I'm not sure I actually enjoy skiing!

A snowHead

Skied only with young family for last 10 years, no macho debrief with three females.

What changed for me was private lessons, same instructor all week, with the brief “I don’t want to be scared”. One deconstructed my hockey stop (after 15 years of lessons!) to show how it could be more effective, and suddenly I had confidence on steeps. Others taught me bumps, or how to steer in deep snow. I hope next time to have a week doing park, so when my skis don’t touch snow or I approach a ramp I don’t panic.

Sod carving, that bores me to tears.

I’m 51, with an office job, I don’t mind a bit of adrenaline, but I’m not as invincible as I was age 17 with fitness, balance, and no technique whatsoever.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Loads of great advice in this thread.

Just for balance , and to keep up the reputation of forums (fora?) Can I just add...

Put your big boy panties on and get on wi' it!

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TCruise, this is a skiing forum, so everyone here likes/loves skiing.
And the general gist of this thread is there must be a way for everyone to like skiing.
But its not for everyone.
Nothing wrong with not liking skiing.
Better you admit it now and stop torturing yourself.
Go with what you enjoy: Scuba diving.
And get yourself onto Scubaheads - if it doesn't exist, then why not start it yourself (insert happy scuba emoji here)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

None of us are skiing because we are ordered to, so.... why should we

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Not everyone does enjoy skiing! A really good friend of mine gave it six goes in his late twenties and early thirties and concluded it just wasn’t his thing. For much the reasons the OP describes.

I’ve also been on holidays with people who will ski half a day when the weather is perfect, join us for lunch and dinner but spend a lot of time enjoying the air, the views and their books.

I don’t think everyone will love skiing

After all it is free

Maybe it really is the equipment, have you tried skiing in your wet suit, diving goggles & snorkel ? wink

Lots said already but if you like the scenery and the apres and you can actually ski it's worth sticking with it. I hit a plateau at a similar stage: Everything hurt a bit or was uncomfortable, I could get down anything but survival was the goal etc etc but one day something just clicked technique-wise and it felt natural and everything started to flow. I have a sense that it was something to do with just feeling things through my feet and relaxing enough to allow them to move and react naturally to the snow etc but equally that might be utter B*****it!

Also, you don't say where else you've ski'd, only Val Thorens. Maybe look into some different types of ski area or other countries? e.g. Chamonix is a large town with some ski areas nearby, it's a massively different type of ski holiday from a ski in/out high altitude mega-resort with a completely different vibe. The Dolomites have very different scenery from the Alps (and MUCH better & cheaper restaurants!) Norway/Sweden again a very different vibe to them. I learnt and did most of my early ski trips in Val D'Isere and Les Arcs etc but then started going to other places (such as Cham) and when we went back to Val for a trip some years later I really didn't like it anymore and wouldn't hurry back. Millions do so I'm probably something of an outlier but something worth considering - plenty of advice on here about when/where to find quiet slopes!

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Liking skiing doesn't mean you always have to like skiing. Hating some aspects of skiing doesn't mean you have to dislike everything about skiing.

1. Icy pistes SUCK
2. Skiing in crowds SUCKS (even on perfect bluebird powder days)
3. Skiing on crowded icy pistes REALLY SUCKS

Even good skiers don't enjoy that, and generally only holiday skiers ski on days like that, because of the pressure of having a limited amount of time to enjoy the slopes.

So what to do about?

1. The only way to ensure good snow conditions is to book at the very last minute based on forecasts. This may or may not be possible.
2. Go to smaller quieter resorts at quieter times of the season
3. Don't be afraid to say ' Be Nice please!

it, I'm going drink beer and read a book on the terrace' when conditions and crowds suck. Take the ego out of it - that doesn't make you a lesser or worse skier (and skiing ability is one of the stupidest things to judge a person on anyway).
4. Ski later in the season. Skiing in late March vastly reduces the chances of icy conditions, as it will generally either be warm and sunny (soft spring snow, which bad skiers can't race around on) or cold and snowy (powder snow, which bad skiers can't race around on). Plus chilling on the terrace in the moutains with a beer and book in a tshirt on a warm spring day is pretty damn awesome.
5. Take up skitouring - even when busy, generally pretty much everyone in the touring zones can actually ski so you don't have to deal with the boy racer loose cannons

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My major "sport" is sailing and there is often quite a lot I don't like about it, including having to put on far too much clobber to feel even vaguely comfortable. And sitting feeling vaguely queasy, desperately needing s pee, wondering if you can manage it ( in all that clobber) without throwing up.

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I just read the OP again.
I think the common thread running through all of it is "confidence".
Self-confidence in being bragged at by everyone else at the end of the day, and confidence in getting down without significant facial damage.
If that's true then it's a psychology question.

You know it makes sense.

Enjoyment of skiing depends on a few things for me:

- absolutely must be noncompetitive - I hate the idea of racing etc although I like skiing quickly when the conditions suit
-quiet slopes. Nobody enjoys navigating through crowds. Even if you're a good skier it's limiting to have to nip down the sides of pistes and you're constantly watching for someone deciding to turn into your path etc and if you're being responsible you also should slow down when it's busy
-enjoyment of challenge - in more challenging conditions I find it rewarding to successfully descend although generally I am not too worried about actual danger - just trying not to let my technique deteriorate too much.
-enjoyment of controlled speed - to be honest one my fave things to do is to ski big arcs at speed down very quiet reds and blues. Even if it's not challenging it feels nice.
-enjoyment of the surfy feeling of fresh snow -if we're lucky.

I think a lot of it has to do with confidence which only more time on snow can help with. I'm not sure I would enjoy skiing if I was trying to keep up with someone going at a pace which I didn't feel comfortable with, or off piste in situations that seemed genuinely exposed. But another person might feel fine in that situation depending on their experience, risk appetite etc.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I fear you’ve all been trolled... this is @Whitegold coming out of the closet. Explains everything!

A snowHead

A snowHead

My own approach to sports is that I don't expect to be able to hugely enjoy a new sport from the start.
All my sports have involved some early-stage "slog" as I built up the skills to enjoy the sport.

With some sports I found that the cost/benefit of learning didn't work for me.
Martial arts, tennis and football for example.
With those, I didn't find the training enjoyable enough to want to put in the time to get good enough to enjoy the sport, so I stopped doing them.

With skiing, from the start I wanted to ski properly, not like learners or snow ploughers.
I was lucky to find that putting in the time to get to that level was fun.

Perhaps the OP is at the point where a choice is to be made: continue not enjoying hacking down icy blacks like an expert beginner, or learn to ski.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Having skied since the 1970`s (as a young teenager) I can see a whole lot of truth in many of the above posts. The absolute bottom line is that only you can ever decide how to spend your leisure time.

I have always been more at home in 'normal' water than I ever will be on the 'frozen stuff'. But I thoroughly enjoy being in the snowy mountains! In my youth I enjoyed the feeling of a job well done when getting to the bottom of a particularly challenging run, as a Mum I thoroughly enjoyed watching and teaching my children to ski. But, on reflection, I did not enjoy getting down those challenging runs, and once my children were old enough and capable enough of getting down pretty much anything I chose not to do those challenging runs with them. I found I enjoyed skiing in great conditions, on uncrowded runs and stopping frequently for a drink, to take in the scenery, read a book/kindle whilst lapping up the sunshine. I don`t ever buy a ski pass other than on a day to day, half day, or 4 hourly, basis whatever, and thereby remove much of the (self imposed) pressure to get out and ski as much as possible. If I fancy a day in the swimming pool/spa instead of skiing, thats what I do. Often for pretty much the same money!

I freely admit, I don`t necessarily always like skiing. I like to compare it to reading books. There are many books I enjoy, there are many I do not want to read. I do enjoy holidays in the mountains that allow me to ski slopes that I think I will enjoy it and I enjoy being in a library or bookshop which gives me the opportunity to read books I think I will enjoy.

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Last trip we made, we snowboarded as usual but halfway through the second day, we'd had enough. I get wicked foot pain in my lead foot and that was properly getting me down, and conditions at the time were icy and just not what I wanted for snowboarding. It was chairlift > bomb downhill > chairlift > bomb downhill (repeat) and that just got boring. The missus felt somewhat similar so we just hired some skis, had a lesson and effectively started for scratch.

We love it now. We're going skiing with the kids at Easter and can't wait because we are all going to be learning. It's given us a fresh take on things.

Don't get me wrong, if I had the chance to go on an epic powder day with a snowboard (on my own), then I'd jump at the chance, but as it stands with taking the kids, our new-found love for skiing has really changed our outlook on snow holidays. We're going to Arinsal, not a huge area but we don't care; it's going to be a nice week, relaxed, improving our skills and just chilling as a family.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I’m struck that this thread has resonated with many skiers who are very able and love to ski. It shows we all have moments you describe, OP. I hope that makes you feel a bit better about it all.
There has been some great advice given. For me fitness is key, I think it gets me out of trouble when I have a mental wobble with challenging skiing but also it’s dealing with ones mindset. If the latter is upbeat then all is well. And as someone said up-thread skiing at non-busy times, when my girls were little I forgot to pre-book ski school once. The only slot was lunchtimes. We had (ridiculous) early lunch, dropped the girls off and my OH and skied 11-2pm. For Val D’isere the pistes were amazingly clear and to ski without anxiety of hitting anyone led to really enjoying the fast carving which is inhibited whenever pistes are busy. It was a revelation skiing at lunchtime!
What people find enjoyable about skiing is so variable, and we all have different needs for that endorphin rush, but as @skimummk touching post said, it is a blessing to be able to enjoy the mountains, however we do it.

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just remember its supposed to be a holiday, so just do whatever you want, theres absolutely no need to ski everyday, if the suns out, find a nice mountain restaurant, take a book, have a drink or two, or just watch the world go by.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Tcruise this sounds pretty normal.

There is a lot of testosterone on ski forums and anyone who can't do blacks and doesn't hold the perfect pose etc gets hammered by the triple-Y-chromosome types Smile

Look at some posts here...

Yet, many people just like to enjoy skiing at a particular level. They like to go to particular locations where there are nice well made slopes which can be skied safely and enjoyably.

What you say "When it's steep, busy, chopped up, moguls, busy but people screaming past you....I'm just happy to have survived" I completely understand. There comes a time each day when I just pack it in because the place has filled up with all sorts of clowns and the snow is all churned up and hard to ski.

Stick to locations which are enjoyable and get your skiing out of the way early on each day. Get up early, be the first up there, get a few hours of perfect skiing in before the apres-ski p155heads wake up and trash the slopes, and then pack it in and chill out somewhere.

THANK YOU ALL

I posted this in trepidation of the response, expecting "skiing is the best thing ever...shut up!" Instead, just knowing that nearly all understand, and most have experienced, the circumstances that I have described, and yet still love skiing, makes it all so much better. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my thoughts.

There's too much to go through to respond to the many bits of great advice, except to thank you all for your time. I will re-read this numerous times, particularly when I'm feeling similar, I am sure.

In short, my introduction to and foundations for skiing come from skiers who I class as "very good". I of course wanted to be "very good," BUT having written what I have written, and having read your responses, I think I set myself a target that ultimately I have no interest in achieving.

For those "very good" skiers, skiing is all about pushing yourself to the limit of, or beyond, your capabilities. They have every year hired and gone off-piste in Chamonix with the (in)famous guide Roland (he's featured in the 'Skiing With Demons' book). Skiing for them is all about pushing beyond your comfort zone, otherwise you aren't trying....and you must try because you need to beat/better your previous.

I'm not saying that's wrong, but it is not what I want out of skiing. I previously thought, that was what skiing was about.

For my friends I ski with, it's not near the same level of skill. But there is a competitive edge to it, that I just cannot be bothered with. I will learn to deal with that, and just ignore the post-ski "hero" stories. It's worth it, as we party so hard and so very well together Smile

What I will do is:
1. Know where I am on the Piste Map
Going in a group, it's very easy to follow and never know where you are, nor how long it will take to get back.
That can make me a little concerned that I'm going to be forced to go on some massive ski that i may not be up for. Taking a bit of control will ensure that I'm aware when I want to break off from the group.

2. Take the Pressure Off
If I don't want to ski, I won't.
If I want to stop, I will.
If the weather is terrible, just don't go.
Seems simple enough, but the "come on, one more run" peer pressure that I've experienced, I fall for and then feel forced to do stuff I simply do not enjoy. Someone mentioned above, not having to "prove" that I can ski to anyone, and not trying to cram in skiing if I don't want to, that's great advice.

For me, doing these first two will greatly change what skiing is to me and my enjoyment of it.

3. Ski Tracks
This is a tough one, but really I should delete this app. All it really does is amp up the competitiveness angle. But i've got to say, I do enjoy it.

4. Fitness/Lessons
I intend to continue with both. Fitness, I need to improve that anyway, and will do. I wanted to go on the InsideOut skiing in Tignes in November, but it clashes with a concert I booked 18months ago....I'm going to that gig.

5. Remind Myself that it is a Holiday
I liked the "lunch like a boss" comment. Why not!

Vertigo is my other main issue with skiing, but more skiing experience and I deal with that better. However, the more tired I get, the worse the vertigo can get...so next time, I will just stop.

Plenty of other things to think of and do, following the great advice on here. I might even look at getting some new boots.

Oh as for where I have skied: Val Thorens, Val d'Isere (a favourite), Morzine, St.Anton, Meribel, Mayrhofen and Vail.

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@TCruise, fantastic, enjoy the mountains. snowHead

Let us know how you get on next trip as well with the new approach - perhaps even a full trip report including the best places to stop for lunch!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Thanks. The next trip is in a month, although it's with a big group (20 people) and likely to involve a lot of apres! Will certainly let you know how I get on.

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If peer pressure helps you improve, use it.
If peer pressure is just willy waving, ignore it.

Most of my skiing was chasing my much more skilful wife down mountains and at the end of the day being glad to be still in one piece and by Wednesday having nothing left in the tank. My pleasure came from being in the mountains and not having the time to think about work. Without realising it my skill level improved and the points at which I felt scared reduced.
The real improvement for me came with our first ClubMed holiday though. I deliberately selected a group lower than my wife (easy decision she does group 4 off piste). Suddenly the “pressure” of constantly trying to keep up or worrying about holding her back had gone. I was no longer the slowest in our group (unlike the family) and I could enjoy what I was doing. We met up at lunch times and could chat about our experiences. I also found I enjoyed tuition which tends to be of the fairly light hand on the tiller variety and I was meeting new, and often interesting people.
I’m not saying it has to be ClubMed, but some group lessons may well reinvigorate.
We also do non Club holidays but I am far more relaxed skiing with my family and my skills have improved.
Can’t wait for our holiday to Val d’Isere on 23/2.
I should also add that the ESF instructors have not conformed to my preconceptions (with one exception who was clearly suffering from burn out!).

You know it makes sense.

I really, really recommend lessons...

I had one week of lessons when I first learnt (2010) since then I have done quite a lot of skiing (including half a season) but never had any more instruction.

Then a couple of years ago I was a bit concerned about the same things as you, my legs were hurting when I didn't expect, and I felt like I was fighting the mountain. I decided to have a couple of lessons and it was pretty much game changing - the instructor pointed out all the things I was doing wrong (so I immediately forgot how to ski!) but then gave me a couple of focussed drills to work on. Now I feel so much more confident in my ability so I am much less concerned about not smashing my face in on the runs which really frees up your head to enjoy the sensations and applying the techniques. For example I am not worried about what runs might be off a new lift or if I'll take a bad turn and end up on too hard a piste.

I really feel like I turned a corner with it (on the downside, I am now spending lots more money trying to fit in extra ski trips...)

The other thing that helped as well was going to the snowdome every month or two in the off season as it keeps the muscle memory a bit and mitigates that first day frustration where you can't do what you were doing before.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Re: ski tracks, I think it's one of those apps that is best used in relation to your own performance and progression but should never ever be compared against others (top speeds etc are also v prone to GPS error - ski tracks seems to consistently overestimate my top speed vs my Garmin watch).

I find it interesting over time to monitor top and average speeds, total distance and vertical, although it's influenced by lift speeds and whether there's queues just as much as by how I'm skiing.

Wouldn't dream of showing anyone else the data though! Toofy Grin

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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I agree with jedster above. This sport gets so macho at times.

It is also hard to find groups to ski with. Most are relatively advanced and their objective is to push the boundaries; off piste, etc. Some I bumped into recently were deadly serious and grim faced...

The hardest thing in skiing is lugging the kit up and down between the hotel and the lift entrance Smile

I've done scuba too and it is as safe as you make it, diving together with a buddy. You can manage the risk. In skiing you cannot manage it so well because - even on piste - you can't control other people. All the people I know who broke a leg did it in incidents involving another skier (often avoiding another skier).

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

As far as I can tell, most people on the slopes don't really care about the skiing.

They're there to get stoned on caffeine and alcohol, avoid talking to the wife and kids, and brag to everyone back home about how amazing it all was and how try to pretend that skiing somehow makes them adventurous. All the while chewing up the mountain and generally ruining the environment.

The skiing is more or less incidental for them. There to ski between over priced huts and get a few instagram posts.

After all it is free

@Ionizingskin, jeez dude sounds like you need to get stoned and chill ya big doom monger!

Do more of the bits you enjoy and ditch the ones you don't. It's an expensive trip if you don't really enjoy it. I could think of loads more things to spend my money on if I didn't have the skiing bug.

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Over the last 10 years we, as a group, have numbered between 10 and 27. We split up either by ability or keenness to cover the piste. Some prefer regular pit stops, others have something to prove. We generally like resorts where you can travel and repeat the odd run that appeals. I think the message is to chill , appreciate the surroundings and do it at a pace you enjoy.

Help!!

I'm not sure I actually enjoy skiing!

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