Cygnet
Certified Ski Diva
I've always wanted to ski - but only started in my mid 50s (I'm now in my early 60s) and have found it so difficult. Being really scared in my first few days of lessons and significant injury quite early on didn't exactly make a good foundation. But I love snow so I've kept at it despite very low self confidence. Last year was the final straw. I signed up for a 6 day course early season but it didn't work out. I was asked to leave the group I was originally assigned to because I wasn't confident/fast enough. When I told the instructor in the new group that I didn't like going 'this fast' his response was 'this isn't fast'. My fragile confidence was shattered. What was even worse was this week's experience blighted my holidays (for me and my family) for the rest of the season. I quickly got into a negative downward spiral of 'That was a rubbish turn, I'm a rubbish skier, I'll never be able to do it' etc etc and was unable to appreciate what I had achieved.
The good news is that this was a wake up call!! I realised that I could not afford to think and live like this. I had to do something about it. And so, over the summer I have been reading books, posts on this website and generally trying to understand why I think and feel the way I do, and learning coping mechanisms and techniques to become the skier I want to be. And the good news is that it's working! I've just come back from a week in Austria. There were times when fear got the better of me and I had to side slip down rather than ski, when that negative voice started whispering destructive comments - but I refused to listen to them. I didn't panic when the snow was rough and bumpy and I didn't criticise myself when my turns weren't perfect. There were times when I skied well. I am beginning to believe that I can be a good skier.
So, thank you ladies, for all your posts over the years of your ups and downs, of your successes and failures, of your fears and achievements, and especially to that someone who said that learning to ski when you're older is hard!
The good news is that this was a wake up call!! I realised that I could not afford to think and live like this. I had to do something about it. And so, over the summer I have been reading books, posts on this website and generally trying to understand why I think and feel the way I do, and learning coping mechanisms and techniques to become the skier I want to be. And the good news is that it's working! I've just come back from a week in Austria. There were times when fear got the better of me and I had to side slip down rather than ski, when that negative voice started whispering destructive comments - but I refused to listen to them. I didn't panic when the snow was rough and bumpy and I didn't criticise myself when my turns weren't perfect. There were times when I skied well. I am beginning to believe that I can be a good skier.
So, thank you ladies, for all your posts over the years of your ups and downs, of your successes and failures, of your fears and achievements, and especially to that someone who said that learning to ski when you're older is hard!
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