Professional Tips Can Help Fix Common Mistakes Made By Most Skiers
The most common mistakes for skiers are easy to fix.
Chris Fellows, director of the North American Ski Training Center in Truckee, Calif., has 16 years of experience teaching all levels of skiing, locally and in Europe.
Fellows said some of the mistakes intermediate skiers make involve a psychological block that can be overcome with the technical understanding and encouragement that a professional offers. Many of the mistakes can be corrected simply by using common sense. Some of his advice:
Be prepared for conditions.
On cold days, unthinking skiers fail to wear hats and adequate layers of clothing. They get chilled and have to go in early.
Always wear sunglasses or goggles to protect eyes against snow blindness.
Common sense tells you that if you can’t see where you’re going, you’re going to have a difficult time skiing well. Fellows recommended goggles if you’re going to be skiing in the trees, running gates or if the weather is acting up. When it’s windy on the slopes, goggles keep your eyes from getting dried out and tired.
Start slowly in the morning.
Take time to make a few warm-up runs. Fellows said many skiers are too gung-ho first thing in the morning. They wear themselves out early, then don’t have any energy left by the end of the day. And that’s when they get hurt. Fellows recommends tackling the most challenging terrain after warming up, then saving the last few runs for “cruisers” as you wind down for the day.
Breathe.
Fellows said that when he sees students struggling and stiffening up, he has them stop and take three deep breaths before starting again. People have a tendency to hold their breath when they’re nervous. As Fellows points out, “If there’s no oxygen getting to your muscles they can’t function.” Make a conscientious effort to breathe regularly.
Drink water.
Fellows said, “You don’t realize it but you’re sweating a lot out there.” If you let yourself get dehydrated, you’ll fatigue faster. Carry a water bottle or visit the water fountain frequently.
Quiet your upper body.
“A big mistake that intermediates make is that they use their upper body to turn the skis rather than the lower body. It doesn’t lend to good flow because you have to turn your body all the way around again for the next turn.”
One popular exercise for quieting the upper body is to pretend you’re holding a tray of drinks in front of you while you ski; be careful not to spill the drinks. Or pretend your upper body is in a tuck and going straight down the hill while your lower body continues to make turns. Or practice “target skiing.” Pick a spot down the slope and focus on that with your upper body and allow the lower body to turn underneath.
Be perpendicular with the hill.
Fellows said intermediates tend to lean into the hill for security when they start feeling uncomfortable with the terrain. He explained, “If you’re leaning into the hill, you’re not able to properly cross over the ski to establish a perpendicular stance to the hill. You want to be perpendicular so you can stand in the center of the ski. By standing in the center of the ski, you’re able to use the entire ski throughout the turn.” In other words, if you work with gravity and with the design of the ski, you’ll make things a lot easier.
Be dynamic on your skis.
Fellows said many intermediates brace with their outside leg and use that as their brake when they come into a turn. He said, “You should flex the leg through the turn. It allows more range of motion and allows you to absorb and adjust to changing terrain.” Some instructors refer to this as up-and-down movement; others call it weighting and unweighting. Either way, the idea is to use your ankles and knees to absorb the terrain.
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