Intermediate skier nervous after injury - how do I help?

A snowHead

Hi,

I am off skiing with a group of friends in a couple of weeks but one of my friends is getting very nervous about the holiday, as she injured herself on her last holiday two years ago. I have looked through various discussions on here about nervous skiers so I have some ideas, but was hoping that if I provide some detail, then some of you might be able to suggest a few more things.

My friend is mid thirties, once a year holiday skier who has skied about 4 or 5 weeks. She is most comfortable on blues although will tackle easy reds. Her technique is reasonable, she can parallel at all times but does tend to ‘snap’ her turns to limit being in the fall line on the steeper terrain she tackles, and can get quite tense when she thinks she is going to fall. She is quite gutsy, and really wants to be able to feel comfortable and not scared, but fear of injury is holding her back. On the last holiday, she had an unlucky fall on day one, where her ski pole got caught as she fell and dislocated her shoulder. She had to take time out from skiing, but later in the week, she thought she would get back out and have a pootle on some greens and blues (we had a beginner with us, so mostly she kept the beginner company). Again, on a moderate blue, she caught an edge and felt like she was going to fall, but as her injured shoulder was facing the slope, she panicked mid fall, began to tense and tried to twist to avoid falling on her hurt shoulder. The result, she badly twisted her knee, causing severe swelling and a blood clot under the knee cap. The shoulder is still a little troublesome now and she is still doing physio, although she has been pronounced fit to ski.

On our planned holiday, there are going to be four strong intermediates (reds, blacks + dabble in off piste if conditions permit), one total beginner and then my nervous friend. I am very conscious that she may feel left behind (and all the pressure that adds), so have proposed to have some ‘girl time’ with just me and her skiing, as well as some chilled skiing with the beginner when they are not in lessons.

My thoughts so far to help my friend include visiting the local snow dome next week on their informal coaching night. She is comfortable skiing in the dome, partly because I think she is comfortable skiing the same run repeatedly, as it builds her confidence. I am hoping the instructor will be able to give her a few drills, but she is very conscious of ‘feeling like a failure’, and can be a bit (VERY) stubborn in asking for help!

Once in resort I was planning on skiing a few runs repeatedly so she can get familiar with them, and then push herself a little harder each time, to enable more ‘time’ skiing in the fall line. I am hoping that by setting small goals (such as skiing a run better each time, better shaping of turns) and achieving them will help her realise that she is in control. I also thought about mucking about with some hockey stop drills, just to reassure her that she can stop as and when she wants (which she can, but just doesn’t believe).

Other things I will hopefully keep an eye on, is making sure she doesn’t get too tired, as she tends to be stubborn and not admit fatigue if others in the group are happy to continue, which is partly why I think she had her second knee twisting fall last holiday. Also, she puts pressure on herself to keep up with her boyfriend, who is a competent and ballsy skier who likes to rip it up. I keep telling her she doesn’t have to compare herself to him, as he is a guy with a different outlook on skiing, but that doesn’t really work, as in other sports she is very gutsy and can give the boys a run for their money. She is not the kind of girl who is content to pootle the blues, she wants to rip it up!

Ok, sorry for the rather monster post.

How do I get her to relax a bit when falling? Booze? Practice falling in the fluffy snow?

Any useful drills you can think of that might help show her that she is in control?

I really want her to enjoy the holiday and not 1) be scared, 2) feel like she is holding people up, and 3) feel like a failure/bad skier.

HELP!

A snowHead

Might be wise getting her a private lesson, a good 1/2 hour one to one lesson could really give her the confidence to enjoy the skiing once more. if you are going with a TO and not to France they normally offer ski leading days, the first is normally on the first morning and a gentle introduction to the resort, taking mainly blues. Having been a guide on the first morning the group tends to be made of up of people who not there to tear up the mountain so you should find some like minded skiiers and if the guide is a good one he/she will take there time not make people feel uncomfortable for going slow and allow time to rest between each ski.

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Get her to sign up for some lessons from day one in the resort. It takes her away from the boyfriend, takes her away from the pressure of the group (nothing worse than feeling like you're holding people up, even when you're not or they don't care) and will build confidence if done with the right instructor. There's no natural group for her to ski with feeling as she does, and pushing herself when she's not ready might result in a bigger problem than you have now.

What resort are you going to? There may be personal reccomendations on who to contact that will help.

Other thing I'd suggest is to get her not to use the straps on her poles, just hold them. Any sign of a fall, ditch the poles, that may help her to feel less like a similar injury is going to happen, and may actually prevent a similar injury if her shoulder is still weak. Put a skiier behind her, we tend to have a back marker in our groups which is someone comfortable with any terrain and happy to cruise at the pace of the slowest skiier, so if she does ditch poles etc there's someone to pick them up.

Whatever happens, it sounds like you need to split the group a bit more - agree where you're going to be for lunch and meet everyone there. The girls going off and doing their own thing makes sense, but also making sure the rest of the group are sympathetic to the need to stop and take breaks etc is important.

Final possible option, many TOs run ski guiding. There is likely to be an intermediate group that will be cruising blues and greens on day one, blue/red on day 2/3, and then lots of reds on day 3/4 depending on the group, progress etc. It might be a good way for the two of you to not just be doing your own thing, which puts pressure on you, and also having a more relaxed group of lower ability might help her to build confidence and feel like the best in the group instead of the one at the back chasing a group of experienced skiiers. This does depend if there's enough people to run several groups, and whether you are travelling with a TO.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks for the replies, some really good ideas. Especially about ditching the poles during a fall.

We are not going with a TO so guiding is likely to be out of the question. I have thought about suggesting lessons but we are having a very budget holiday, and I know the cost is a big concern for her. I may be able to convince her to spend 40 - 50€ on a private lesson, but I doubt I will be able convince her to have a full week of lessons, even if that would actually be the best thing for her. We are going to Serre Chevalier (Villeneuve) and the beginner is booked in for lessons with Ski Connections, who seem to have a good reputation. My husband and I have also booked a half day private with an instructor at the same ski school, as we are of a similar ability level.

Part of the problem is that she WANTS to ski with the rest of the group, she sees the ski holiday more about skiing with friends than having lessons seperately. I am hoping that as she won't be the one at the back all the time, since we will have a beginner with us. It did boost her confidence last time to be supervising the beginner, as she felt like the leader, in control. The rest of the group are quite good about skiing at her pace, but as other peple say, it still puts pressure on her.

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carettam, I dislocated my shoulder in a slow speed fall a few years ago, and spent about 3 years pretty much as you described your friend. Last year in Serre Che I was pushed into having some private lessons (my other half was sick of me moaning about being nervous, but I was also scared about being taken out of my comfort zone by an instructor). I ended up having 2 x 2hr private lessons which did me the world of good.

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

I'd agree with the lessons, they should give her the confidence to find her way around the hill, she would be in a group of people who will be of similar skill.
I think, even though he would never mean to do it, but, her confident boyfriend will do her no favours at all. Get her out of that environment for the first few hours to try to find her own level.
Good luck

Help!!

Intermediate skier nervous after injury - how do I help?

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