 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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b]So Soleil DOr Crew[/b],
I've never hit a plateau... but then I simply chose not to.... I was not supposed to ski - too dangerous for me according to the resort doctor! I did anyway!
Then when I was told I should inline skate to help my balance, I spent much time and angst in summer learning to stand upright on the damn things and even to skate, roll downhill, and stop and turn  . The summer that saw one of my breakthroughs was the one I skated most - I improved with my time off snow instead of regressing.
When my instructor wanted me to learn to ride a bike(again a feat for me) I did! When another instructor friend created balance courses for me I went to the hardware shop, bought the bits, built the course and did it almost every day!
My home resort starts as a pretend ice rink most mornings... hard crunchy lumpy stuff - I was told the only way to handle it better was to ski it more - so I just jumped on it at 830am every morning until it scared the crap out of me less!
The bottom line is there are many things to help improvement... you just need to want to find them and do them enough...
Some require just having the guts to NOT go ski the hardest stuff around all day - but instead tough it out doing the stuff you need on easier slopes... I seem to recall a story about a certain WC skier who would train by doing exercises on easy terrain for hours and then run a proper race course 2-3 times before going home... Some require being tough enough to ski the type of turns you dislike rather than always the same turn.... Some require you to ski terrain or conditions that you dislike - and then looking at your flaws and working on them (they will usually be there in normal skiing too just less pronounced)
If you want it enough find yourself a suitable "coach" and DO IT
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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So Soleil DOr Crew, for the 'mental' part of skiing, this is an interesting book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Skiing-Gallwey/dp/0679778276/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208528110&sr=8-1&tag=amz07b-21
IMHO, once you are a competent skier, nearly all of it is about the mental side of it. One friend always says how mystified he is by beginners who are worried about not being able to stop - 'why would you want to?'. But equally, you can change your wish list for the holiday - instead of being frustrated you didn't go down all the hardest slopes, choose to relax and enjoy what you do. My latest holiday, I just wanted to have a good time (not have coloured in every piste on my spare map to show I'd 'done it all' as I usually do) ~ and it was great to just enjoy pottering about whichever piste came up, rather than missing the last lift for 3 days out of 6 trying to just fit another couple in (as has been known - the lifties in Les Menuires are b"ggers)
Another key thing for me is doing exercise so that you are specifically fit to ski before you go ~ I've just come back from a week where one girl complained about having 'cramp' at the bottom of every slope. The first time she said it, I expected to see her in rolling round in agony - but it became apparent that she really meant her thighs were burning.
I do a 'SKI FIT' video for a few weeks before I go - admittedly, it is like a doggy training class, but it definitely makes a difference because of the use of specific muscle groups, etc
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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SkiBod, I'd agree with the exercise thing. If you're physically prepared, you're more mentally prepared. You tire less quickly, your recover more quickly. You relax more as you're not fighting the pain from using muscles that are not used to that movement. You feel better.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a major commitment either. My first trip in Jan was ill-prepared and I skied well within my ability with some awkwardness. When I got back I took up "hard" walking with weights for 20 minutes every morning before work. Result? Trip 3 months later was terrific with no problems and a really good mental approach.
To answer the OPs question, I got off the plateau by taking a dedicated week's intensive ski instruction (BASI) and I always have at least 1 x 2 hour lesson at the beginning of the week to iron out any bad habits. Also still practice some of the drills taught by the instructor.
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