Resolution for 2019: Don't Improve My Skiing

[JayDeeVee]

Welcome to my mental space, @SallyCat!
No useless cliched tip from another skier -- i.e., "pull your feet back" -- that when I ask "how" or what that means, they explain with "just pull your feet back". Ohhh, that word JUST clarifies sooo much ... Thank You.

Your comment made me laugh so hard! When other skiers THINK they know what they're talking about and throw out a comment that is useless because it explains and does nothing.

I've also been on the other side - friends ALWAYS wanting "tips". Most of the time you can't just give a simple tip unless it's something very basic. You need to give a demo and have them try it and frankly, I just don't want to be giving lessons everytime I'm out freeskiing. Mind you, I love teaching, but when I'm not I'd really just like to ski! SO sometimes I just throw something basic out there and leave it at that. LOL

 

[ling]

A “not improving” thread had nonetheless turned into yet another “how to improve my skiing” thread (joining so many other “how to improve” threads).

I’m finally beginning to understand why I rarely post, and lately rarely read this and other skiing but also cycling forums! (I have accounts on several ski forums for years, but I felt like I don’t belong in any of those “communities”. I didn’t seem to share the “vibe”, despite skiing more days than many of their vocal (i.e. active) participants.

For me, all these are “recreation activities” that happens to be physical. While I do want to find the best equipment and do them with efficiency, I never felt it’s all that important that I “ski well”. Frankly, I enjoy doing many activities despite I’m doing them badly!

This isn’t a criticism to others. It’s just now I finally realized forums like this are supported by people who takes skiing a lot mire SERIOUSLY than how I take it!

Though my number of days skiing each winter maybe high (30-50), my attitude towards skiing isn’t anywhere near that of the CORE skiers. Not only do I don’t feel strongly about my technique, I only own ONE pair of skis! Instead of buying more skis or paying for lessons, I just ski in different part of the world, enjoy the mountain scenery and eating my heart out after each day’s skiing...

So thanks for helping out on my quest for better equipment and destinations. But forgive me for not feeling like I belong. For I really don’t (belong).

(This maybe my last post on a ski forum)

I will not:

• Take a lesson
• Look at video of myself skiing
• Talk about my skiing technique
• Demo skis
• Do drills

I’ve never video myself skiing except the few times I was in clinics. In that case, I was presented with what to do differently in area needing improvement. I don’t think I was too disturbed by how I looked.

I never talk about my technique except the few times I was in a clinic. Nobody I ski with talks about their technique either.

I only do drills when I’m bored. Same with demoing skis.

Yes, I take lessons once in a blue moon. Usually because I’m bored with so-so condition (but already paid for the lift ticket).

I’ll be going to Deer Valley next month with a girlfriend on her stereotypical 5-days-each-season trip. She usually only ski half day and spend the afternoon shopping or in spas. I’ll be happily cruising groomers with her for half the day and go powder hunting in the woods the other half. I may even join her for a spa session, or two. (I have Ikon pass so no pressure to ski full days everyday to justify the cost of the lift ticket)

 

[Susan L]

I have taken numerous ski and snowboard lessons in the last 19 years and the only one lesson I remember clearly was my first snowboard lesson. The instructor spent most of the time teaching us how to fall and get up from a sitting position correctly to minimize injuries. I thought it was the most useful lesson I have ever paid for!

 

[sibhusky]

When my (at the time) racer daughter videoed me to help me improve, I took a look said, "I look a lot better than I thought! Good enough!". (She of course wanted to subject me to all she'd gone through for years in race training. And here I was perfectly happy with myself.)

 

[MaineSkiLady]

A “not improving” thread had nonetheless turned into yet another “how to improve my skiing” thread (joining so many other “how to improve” threads).

I’m finally beginning to understand why I rarely post, and lately rarely read this and other skiing but also cycling forums! (I have accounts on several ski forums for years, but I felt like I don’t belong in any of those “communities”. I didn’t seem to share the “vibe”, despite skiing more days than many of their vocal (i.e. active) participants.

For me, all these are “recreation activities” that happens to be physical. While I do want to find the best equipment and do them with efficiency, I never felt it’s all that important that I “ski well”. Frankly, I enjoy doing many activities despite I’m doing them badly!

This isn’t a criticism to others. It’s just now I finally realized forums like this are supported by people who takes skiing a lot mire SERIOUSLY than how I take it!

Though my number of days skiing each winter maybe high (30-50), my attitude towards skiing isn’t anywhere near that of the CORE skiers. Not only do I don’t feel strongly about my technique, I only own ONE pair of skis! Instead of buying more skis or paying for lessons, I just ski in different part of the world, enjoy the mountain scenery and eating my heart out after each day’s skiing...

So thanks for helping out on my quest for better equipment and destinations. But forgive me for not feeling like I belong. For I really don’t (belong).

(This maybe my last post on a ski forum)

I’ve never video myself skiing except the few times I was in clinics. In that case, I was presented with what to do differently in area needing improvement. I don’t think I was too disturbed by how I looked.

I never talk about my technique except the few times I was in a clinic. Nobody I ski with talks about their technique either.

I only do drills when I’m bored. Same with demoing skis.

Yes, I take lessons once in a blue moon. Usually because I’m bored with so-so condition (but already paid for the lift ticket).

I’ll be going to Deer Valley next month with a girlfriend on her stereotypical 5-days-each-season trip. She usually only ski half day and spend the afternoon shopping or in spas. I’ll be happily cruising groomers with her for half the day and go powder hunting in the woods the other half. I may even join her for a spa session, or two. (I have Ikon pass so no pressure to ski full days everyday to justify the cost of the lift ticket)

You sound a great deal like a former member called "abc," who had very similar attitudes about skiing, forums and the like.

If you don't much care about discussing skiing, or equipment, or travel, or sharing the enthusiasm, if you don't much like the forums -- why are you posting?

Most of us here do enjoy the discussions. That's why we're here.
Why are you here?

 

[MissySki]

You sound a great deal like a former member called "abc," who had very similar attitudes about skiing, forums and the like.

If you don't much care about discussing skiing, or equipment, or travel, or sharing the enthusiasm, if you don't much like the forums -- why are you posting?

Most of us here do enjoy the discussions. That's why we're here.
Why are you here?

I was kind of wondering the same thing..

 

[sibhusky]

You don't have to read every thread. Just the ones that interest you. And when they drift and become boring, just "unwatch" them. It's your choice which threads you read. No one is making you read them. Decide to read only the destination threads or set up a search for some magic keyword and then bookmark that search and only read those threads. You don't have to have the same interests as the forum members to learn something that in fact you find interesting.

 

[Cantabrigienne]

I love this thread - both @SallyCat's approach for this season, and the inadvertent slide into the usual ski nerdism. In a lot of ways I'm like @ling - a friend from Seattle joined me for a few days in WB before she had kids and I introduced her to the joy of Crystal Hut waffles and bombing badly down Rock'n'Roll (this was prior to the Crystal chair upgrade when they used to groom RnR - it really was the greatest blue cruiser in the world. Now it's an almighty bumps run and the end of it is a scary icy junction). "This is so nice not feeling pressured to ski the whole day on a crazy long day trip."

I have a season pass at WB and the option to tag along for about 25 days worth of skiing this season. But I had a really demoralizing private lesson last week (my sister + I split a pricey full day private with my 79yo dad - and the next day I said "that was the most confidence destroying $1000 I've ever dropped in my life" because we were accompanying my dad on beginners' terrain and I *still* couldn't put any of the the feedback into practice. So I am totally going to make like Sally Cat (who sounds similar to me in terms of being an upper intermediate) and say "screw it" to trying to work on my skiing (barring the 1 camp I've signed up for) and try to just have fun the rest of the time.

That said, I *still* appreciate the tips on how to improve my skiing. Some day I'm sure that I'll be flailing on a steeper run and something like "pull back your new inner ski" will pop up in my mind & help me recover my form so I don't hurt myself.

 

[newboots]

I’ll be happily cruising groomers with her for half the day and go powder hunting in the woods the other half.

Makes sense to me.

I wish my skiing was at a level where I might hunt for powder in the woods but sadly, I have to improve before I can do that!


I can’t wait, though. I want to just ski down the mountain, without wondering if my stance is okay, where my poles are, exactly, and whether I will break my neck if I fall. I’m getting there! Just not quite yet.

 

[liquidfeet]

....But I had a really demoralizing private lesson last week (my sister + I split a pricey full day private with my 79yo dad - and the next day I said "that was the most confidence destroying $1000 I've ever dropped in my life" because we were accompanying my dad on beginners' terrain and I *still* couldn't put any of the the feedback into practice. So I am totally going to make like Sally Cat (who sounds similar to me in terms of being an upper intermediate) and say "screw it" to trying to work on my skiing (barring the 1 camp I've signed up for) and try to just have fun the rest of the time.....

So sorry to hear this. I'm an instructor so I really want to know what this instructor did to destroy your confidence. I want to never do this to anyone. Did your instructor just pay attention to your dad and ignore you? Did your instructor give you different instructions, harder ones, than the ones your dad got? Did your instructor say "No No NO!" to you? Did your instructor not ask you any questions about how you felt about what you were doing?

What on earth went wrong, and what could the instructor have done differently to make it not so?

 

[Jilly]

@Cantabrigienne - please contact the ski school and let them know you're not happy. They will correct it. If not PM me, I know instructors out there that will help you make it right.

 

[SallyCat]

A “not improving” thread had nonetheless turned into yet another “how to improve my skiing” thread (joining so many other “how to improve” threads).

I’m finally beginning to understand why I rarely post, and lately rarely read this and other skiing but also cycling forums!

So thanks for helping out on my quest for better equipment and destinations. But forgive me for not feeling like I belong. For I really don’t (belong).

Hi, @ling ! my post was a sort of mental re-set after reaching a frustrating plateau. And of course I immediately broke my resolution by watching a video of myself, which was rough. (You can see that thread here). I've benefitted immensely from the is discussions and advice here, both technical and in terms of morale-boosts when things get tough. The thread I linked here is a perfect example of the latter.

I certainly didn't mean to suggest that not caring about improving is the best or only way to ski. It's just a tactic that I'm trying (of and on ) while I go through a bit of a slump.

Ski forums by their nature attract people with questions or who like to talk about skiing. The people who don't want that don't come to places like this, and that's fine, though I'm sorry to hear you feel as though you don't belong. I've certainly swung to and from both ends of the pendulum (sometimes within a 48-hour period!) and always feel welcome and supported here.

I hope you keep reading and posting if it's something you enjoy!

 

[Cantabrigienne]

So sorry to hear this. I'm an instructor so I really want to know what this instructor did to destroy your confidence. I want to never do this to anyone. Did your instructor just pay attention to your dad and ignore you? Did your instructor give you different instructions, harder ones, than the ones your dad got? Did your instructor say "No No NO!" to you? Did your instructor not ask you any questions about how you felt about what you were doing?

What on earth went wrong, and what could the instructor have done differently to make it not so?

To clarify: the instructor spent 4 hours with my dad. Then my sister and I shared the remaining 2.5 hours with me and my sister AND the lions' share of time/attention was focused on me. The day *after* my sister and I accompanied my father in the beginner area in Whistler for a couple of hours, and I felt the money was well spent for my dad, as I saw real progress for him. I wouldn't bother contacting WB because the issues are in some part due to the dynamic between me and my sister, which no one but a qualified therapist can sort out! I also recognize that we were time constrained and that there wasn't adequate time to really follow through some of the issues that were coming up.

The only thing I can think of that's useful for instructors in this forum: I think I've developed a reflexive aversion to male instructors telling me to loosen up and not be so stiff when I ski. It just annoys me without getting me to change how I ski (and I don't think I'm the only woman for whom "just relax!" is like a red flag to a bull these days - male instructors need to find a phrase that isn't used by internet trolls/gaslighting guys, but I'm pretty sure from last year's camp that I didn't find it so irritating to have something similar said by female instructors.) This guy did just that, but he soon figured out that you can't just tell me to not be stiff, I need ways to reset the kineasthetics of my body. I'm pretty sure no one ever sets out to be stiff on purpose! Among other things, he had me traverse over bumps as way of reintroducing the feeling of stable core, loose/flexing/responsive ankles & knees & eventually he figured out it was better to tell me how to move my arms (purposeful instruction) rather than "don't be so fixated with having your hands in front of you, just relax and have fun, move naturally" - skiing isn't natural for 99% of us!!!!

There's also the irrational aspect of feeling "I dropped a grand and I feel sucky" because the lesson went on my creditcard but my dad will pay me back for it later (in fact, I should be appreciating the additional cashback/airmiles aspect of having fronted the lesson for the family.) My dad is 79 and still trying to learn to ski. My sister doesn't want him to ski alone for fear of injury - there's a real risk at WB that an out of control beginner or inconsiderate ass will knock you down - and was trying to get him to sign up for a group lesson to free us up from this (self inflicted) obligation. My dad refused but counteroffered "why don't we all split a private? That's the same price as the 3 of us going separately to group classes." I forgot how incompatible my sister and I are in learning situations & why I like going to the WB women's camp without her.......whereas she hated the women's camp the one time she took it, saying it was too rah-rah for her, but she loved the old Dave Murray camp & went to that a good half a dozen times.

Part of "this just sucks" aspect, or the overwhelming guilt that I just could "get it" while practicing on the bunny slope the next day, is that the lesson was focused way more on my needs than those of my sister, and, gee, how badly does that suck when my sister lives in Hong Kong and was only getting 5 days of skiing this season. And if I didn't improve, her learning time got sacrificed for mine completely needlessly...... the exact opposite of the problem of being ignored that @liquidfeet might have been envisioning. I recognize this is utterly irrational because a) my sister was happy with how the lesson changed her skiing, so in fact she wasn't shortchanged and b) there was good value in having an instructor who was really skilled in diagnostics identify my issues & hand me a good set of tools. I need to work on them by myself, and I realize that results don't happen instantly, they take practice, I just resent that it takes time for change to happen. That's why I like SallyCat's whole idea of just giving yourself a break, even if for a while - it breaks the cycle of (self) resentment.

Ultimately, it's likely as much skelto-muscular issues as mental - I've sprained each ankle more than 15 times, so my precoriception is totally shot & I need to work much harder on ankle rehabbing + balance exercises. Even with custom boots & liners, I'm still having a hard time flattening my skis & generally getting balanced - I've been doing clinical Pilates for over a year and still amazed when my instructor pulls my torso back to restack my spine when I *think* I've been centred.

 

[sibhusky]

Personally, I wouldn't pay $1000 for a ski lesson even if the instructor was Ingemar Stenmark. And if someone treated me to it, I'd still be so irritated by the cost anyway, that I'd be in no mood to learn. Clearly there's another whole level of economics going on that I'm not part of. So I can see how the cost all by itself is a dissatisfier. A full day private is $495 here.

 

[Cantabrigienne]

Personally, I wouldn't pay $1000 for a ski lesson even if the instructor was Ingemar Stenmark. And if someone treated me to it, I'd still be so irritated by the cost anyway, that I'd be in no mood to learn. Clearly there's another whole level of economics going on that I'm not part of. So I can see how the cost all by itself is a dissatisfier. A full day private is $495 here.

Yeah, that was a big part of it too. My dad is entitled to throw his money around as he sees fit, but I could get a second season ticket for one of the in-town mountains (Cypress or Grouse, both of which I can get to by public transport) for the cost of that one lesson, so I started off grumpy, as opposed to all eager.

Whistler is insanely expensive, although you should keep in mind I'm quoting Canadian dollars so the optics are worse. Still, saying 750 inc tax is pretty awful. I think you can do a 5 day camp with Warren Smith in Verbier for around the same amount (I cant remember if his site quotes prices in GBP or EUR since the client base is mostly British). And the lift ticket there is way cheaper than Whistler.

 

[ling]

why are you posting?

Why are you here?

Actually, I addressed all your question in my previous post already:

“So thanks for helping out on my quest for better equipment and destinations.”

And:

“This maybe my last post on a ski forum“

(Not just THIS ski forum, but ANY ski forum)

As for similar attitude as another poster, I’m not the least bit surprised. That’s the same attitude I found in many women I ski with on the mountain. Maybe a minority on a ski forum though. But that’s basically my point of that previous post, if that’s not clear.

 

[VickiK]

@ling, the similarity in mode of expression has been so strikingly similar to the other poster that I have been wondering if it was one and the same person for several years. I appreciate your clarifying that.

Take what you will from the forum. I've been an enthusiastic poster, but other events in life have doused that enthusiasm or put it on the back burner.

 

[SallyCat]

Take what you will from the forum. I've been an enthusiastic poster, but other events in life have doused that enthusiasm or put it on the back burner.

That's a really good point to raise, @VickiK : that whether we post or read in any given stretch of time--and how we feel about interacting-- is so often impacted by other factors outside the forum itself.

My skiing off slump probably has more to do with being overwhelmed with work and other obligations and feeling like a huge disappointment/failure for not managing everything better. I rarely have time to ski, so when I do and it becomes another thing I suck at, well, it's no surprise wanting a break from it. Not because I don't love skiing, but because I don't want it to be yet another thing in my life to which I don't give enough time or attention.

So again, I hope @ling doesn't take my comment as OP here as a criticism of ski discussion forums.