marzNC
Angel Diva
Another group that learns to ski relatively easily are dancers, meaning ballet or modern dancers in particular. The core strength and balance required for ballet is a good fit for skiing. My niece was a tween when she did a Girl Scout ski day. Really never skied more than a day or two after that through high school, mostly with me and my daughter at our home hill. But when she joined us in at Whiteface years later for a day, she had no problem skiing the blue from the top of the gondola, which is pretty steep and narrow in places. My husband's niece was much the same, although her family did a few week-long ski vacations to destination resorts in the Rockies. What my daughter has in common with both cousins is that they all love dancing and are lousy at ball sports like tennis or soccer.Hi, This is a really interesting question and I am enjoying the discussion. I cannot share personal experience because I learned young and like many took time off and picked it up again years later blah blah blah…
One thing that I have noticed from being a member of Ski clubs: beginners with a background in either ice skating or rollerblading tend to progress quickly, and I’ve read recent articles extolling the virtues of rollerblading for off season preparation. OK, maybe I am more than slightly off topic but still relevant information for someone looking to improve.
My motto is as long as you’re having fun you’re making progress.
When a friend's daughter was going to have her first ski vacation long weekend as a young tween (age 7 or 8), we took her ice skating locally a few weeks beforehand. She'd never done that either. I figured I'd learn something seeing how she picked up ice skating (empty rink, no lesson). It was worth the effort. Fast forward a few seasons . . . after a few weekends with ski school (one per season at most) she was a solid intermediate at age 11 last winter. Also helps that she's been doing a martial art for several years on a weekly basis. But I think the fact that she's willing to listen and practice is almost as important as her natural physical ability.