 Poster: A snowHead
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pam w,
Yes but some talents just seem to come naturally with age / experience (e.g. Wedding reception dancers) 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| eddiethebus wrote: |
| dont ski but i get frustrated snowboarding every single day! |
Blimey snowboarding for 365 days in a year that's quite a commitment even for a resort based individual.
Why not try skiing occasionally the ease the frustration, personally I'm fairly convinced it suits Chx terrain better.
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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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Megamum, but the motor skills necessary to pass a driving test are minimal - and (I just looked up a website) an intensive course is 28 hours one-to-one tuition. Most beginner skiers have 10 hours or so, in a big group, and spend a fair bit of time standing around. Anyone with a shred of aptitude who spent 28 hours in private one-to-one ski lessons would be able to ski as well as most people who pass their test can drive - and those with good aptitude could probably do rather well!
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Megamum, yes but they then drive/ride more than once a week!!
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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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| Quote: |
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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If you only drive for one week a year you'll get worse though.
I guess one week skiing a year is a luxury for most people. It's often a choice between that and a summer holiday. It will be difficult to improve beyond a certain level without going more often though. Lessons are good value but are an added expense.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Mosha Marc wrote: |
| 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. |
Ah, but what about the feeling you get when you eventually nail it! |
I was just talking to someone whose son is an instructor who has all of his level 4 except the Eurotest. He's earning good money in instructor terms, working in a country where you don't need it, with no intention to move to France, has come very close on (I think) 4 or 5 occasions and he's still going for it, training hard, self-funding... I asked why he was bothering as he didn't need it and it wouldn't make a noticeable difference to his income (plus he's clearly not a money-motivated kind of person, as he's a total braniac who could easily have opted for a high-cash city job instead). "Well, that's just his personality…". I've no doubt he's felt frustrated at times… but I can just imagine how amazing it's going to feel when he makes it (and he will).
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| midgetbiker wrote: |
| eddiethebus wrote: |
| dont ski but i get frustrated snowboarding every single day! |
Blimey snowboarding for 365 days in a year that's quite a commitment even for a resort based individual.
Why not try skiing occasionally the ease the frustration, personally I'm fairly convinced it suits Chx terrain better. |
Being frustrated doesnt remove any of the enjoyment, if i wasnt becoming frustrated with something it would mean that i'm not trying anything new.
becoming a better rider has a direct relationship with my happyness on snow. landing a small 360 off the side of a piste is great, but landing a 720 off a drop off under a lift and having people on the chairs applaud is a totally different feeling!
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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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| eddiethebus wrote: |
becoming a better rider has a direct relationship with my happyness on snow. landing a small 360 off the side of a piste is great, but landing a 720 off a drop off under a lift and having people on the chairs applaud is a totally different feeling! |
There is a theory that the key to happiness is ensuring that you you have some achievable challenges in life (needs to be sufficiently challenging but also achievable with some effort). With the (high) risk of boring people with psychobabble, for some, the intrinsic reward of "I did it!" is enough; for others the extrinsic motivation of having recognition from others is also an important source of pleasure (neither is better or worse IMV - my intrinsic/extrinsic motivation varies from one activity or task to another, although I'm glad I have some things in life that I genuinely do for the enjoyment of the task alone, irrespective of extrinsic reward).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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What is frustrating is not being in the Dolomites on a nice day like today 
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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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| pinball13 wrote: |
| I guess one week skiing a year is a luxury for most people. It's often a choice between that and a summer holiday |
I don't understand this statement.
Please, what is a "summer holiday"? 
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| Jonpim wrote: |
| pinball13 wrote: |
| I guess one week skiing a year is a luxury for most people. It's often a choice between that and a summer holiday |
I don't understand this statement.
Please, what is a "summer holiday"? |
Dunno - I think there might have been a song about it quite a long time ago. That might provide some sort of frame of reference, assuming you have the time and inclination to do the research (I don't).
Sorry I can't help you more Jonpim...
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You know it makes sense.
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| Glen Charman wrote: |
| 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? |
Yes. In my experience, improvement, particularly for strong skiers like yourself, is not a smooth upward path, but a serious of step changes with periods of consolidation and experimentation in between. The better you get, the harder won the improvements are. What keeps my passion for skiing alive is the fact that I can always get better, so the challenge, frustration and reward are an intrinsic part of skiing.
That's not to say I don't love the scenery, the camaraderie, the whizzing down easy slopes, the hot chocolates, etc, etc, etc. Those things, although necessary, are not sufficient for me to truly enjoy skiing. The challenge of improvement, and the frustration that goes with it, is what I return to the mountains for.
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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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rob@rar,
by etc etc etc you mean "hot chicks in hot tubs", right?
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Poster: A snowHead
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[quote="Mosha Marc"]
| Lechbob wrote: |
| 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! |
You've already forgot what "it" was and you've moved onto another "it" 
I'm in the QB camp on this.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| DB wrote: |
rob@rar,
by etc etc etc you mean "hot chicks in hot tubs", right? |
Well, yes, I suppose that's true. But I try not to talk about that just in case Jane gets the wrong idea why I'm away from home quite a lot in the winter.
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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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| eddiethebus wrote: |
| midgetbiker wrote: |
| eddiethebus wrote: |
| dont ski but i get frustrated snowboarding every single day! |
Blimey snowboarding for 365 days in a year that's quite a commitment even for a resort based individual.
Why not try skiing occasionally the ease the frustration, personally I'm fairly convinced it suits Chx terrain better. |
Being frustrated doesnt remove any of the enjoyment, if i wasnt becoming frustrated with something it would mean that i'm not trying anything new.
becoming a better rider has a direct relationship with my happyness on snow. landing a small 360 off the side of a piste is great, but landing a 720 off a drop off under a lift and having people on the chairs applaud is a totally different feeling! |
I only meant that it might break up the drudge of having to snowboard every single day (even in August, when it's a long walk back, or October when it's raining)..............oh never mind I'm clearly labouring the gag.
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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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I have been wondering recently what part of the memory we store our skiing skills in.
It seems quite miraculous that the skills are acquired at lightning speed and retained pretty much intact & ready to go......... Amazing !!
I have been trying to learn the guitar whilst I've been learning to ski. I haven't picked it up for a couple of months and yesterday couldn't even get through the intro of my favourite piece........as opposed to not skiing for months and within minutes you're wizzing down the piste in any conditions on different skis, having sat at a desk for te intervening 40+ weeks. AMAZING 
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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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| Quote: |
the skills are acquired at lightning speed
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speak for yourself; I don't acquire them at lightning speed.....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, 
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| franzClammer wrote: |
I have been wondering recently what part of the memory we store our skiing skills in.
It seems quite miraculous that the skills are acquired at lightning speed and retained pretty much intact & ready to go......... Amazing !!
I have been trying to learn the guitar whilst I've been learning to ski. I haven't picked it up for a couple of months and yesterday couldn't even get through the intro of my favourite piece........as opposed to not skiing for months and within minutes you're wizzing down the piste in any conditions on different skis, having sat at a desk for te intervening 40+ weeks. AMAZING |
It's not rocket science skiing is just basic motor skills, which we tend to acquire once and not forget, same as throwing a ball or riding a bike. Guitar requires more detailed memory of notes, fingering, chord progressions etc e.g. knowing how to hold a fret isn't much use when it's the wrong one.
Which is also why learning to Ski "wrong" can result in bad habits for life.
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Hehehe - pervert.
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Of course I get frustrated, anyone who is trying to improve at anything will occasionally get frustrated. Skiing is particularly hard because there's very few concrete levels of attainment, so sometimes it's hard to know whether you have actually improved or not. I'm honestly not sure whether I have got better this season and I have skied well over 100 days.
I guess it'd be kind of nice to be just able to cruise around not caring about how I ski, but given as skiing well is a big part of my job, it wouldn't really work well for me.
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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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| jimmer wrote: |
Of course I get frustrated, anyone who is trying to improve at anything will occasionally get frustrated. Skiing is particularly hard because there's very few concrete levels of attainment, so sometimes it's hard to know whether you have actually improved or not. I'm honestly not sure whether I have got better this season and I have skied well over 100 days.
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Even if you've not got "better" against a conventional yardstick, given your training and level 100 days will have incrementally added to your demoing "smoothness" and instructor bag of tricks and your freeskiing will have picked up some fluidity surely?
I know when I did a mini season I got better through terrain familiarity and speed/fitness as much as doing new stuff. Plus lots of people to try to hang with who were better.
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Ultimately we will all probably peak (i.e. get to the point that won't be improved upon). e.g. I'd imagine Benni Raich has done 100 days+ skiing in the last few seasons but he isn't getting better.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Plus lots of people to try to hang with who were better.
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For people who are good skiers/boarders, and confident, I imagine this is a key factor. My son said he improved hugely through going out with his ski instructor flat mate, and his mates, on their days off in Val D'Isere, though he felt like a total beginner in comparison. He also enjoyed working in a chalet where one of the other staff was a very good boarder who knew the 3V well - he was sufficiently superior in ability to give my son something to aim at, but not so much so that he was out of sight. DB, I suspect I might have peaked, albeit at a slightly lower level than Benni Raich, just through old age. So my aim is to be able to keep going for a long while yet, using some improvement in skill but also a sensible range of goals (across cross-country skiing as well as downhill) to be able to keep enjoying it.
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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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pam w,
| Quote: |
I suspect I might have peaked, albeit at a slightly lower level than Benni Raich, just through old age. So my aim is to be able to keep going for a long while yet, using some improvement in skill but also a sensible range of goals (across cross-country skiing as well as downhill) to be able to keep enjoying it.
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+1 (except I'm not sure I fancy x-country, says she, not having even tried it.  )
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Poster: A snowHead
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| jimmer wrote: |
I guess it'd be kind of nice to be just able to cruise around not caring about how I ski, but given as skiing well is a big part of my job, it wouldn't really work well for me. |
I think you're 'allowed' to get frustrated though as skiing is a profession for you and an integral part of your life. I think it's us recreational skiers - who sometimes experience frustration with our skiing - that are being deemed by some to be in need of psychological help 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm pretty driven to improve in most things I do, so when progression stalls (it's never smooth in anything), I get frustrated. But that helps me analyse issues and/or seek help to improve again.
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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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| fatbob wrote: |
| jimmer wrote: |
Of course I get frustrated, anyone who is trying to improve at anything will occasionally get frustrated. Skiing is particularly hard because there's very few concrete levels of attainment, so sometimes it's hard to know whether you have actually improved or not. I'm honestly not sure whether I have got better this season and I have skied well over 100 days.
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Even if you've not got "better" against a conventional yardstick, given your training and level 100 days will have incrementally added to your demoing "smoothness" and instructor bag of tricks and your freeskiing will have picked up some fluidity surely?
I know when I did a mini season I got better through terrain familiarity and speed/fitness as much as doing new stuff. Plus lots of people to try to hang with who were better. |
Oh, in some aspects I have definitely improved, I have been running a lot more training for high level instructors, so that has been a great learning experience. Also been doing a lot of yoga, and due to that found my grabs and control in the park improving. What I have been lacking is freeskiing time with people that push me, in Chile I have a really good crew to ski with, and lots of free time, here I work a lot and don't have such ripping friends. And anyway, like I said, it's hard to tell sometimes if you are improving or not!
I'm definitely not frustrated with my skiing all the time, if I was I probably wouldn't really enjoy it. I'd say for me frustration comes in when I have to lead training on something that isn't one of my strengths (i.e. moguls), or when I go and shoot photos/video and don't get the shot, even today where I landed everything and got some good photos I am a little bummed that I didn't push myself to throw some tricks rather than straight airs.
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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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Megamum, yes, but those people go on to drive cars & motorbikes regularly, not just once a 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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| DB wrote: |
| Ultimately we will all probably peak (i.e. get to the point that won't be improved upon). e.g. I'd imagine Benni Raich has done 100 days+ skiing in the last few seasons but he isn't getting better. |
Course Raich has been getting better - he's have been ejected out of the back door of the WC circuit pretty rapidly if he hadn't, just that the rest of the field has been getting better at least as fast or maybe faster.
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FAQ
