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Lost my skiing mojo?

Kika35

Certified Ski Diva
As we do every year, hubby and I start the ski season at Tremblant around this time. Ski conditions were perfect, so I’m stumped as to which issue(s) likely made this time out frustrating and disappointing for me. My fitness level? Ageing? New ski boots? Newly waxed skiis? We are heading to Colorado in March and I’m now a bit terrified at the idea of skiing in powder.

I always start out with a few runs down the greens, then hit the blues & a black or two by the end of the day. For the first time ever, I wasn’t comfortable leaving the greens. I just didn’t feel like I had good control and then my confidence plummeted, making me even more nervous.

As I said, I got new boots this year, a size smaller than my 2 sizes too big boots that I’d been wearing for years, which I felt more secure and snug in. I had been wearing 27.5 & was told that i should be wearing a 25.5. However, because one foot is significantly bigger than the other, after trying on a number of pairs, chose 26.5. I’m wondering now if that was a mistake, as I feel that there’s too much movement in the heel & ankle area. I don’t want to have to buy another pair of boots and am wondering if there’s a way to pad mine or use insoles to get a tighter fit.

I am also way more out of shape than I have been in years past in terms of lower body strength (my thighs were burning!!!). In addition to getting out on local hills more often ( we’ve had very little snow this year), I’m thinking of hitting the gym and working on my quads & glutes.

Thinking I might also benefit from a lesson or two, both here and in CO. Also wondering about renting skiis suites for powder vs bringing our own.

Has anyone else ever had an off year? Any tips for overcoming this completely unexpected setback?
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OK, first take a BIG cleansing breath!! Yes, sometimes all kind of factors affect confidence. I'm getting over a big slide backwards last year. One with no reason I could discern.

Re the boots: can you go back where you purchased them and work with a bootfitter? If not, where you have very specific issues you do need an expert. Yes, there are ways to take up space inside boots.

Out of shape? Welcome to being human!! Yes, add in more work to build back up. Focus on the entire leg, not just quads or glutes. You need the muscles to balance so ignoring the hamstrings (for example) is not helpful. Core stability is a bigger part of skiing than many realize. When I'm not in ski country, I teach Pilates in a studio setting. Full body work starting from the core. And no, I'm not pushing that for you! Just do the work you know you. Hills are great. And nothing completely equates using ski muscles besides skiing.

Yes, go for lessons! A new eye might notice some little something you don't know you are doing.

Fear? I read Mermer Blakeslee and Kay Gill. All on Amazon or your public library. I was first amused by Gill's suggestion to sing, but it did help! I'm not admitting to what I would sing!!

Hang in there!!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Hard to add much after @Abbi - everything she wrote is right on target. I would start with the boots and getting in shape. A bootfitter will make you very happy! I would think this is a difficult problem but certainly not insurmountable. I imagine that my first day on any new boots, even perfect ones, would make me feel tentative.

And it might just be one of those bad days. We all have them - sometimes it's conditions, sometimes it's new gear, weather, not enough sleep, who knows? What you ate for breakfast?

And I would add one more thing. There's nothing wrong with skiing on greens. In fact, Abbi herself introduced me to a beautiful, gentle green trail yesterday, and suggested it was the perfect place to practice my new skills. It absolutely was. It was uncrowded, unlike the rest of the mountain, and I wanted to ski it over and over.

I hope you get back to fun and confidence really soon. But I bet you will!
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My off year (or part of it) was boot related. My heels were lifting so I decided to play around and popped in the heel lift that came with my boots. Yes, it took up the extra space so my heel wasn’t moving as much. But otherwise a disaster. I foolishly thought if I kept skiing them I would adjust. Nope. A trip to the boot fitter for some simple fixes made the next season more enjoyable.
 

Mary Tee

Angel Diva
I also just got new boots, and the fitter put me in a boot that was a size bigger than my old boots. I didn't question it as I have bunions that have gotten considerably bigger since I got my old boots. I took 2 runs down an easy blue run and realized my heel was moving all over the place and I had little control over my skis. I left the mountain, back to the boot fitter, he made some changes, next runs were 100% better. I think there is still more work to be done, but I want to spend another day on them before I go back. If you didn't have them fit, return them and go to a reputable boot fitter...it makes all the difference in the world...and take Jilly up on her offer...she is great to ski with!
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Boot slop for me is a really unnerving sensation, so definitely head back to the bootfitter.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
Boots that don’t fit right are nightmarish! Start there. If they are too big, you won’t have good control of your skis on even the easiest run. Go back. If the boots were not altered in any way, you should be able to exchange them.
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
I don’t have much to add to the excellent suggestions that you’ve already received. I know how discouraging it can be when i things just don’t go as you expect. Some days are just like that. Give yourself permission to feel whatever you’re feeling - and head over to the bootfitter. We have ALL been in the same situation at one time or another.
 

HikenSki

Angel Diva
Today was one of those mediocre days for me. Just felt tired, things seemed to take a while to click, and I wasn't in love with my skis that shined on my last few times out. I stuck to the greens and just cruised. Focused on my turns and just poked around, enjoying the feel of sliding on snow. I let my husband run off to his blues and blacks. A nice relaxing lunch and refueling helped reset the mindset a little. Just seemed like more work today. After a tiring run down a pretty slick black, I called it. I stayed vertical and my legs aren't toast, so I call it a good day, even if it wasn't pretty or confidence building.
 

skinnyfootskis

Angel Diva
As we do every year, hubby and I start the ski season at Tremblant around this time. Ski conditions were perfect, so I’m stumped as to which issue(s) likely made this time out frustrating and disappointing for me. My fitness level? Ageing? New ski boots? Newly waxed skiis? We are heading to Colorado in March and I’m now a bit terrified at the idea of skiing in powder.

I always start out with a few runs down the greens, then hit the blues & a black or two by the end of the day. For the first time ever, I wasn’t comfortable leaving the greens. I just didn’t feel like I had good control and then my confidence plummeted, making me even more nervous.

As I said, I got new boots this year, a size smaller than my 2 sizes too big boots that I’d been wearing for years, which I felt more secure and snug in. I had been wearing 27.5 & was told that i should be wearing a 25.5. However, because one foot is significantly bigger than the other, after trying on a number of pairs, chose 26.5. I’m wondering now if that was a mistake, as I feel that there’s too much movement in the heel & ankle area. I don’t want to have to buy another pair of boots and am wondering if there’s a way to pad mine or use insoles to get a tighter fit.

I am also way more out of shape than I have been in years past in terms of lower body strength (my thighs were burning!!!). In addition to getting out on local hills more often ( we’ve had very little snow this year), I’m thinking of hitting the gym and working on my quads & glutes.

Thinking I might also benefit from a lesson or two, both here and in CO. Also wondering about renting skiis suites for powder vs bringing our own.

Has anyone else ever had an off year? Any tips for overcoming this completely unexpected setback?
FInd a good boot fitter. I have gone to a few..... the last person put in an innersole and re-heated my boots. This took up quite a lot of my wiggle room. I also wear a 26.5 and tend to have issues keeping shin contact. My next step is a toe pad. Good luck with the innersoles.
 

Blondeinabmw

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've had similar issues. Last season, I was on familiar, super easy terrain and DYING. My thighs were burning and shaking, and I felt like they'd just give at any moment. I was super tense, but also just spent after 100 yards. I'd take a lap, sit in the lodge for a half hour and repeat with no improvement. For two days I went through that. Then I realized it was the flu! I spent the next five days in bed, and went out again on our last day of vacation and did just fine.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm having an off year as well. The next day after every day of skiing I've had a migraine. It's really interfering with my vertical too. Because I don't come out of migraines all energized. So the next day back will be pretty tiring, and then I'll be in bed again. Two winters back was similar, with last season not being so bad. It used to be that during ski season I didn't get them. Very irritating. I would have thought by now I'd be getting into the swing of things, but not yet. I think if I could just have a sunny day maybe it would help with energy levels, but so far that hasn't happened.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm having an off year as well. The next day after every day of skiing I've had a migraine. It's really interfering with my vertical too. Because I don't come out of migraines all energized. So the next day back will be pretty tiring, and then I'll be in bed again. Two winters back was similar, with last season not being so bad. It used to be that during ski season I didn't get them. Very irritating. I would have thought by now I'd be getting into the swing of things, but not yet. I think if I could just have a sunny day maybe it would help with energy levels, but so far that hasn't happened.

Sorry to hear this, Sibby. I hope things get better soon.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
My doctor put me on magnesium aspartate 400 mg and riboflavin (vit. B2) 400 mg daily, and the frequency of my migraines decreased by at least 75%.

The aspartate form of magnesium avoids the digestive issues with the usual drugstore types.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've been taking magnesium for years. Doesn't do a thing for me. I spent a while on riboflavin as well, same. Of all the many things I've tried, butterbur was the best, but it's stopped working as well. I do a lot of tracking and have comparisons to equivalent periods, etc. Three month blips inevitably turn into busts at the end of a year of tracking. Unfortunately, weather is the main trigger, so the more swings in barometric pressure, the more migraines. The more times I come back exhausted, the more migraines. The higher the humidity (you know, because it's snowing) the more migraines. At least as I've aged they are no longer so painful that I want go to the hospital (or shoot myself). But they are exhausting.

Anyway, they are what they are. But this year they are impacting my season enormously.

I better not have one Thursday! It's supposed to be Partly Sunny. I need some sun.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
So sorry to hear that! Mine are triggered by the barometric pressure, too. After all that time I spent gluten- and dairy-free, which changed nothing and was a PITA.

I wish I were completely rid of them, but most of the time, if I get one it’s better with Tylenol or Excedrin Migraine (Tylenol, aspirin, and caffeine).
 

Powgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've been taking magnesium for years. Doesn't do a thing for me. I spent a while on riboflavin as well, same. Of all the many things I've tried, butterbur was the best, but it's stopped working as well. I do a lot of tracking and have comparisons to equivalent periods, etc. Three month blips inevitably turn into busts at the end of a year of tracking. Unfortunately, weather is the main trigger, so the more swings in barometric pressure, the more migraines. The more times I come back exhausted, the more migraines. The higher the humidity (you know, because it's snowing) the more migraines. At least as I've aged they are no longer so painful that I want go to the hospital (or shoot myself). But they are exhausting.

Anyway, they are what they are. But this year they are impacting my season enormously.

I better not have one Thursday! It's supposed to be Partly Sunny. I need some sun.

My biggest migraine trigger is dehydration...Imitrex is a life saver...
 

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