Your "Aha!" moment

[Amplify]

@Trailside Trixie I am so proud of you! I loved reading this post so much. Well done!

 

[MissySki]

Congrats @Trailside Trixie ! It feels so good to check off runs that scare us at our home mountain especially. I still have a few I haven't skied at Sunday River as well, for me it's some off piste things that don't seem to often have the snow cover I would want to attempt them/be able to get around cliff areas without a ton of uncovered rocks/very tight trees/etc. And of course, most of them are under lifts which is good and bad because I can at least check out what they look like anytime I'm considering skiing them, but that can also make it easy to psych yourself out and find reasons not to do it, especially with an audience haha. I got to check one of them off late last season, and it was the best feeling once I got past the scariest part that also turned out to be totally fine and pretty easy after all.

 

[IKam]

My Ah Ha moment was on a lesson at Alta where I was told to bend from the hip, not the waist. I had previously been told to press my shins against the boot and such but bending from the hip accomplished bringing the body forward. Also, he told me to get my poles cut down by 1cm, I believe. The aches in my thighs have disappeared because of really going forward.

 

[IKam]

My "aha" moment was also equipment related, and is what inspired me to join the Ski Diva forum! I've been skiing on some old skis we literally found on the street for several years. I invested in good boots, and because I considered myself a long- time beginner, I was happy just to have skis to practice with. But this year, as I started skiing for a couple of hours several days a week (we live less than a kilometre from the local resort), I realised I was fighting these skis every time I picked up speed, and having to talk myself down the mountain. I figured I was ready to invest in skis, did a LOT of online research, which included lots of posts from this forum, and then went and demoed some skis. Got some great advice and guidance from the shop owner, who really listened to my feedback and made tailored suggestions, and just trying all four skis I tested TRANSFORMED my experience! I instantly became a better skier. I realised I've been skiing on two heavy planks of wood that are too long for me and very, very used (so probably very flat).

I fell in love with the Volkl Flair 79, managed to get an extra discount on a brand new pair, and all of a sudden I'm a confident intermediate skier, raving to everyone who will listen that EQUIPMENT IS EVERYTHING!

My husband has been getting shorter and shorter skis, and is now doing so much better with his Volkls and actually I am doing so much better on my newer skis, Black Pearls 85. Yes, equipment is super important.

 

[IKam]

My husband has been getting shorter and shorter skis, and is now doing so much better with his Volkls and actually I am doing so much better on my newer skis, Black Pearls 85. Yes, equipment is super important.

Actually, my skies are 82 waist and 145 cm. My husband's are 140 cm.