which you're comfortable...and keep skiing at the speed at which you're comfortable...and at some point, you're going to be surprised at how much faster your "comfortable" speed is. This will happen without you thinking about it.

 

[Serafina]

And my gosh, that run is HUGE.

 

[mustski]

I think you are doing great and what an awesome BF who spent his day recording you skiing! My DH likes to do the same thing ... when I let him have the cam! Little things will come together with experience. In the meantime, a great skier is a controlled skier at any speed and that just comes with experience. I have skied for a long time and I have yet to find the "speed limit" of my current skis. In other words, my skis are faster than I am. Keep taking a lesson here and there, don't be shy about reverting to easier terrain to practice a new skill, and above else have fun. A guy who spends his day recording you skiing isn't worried that you are slower than him ... so quit worrying and enjoy yourself!

 

[Tra262007]

And my gosh, that run is HUGE.

Yeah, I loved skiing out West because most of the runs are wide as all get out. I will say that the GoPro Camera has an extremely wide angle lens so it makes stuff look farther away than they really are. 20 yards looks like 100 yards and stuff like that.

 

[mustski]

Yeah, I loved skiing out West because most of the runs are wide as all get out. I will say that the GoPro Camera has an extremely wide angle lens so it makes stuff look farther away than they really are. 20 yards looks like 100 yards and stuff like that.

I know. I always complain that DH is "skiing up my butt!"

 

[volklgirl]

I think your skiing looks pretty solid! Nice, round turns and no fear of letting the skis run in the fall line.....those are some fantastic building blocks to work with!! It doesn't look like you're skiing particularly slowly, either.

But, since you asked about trying to ski faster.........there are 2 things I see on the video that are slowing you down, and not in the way you'd like:

1. While each individual turn is pretty spectacular, there is a definite hesitation and traverse between turns meaning you're spending a lot of extra time going partially across the hill without any real effect on speed. By adding rhythmic and regular pole plants and concentrating on ALWAYS turning, you can eliminate that wasted space and time between turns. If that doesn't make sense, I'll try to do a visual:

I'm seeing:
((
\\
))
//
((
But what should be happening is:
((
))
((
Hopefully that makes sense? Take a look at the video again and see if you can identify it too.
(Ack!! Sorry, the spacing on my screen doesn't carry over when I post it. Grrrr)

2. A lesson on really carving and working on railroad tracks may be in order. There's lots of tail skidding in the last half of
your turns, but again, not enough to have any real effect on your speed. Learning to really edge your skis and use that
edge- set to generate speed will take your skiing well into the next level.
​

Does your local area have NASTAR racing or any type of race training or clinics? Besides lots of private lessons, recreational racing and training is THE FASTEST way to learn skiing "a line", learning to ride an edge, and generally learning to generate and control speed. It's a cheap and fun way to vault your skiing to the next level in a big hurry.

 

[CTskigrrl]

Wow! Great video! You definitely have a lot of good things going on in your skiing - your balance is right on and your turn initiation is very smooth. You have really nice foot rotation (perhaps a future bump fiend in the making? I can only hope.) I agree with Volklgirl's observations and suggestions. I think a carving lesson or some race training could really bring you to the next level and help you get your center of mass moving across your skis as opposed to following the tips. Doing so will allow you to generate more power through your turns and more speed - if that's what you're looking for. Nice skiing!

 

[Tra262007]

Thanks for the nice comments about my skiing. I agree I have lots to work on still but I feel very good about where I am at the moment. I just want to keep progressing.

Things I have picked up from this thread
1) look further ahead
2) Link my turns more
3) Be a life time learner (get a good lesson every year)
4) Find some Divas to ski with
5) Speed and confidence will come with time spent on the Slopes (not a bad way to learn)
6) My BF is a keeper (which I guess I always knew after 10 years with him)

This is some great information:
Thank you Divas

T

 

[Celestron2000]

Speaking from experience those Oceanas are REALLY soft, really just a beginner ski. I remember being just like this before I upgraded to my longer Superfees, then all of a sudden I felt like 10 times the skier. This is part of the progreassion process, out growing your skis.

 

[Tra262007]

Speaking from experience those Oceanas are REALLY soft, really just a beginner ski. I remember being just like this before I upgraded to my longer Superfees, then all of a sudden I felt like 10 times the skier. This is part of the progreassion process, out growing your skis.

Thats why I am on the Black Pearls now! cant wait to get back on the snow with them again.

 

[Tra262007]

You have really nice foot rotation (perhaps a future bump fiend in the making? I can only hope.)

Ha, I have very little experience in the bumps. I did 2 short run of bumps, this video below is the second run that had really small bumps, but it was fun. This was at the end of the second day of skiing with an instructor at Breck last year. The first time I ever skied 2 days in a row. I was dead tired. You can see my legs shaking in the turns while on the groomer. I was doing everything I could to get the most out of my day. The instructor was amazing and that is the only reason i kept going. Shortly after this video I went to the hotel and my BF went to do some bowl skiing for the first time and then did some tree skiing on the way back. He had fun, I needed a break and a beer!

I don't know about being a bump fiend but bumps like these were really fun.

 

[contesstant]

You do great! Your BF is cute--"are you giggling??" You will continue to improve by leaps and bounds on the Pearls! You'll have to post video on those, too!