 Poster: A snowHead
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When I go skiing I always seem to get frustrated with my skiing. I’ve had some great ski coaching from Rod and Scott at Inside Out. About 18 months ago I had a light bulb moment and it all clicked. But since then I seem to be struggling to move forward. Do others find the same thing? This year I went on an off piste trip very out of my comfort zone and loved it, but I struggled so much with the chopped up snow I felt somewhat deflated. I just want to keep improving my skiing so I feel I can ski all the mounting well and not just bits of it. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Absolutely. First couple of days back on skis I am dreadful. It always feels like 2 steps forward 1 step back. But I persevere and I know I am improving (slowly) every time.
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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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Glen Charman, yes, but also yes to this:
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It always feels like 2 steps forward 1 step back. But I persevere and I know I am improving (slowly) every time.
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Why not have the first day to get your ski legs back and then book a couple of hours 1-2-1 instruction on the morning of the second. They'll quickly identify the key areas where you could do with some help, you'll get a couple of exercises that you can then use.
It always helps set you up for the rest of your trip.
I always do this and it is always extremely valuable. Not to mention, the instructor/coach always shows you some cool places around the mountain at the beginning of your hols.
Tbh - when people complain that they've plateaued yet have stopped having instruction/coaching, it always baffles me 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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AsterixTG, both Glen Charman and I have a lot of (continuing) instruction. It doesn't always stop those feelings of frustration.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ok - fair enough.
What frustrates?
Is it applying the technical skills, fitness and endurance, dealing with changing conditions, a mix of everything, or is it simply that some days you stand on your skis and you feel like a bag of rotten apples and nothing feels right?
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Pedantica, +1
AsterixTG, On my off piste week I had 5 days of coaching but my progress is slow at the moment. and as Pedantica, said I have 4-5 day a year of coaching at Hemel
I defiantly think I will do my L1 this year hopefully that will help me move forward
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No, I don't get frustrated. I enjoy every minute of it. It's a holiday not a competition.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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AsterixTG, All technical skills but I think that applies to changing conditions
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AsterixTG,
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a mix of everything
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And quite a bit of it's in the head.
queen bodecia, it's not a competition for me, merely the desire to ski well. Being able to ski, with ease and without knackering myself, all over the mountain (which I am far from being able to do) is what would enable me to "enjoy every minute". Perhaps that's being greedy, though - I do enjoy quite a lot of minutes already. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I too share a desire to ski well. I get satisfaction and therefore enjoyment from doing things well. Even if I can get around the mountain (which I now can providing it's not got black poles down it) this isn't good enough for me if I am not doing it well. If I know I've skied something well that makes all the difference to the enjoyment factor for me. Glen Charman, I been there, seen it, done it and wear the T-shirt. I've just gone through about 2 years where I didn't improve at all, but last summer I got some tips that, I think, really upped my game and now I have made, what I think, are some big strides I want to capitalise on them. Lots of people speak about plateaus perhaps you are on one, but if, like me, you want to get past it, I expect in time you will, but until you do I know you will find it frustrating - because it is!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I think I know how you feel. It's not being frustrated with the skiing, I love every minute of it, but I do get frustrated sometimes with the slow rate of my progress. I remember this year, 4 days into the week and on a private lesson, when the instructor tells me to try something and I'm thinking "I've known to do this for years. why haven't I been doing it?"
I think the big problem for most of us is that one week a year just isn't enough. It always seems to take me 3-4 days before I'm back at the level I was the previous year. The net result? I get just 2-3 days to improve my skiing and end up spending most of my week skiing at a level below I feel I should be able to.
I think the solution is simple really. Ski at least two weeks a year. That way I'll have around 10 days to improve each year instead of just 2-3, and I'll spend something like 75% of my time skiing better than the previous year instead of less than 50%.
The only problem really is time. money and family.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| No, I don't get frustrated. I enjoy every minute of it. It's a holiday not a competition. |
+1
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You know it makes sense.
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dont ski but i get frustrated snowboarding every single day!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I get frustrated quite a lot.
I think it depends on whether you're looking to improve or whether you're happy to stay in your comfort zone.
And it's a sport, not a holiday
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Poster: A snowHead
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Mosha Marc, well put.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Mosha Marc, +1 it's def. a sport that we go on holiday to do!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For me, doing something new always seems to mean slipping back a bit on the fundamentals (e.g.) finally achieving good posture and balance, only to find it going to ruin once you're doing something harder… I find that frustrating as sometimes it feels like one step forward, two steps back! It's not a competition in that I don't compare myself to other people, but improvement (either technique or fitness) is something that keeps me motivated in any sporting activity, and that includes simply hiking up the hills here.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I like to improve - or at least not deteriorate - but it's a holiday too! Yes, I can be disappointed when things which I know I should be able to do, don't go right (which is not infrequently). But "frustration" doesn't seem quite right. I looked it up.
One definition: a feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems.
Yes, I can certainly feel dissatisfied with my skiing (and have been known to curse aloud when particularly inept) but my shortcomings don't make me feel "anxious" , let alone "depressed". It would be a terrible waste of time spent in such a great activity to feel anxious and depressed because one would like to be a better skier. I would like to speak French and Italian much better (and could do if I worked harder at them) but feeling anxious about it would make me less likely to want to try, and thus even worse.
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pam w, irrespective of the dictionary definition, frustration is something which makes me indeed feel sweary, rather than anxious or depressed!
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| No, I don't get frustrated. I enjoy every minute of it. It's a holiday not a competition. |
I am with you on this. I enjoy the hedonism of skiing, enjoying the surroundings (+ lunch & après-ski) as much as the exhilaration of downhill.
| Oxford Dictionaries wrote: |
| an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. |
I don't regard it as a sport unless you are into competition. The masochists who compete against themselves & can't enjoy skiing because their technique is not perfect are are missing out on a lot a pleasure.
I am usually at odds with pedants on this site with a perfection fetish, my initial group lessons were a total laugh but when people start to get serious, group lessons become a pain. OK we all need some pointers and a tune-up now and again but don't take it to heart if your style is not great, we are so privileged to be able to play on the mountain. I feel that often a psychologist might be more in order than skiing lessons, I guess that is a big part of the best instructors role.
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hedonism of skiing, enjoying the surroundings (+ lunch & après-ski)
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Lechbob, thank-you  that finally puts into words my 'like' about skiing - I get most enjoyment at the moment from the 'being there', but 'hedonism' is a great word to use. My enjoyment of the 'exhilaration of downhill' will come properly once I have it cracked to my own satisfaction - it happened more often this year, but only on more simple slopes as my latest video showed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Lechbob wrote: |
| I don't regard it as a sport unless you are into competition. The masochists who compete against themselves & can't enjoy skiing because their technique is not perfect are are missing out on a lot a pleasure. |
Are there many skiers on here like that? Even the OP, who admitted to feeling a bit deflated by his lack of progress recently, said he loved his trip.
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Lechbob,
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I enjoy the hedonism of skiing, enjoying the surroundings (+ lunch & après-ski) as much as the exhilaration of downhill.
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So do I. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Megamum, I am glad you see it that way, I aways thought you was being too self critical.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Lechbob wrote: |
| queen bodecia wrote: |
| No, I don't get frustrated. I enjoy every minute of it. It's a holiday not a competition. |
I am with you on this. I enjoy the hedonism of skiing, enjoying the surroundings (+ lunch & après-ski) as much as the exhilaration of downhill.
| Oxford Dictionaries wrote: |
| an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. |
I don't regard it as a sport unless you are into competition. The masochists who compete against themselves & can't enjoy skiing because their technique is not perfect are are missing out on a lot a pleasure.
I am usually at odds with pedants on this site with a perfection fetish, my initial group lessons were a total laugh but when people start to get serious, group lessons become a pain. OK we all need some pointers and a tune-up now and again but don't take it to heart if your style is not great, we are so privileged to be able to play on the mountain. I feel that often a psychologist might be more in order than skiing lessons, I guess that is a big part of the best instructors role. |
+1000
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 10-03-14 12:18; edited 2 times in total
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| Lechbob wrote: |
I am with you on this. I enjoy the hedonism of skiing, enjoying the surroundings (+ lunch & après-ski) as much as the exhilaration of downhill.
I don't regard it as a sport unless you are into competition. The masochists who compete against themselves & can't enjoy skiing because their technique is not perfect are are missing out on a lot a pleasure.
I am usually at odds with pedants on this site with a perfection fetish, my initial group lessons were a total laugh but when people start to get serious, group lessons become a pain. OK we all need some pointers and a tune-up now and again but don't take it to heart if your style is not great, we are so privileged to be able to play on the mountain. I feel that often a psychologist might be more in order than skiing lessons, I guess that is a big part of the best instructors role. |
Thanks, you've just said everything I was going to and saved my fingers some typing.
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You know it makes sense.
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I agree that a "sport" would normally involve formal competition - for most of us it's no more a sport than walking is a sport. However, hedonism can include the pleasure of being able to carve just a little more of the turn than you could last year, or reaching the top of a long, hard, ascent.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Lechbob, I spent a couple of hours on a sun trapped terrace out of the breeze with a drink, and a cake and my sunnies on one afternoon with aching legs whilst I waited for the kids to ski, just watching the world go by with a beautiful sun topped mountain full of skiers to watch and it was probably my favourite bit of the last holiday. It is just the entire privilage of being there and the ability to experience something that, as a child, I could never have aspired to do that keeps me going back.
The skiing itself is a separate aspect for me - it is a sport to learn and, for me, there is immense satisfaction to be gained from being good at it, enjoyment of that aspect comes with the satisfaction. For me it comes when I think "Yes!! I did that bit well" or when I can feel the skis engaging properly on the snow and know I am doing it right - it has only started to happen this year. I don't do 'failure' and believe that line in the song that 'I can do anything' - if I put my mind to it and really work hard (except sing, which will never happen!!) . In that respect I have huge empathy with the OP.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Lechbob wrote: |
| . The masochists who compete against themselves & can't enjoy skiing because their technique is not perfect are are missing out on a lot a pleasure. |
After many, many (20+) years of skiing I actually found I knew a lot less than I thought I did, and was getting a bit bored with "just skiing".
I now enjoy working on my technique and learning more than I ever thought possible.
That's what's great about this sport/hobby/whatever, you can take it to what ever level you wish, and still enjoy it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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[quote="Lechbob"]
| queen bodecia wrote: |
| The masochists who compete against themselves & can't enjoy skiing because their technique is not perfect are are missing out on a lot a pleasure. |
Ah, but what about the feeling you get when you eventually nail 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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kitenski, +1
I had the idea I wasn't a bad skier until I started to have lesson and
Then you find out that you have lots of bad habits. As I started to improve
You then find out there is so much to learn.
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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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| Glen Charman wrote: |
| . . . . until I started to have lesson. |
You should never have stopped.
Like "getting fit to ski" - much better you stay fit to ski. Keep exercising.
If you want to ski better, keep taking lessons, every time you go.
(Also, as has been mentioned, helps if you ski more than a week each year  )
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Mosha Marc wrote: |
Ah, but what about the feeling you get when you eventually nail it! |
If I ever happen to get there, I'll let you know 
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I've always found it a little odd that anyone might think they could learn/maintain a relatively unintuitive technical sport by doing it for 6 often alcohol fuelled days a year.
It's not how my local golf or tennis clubs pitch their lessons... 
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under a new name, well the majority of us don't have many more viable options. The snow domes are an alternative, but for most folks they are hardly local.
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I partly agree with Lechbob, because for me skiing is a relaxing holiday not just "sport", but as mentioned by others there is a massive amount of satisfaction in learning to do something new - the feeling of being able to do something which you couldn't do before is a good one, especially when it's something as fun as carving properly, which is what I've been working on recently.
The feeling when you get down something you couldn't do before (i.e., that bumpy black you used to edge down nervously) is very satisfying.
I get frustrated with my skiing quite often, especially when I know I'm capable of doing it better. It's sometimes technique and sometimes just because everything feels "wrong".
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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well the majority of us don't have many more viable options
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indeed, but if you wondered about learning to play tennis, and could only do it for a week a year, and only took occasional lessons, you wouldn't expect to be much cop at tennis, would you? Or you could ask a similar question about other skills - playing the piano, speaking Spanish, swimming, ballroom dancing....
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pam w, on the other hand people pass motorcycle and driving tests after 'learn to drive in a week courses' and can drive for the rest of their lives on that pass. So it is possible to aquire lasting skills in a week - it could be a bit like riding a bicycle at least to a certain stage of competence.
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FAQ
