Does this sound familiar?
Your pizza turns are long gone, and you’re so good on the blue and red slopes that are spending more time on the lifts than you do on the slopes. But at the same time, when you do brave a black piste, you’re so far out of your comfort zone, your body defaults to a protective and not so sophisticated style of skiing?
If so, then probably like me, you are stuck on what feels like the never-ending stage of being an intermediate skier!
My excuse for being indefinitely an intermediate skier can no longer be blamed on short-lived access to ski slopes. I now live in Switzerland, and Klosters is my weekend mountain home. There I have access to some incredible pistes, many of the steep black kind, which had me determined to move past my intermediate ability into confident skiing bliss.
I am aware I am a far cry from a ski teacher, but I hope that my four tips gained from my own personal journey, will encourage other intermediate skier’s to find their ski wings and fly!
The Right Ski Gear
I hear you. Skiing is an expensive sport and it’s tempting to borrow your sister-in-law’s ski boots. However, we all know, deep down, having the right gear, be that well-fitting ski boots and ski’s appropriate to your level, are essential to your confidence on the slopes. Ensuring attention to the following points are an important first step in progressing in your skiing ability.
- Ski Boots: There is almost nothing more hindering than feet that rattle around in slightly too big ski boots. After all, when your foot moves, so do your skis! So get your ski boots fitted to your feet by a pro.
- Skis: Rent before you buy! Last ski season, I rented a pair of the popular intermediate/advance ski’s “Atomic Cloud” to try which I ended up purchasing at the end of the season.
- Ski Goggles: Clear vision is also essential on the slopes, and I personally find looking through orange-tinted ‘ski goggle lenses’ gives the best contrast for seeing bumps and skiing through fog. But I have friends who feel that way about pink! So try both and see what works for you. But whatever tint you choose, using a polarised lens is without a doubt essential. For those who wear optical correction, ensure comfortable contact lenses and consider hydrating eye drops if not wearing prescription goggles.
- Ski Gloves and layers: There is nothing worse than cold fingertips, so having quality warm ski gloves is crucial. I have also noticed that it is also easy to get too warm- I love Northface base layers as they really help to regulate temperature and enable you to not have to wear too many layers.
Not sure what to wear skiing in Switzerland? Our complete Switzerland winter packing guide covers everything from base layers to ski gear.
Skiing is both Conscious and Sub-Conscious
I am fascinated by the role of the subconscious mind, especially when it comes to skiing. This is because I realise that my best ski moments do not come from speed, but rather from what feels like a large proportion of ‘skiers intuition’. During these moments I am not overthinking my every move, but am relaxed whilst in full control. I am aware of bumps, trees and the course of the slope, but I am not over-analysing fall lines, hips, knees and which ski is doing what. I feel one with the mountain, and my body feels secure whilst in charge. There is flow and grace to my movements.
A scientific way of thinking about the subconscious mind in sport is to consider the concept of proprioception. Proprioception is the awareness of your body in space and comes from nerve endings that are situated in muscles and tendons. Our balance is constantly challenged during skiing, hence it is good to train proprioception, and is why I spend a few minutes every day messing around on my son’s wobble board which disrupts my balance. I can take the challenge further whilst my son throws me a ball to catch. This is in particularly important, if you have had an ankle sprain or knee ligament injury, where the nerve endings required for proprioception may have been injured.
Another example of mind over matter and the power of our great subconsciousness is the power getting out of my comfort zone has. Like when a ski teacher challenges me by having me ski backwards a little bit, or takes some micro detours off-piste. Although I have been totally out of my depth for those moments, my ability to then tackle the regular pistes drastically accelerates!
The Game-Changer: The Parallel Trick
In my journey so far, there has been one single sticking point that has stopped me from progressing to the flowing and graceful state I describe above: a brief, albeit destructive, lag between my skies moving together during the initial stage of the parallel turn. Felt as a slight skid, a moment where the skies are not truly parallel and has even resulted in me having to lift the second ski to bring it in parallel on the steep. The moment I learnt about this concept known as the ‘two-step’ turn, I was able to correct it and genuinely crack the parallel turns.
My mistake came from me forcing the weight onto the downhill ski to initiate the turn and then panicking and almost not trusting the second ski to follow. It is important to keep skiing fluid and movements smooth. When I shift my weight between skies correctly it is more of a rolling sensation rather than a skidding sensation. I have the feeling this is quite a common sticking point, hence ask yourself when your skiing: are your turns are truly parallel during all stages of the turn? Also remember to relax and trust yourself as well as the process.
But Remember: The Answers Come from Within
In today’s age with many articles, such as this, promising to fix all your problems, it can be difficult to listen to your inner voice. However, at the end of the day, it is here where the truth lies.
I actually spent my first couple of years snowboarding rather than skiing. My friends had told me it was easier than skiing and so I took a few lessons and hit a few slopes. However, I found it relatively unnatural to have both legs bound to one board and detested having to release one foot in order to take the t-bar lift. I had the feeling skiing would be much more intuitive for me and eventually plucked up the courage to listen to my inner voice. And now, years on, I am so glad I made the move. And remember, while It is also important to take ski instruction, spend plenty of time figuring things out on your own!
Do you have any tips that help you improve your skiing ability? Share them below so we can all cheer each other on!
