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So, You’ve Never Skied Before

CharlieP

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Aug 23, 2016
Posts
48
Location
MD suburbs of DC
What if a beginner isn't as fast a learner as some others? Embrace it. Just keep at it, and that includes lessons. Learning more slowly than others can be a benefit.

http://bigthink.com/videos/barbara-...cial&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1502636885

I really like this quote from the article: Overconfidence can make us blind to our mistakes, so humility is a tool in itself. That's great perspective, particularly for those of us who learned as adults, so we are bound to be behind the curve. A little humility to take the lessons you need and ski the terrain you can, will allow you to improve much faster than pretending you don't need any help.

Aug 13, 2017

So true. One of the most precious and productive concept in skiing, which the coach I have and am taking season long group lessons for many seasons, instilled in me was the love/joy/embrace of gentle terrain. Before I had joined his group, I payed lip service to training on terrain which was comforting and executing on terrain which challenges. So I would be spending 80% or more of my time "executing" on the black or dark blue trails. Now that I have realized the joys and benefits of skiing the terrain which one finds oneself on, I find that I am usually split equally between terrain of various difficulty levels and don't purposefully choose more difficult trails because of any self gratification needs. In this same vein, I don't avoid difficult terrain unless it is way above my comfort level. I enjoy the leaning and the comforting experience which blue and green trails offer, as well as reaping the challenges, satisfaction and exhilaration of more difficult terrain.

So to each their own, keeping in mind that variety is truly the spice of life.

Think snow,

CP
 
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zephyr17

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Aug 18, 2017
Posts
26
Location
Washington State
I've tended to be a conservative (read chickens#@t) skier and a slow learner, I am the exact opposite of a "natural athlete". I have gotten even more conservative as I've gotten older, I've gotten paranoid about my knees, having torn up my right one in my 20s, and I am out there to have fun, not prove anything. I was away from the sport for 20 years, then got back to it a couple of years ago and have stuck with blues since my return. I've taken some lessons, mostly to get my form back (and in the process learned that some of the techniques had changed). I had an instructor at Blackcomb who really believed in only teaching on terrain that you'd be comfortable on, so as not kick survival mode in. In any case towards the end of the lesson, he coaxed me onto a groomed black with the words:

"Your skills exceed your confidence. I wouldn't take you there if didn't know you could do it, but it's up to you." I did it and did fine.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,213
Location
Boston Suburbs
I never paid any attention to the beginner forums. The value is in reading along, picking up core concepts, and occasionally sticking your neck out and jumping in.

I would unsticky this because it doesn't need to be at the top of the main forum, well intentioned as it is. People only get into forums when they have the bug, and if you have the bug you probably aren't standing in the baby pool.

It's better to just get wet.

If a true beginner finds this, it is more likely to be from a google search than from browsing the forum. So I don't think it matters much where it is located.

Personally, the only time I do anything other than hit the "new posts" button is when I'm looking for a post I remember or when I want to start a thread.
 

Don in Morrison

I Ski Better on Retro Day
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,418
Location
Morrison, Colorado
I am the exact opposite of a "natural athlete".
In school I was always one of the last kids to be picked for a team. As a soccer goalie, I was less adept than a 4x4 post stuck in the ground. I couldn't run, jump, throw or catch worth a darn.

Skiing was interesting enough to me that I think I was more motivated to try to improve. I think I'm somewhat better at skiing than I was at any other sport, but still not good enough to do competitive skiing well.

If you miss a shot, strike out or fumble the ball, everyone on your team is ticked off at you. If you biff it while recreational skiing, you will be the only one who really cares. You can enjoy it at whatever level you happen to be, and where you go from there is a function of your own motivation and determination.
 

Guy in Shorts

Tree Psycho
Skier
Joined
Feb 27, 2016
Posts
2,168
Location
Killington
In school I was always one of the last kids to be picked for a team. As a soccer goalie, I was less adept than a 4x4 post stuck in the ground. I couldn't run, jump, throw or catch worth a darn.

Skiing was interesting enough to me that I think I was more motivated to try to improve. I think I'm somewhat better at skiing than I was at any other sport, but still not good enough to do competitive skiing well.

If you miss a shot, strike out or fumble the ball, everyone on your team is ticked off at you. If you biff it while recreational skiing, you will be the only one who really cares. You can enjoy it at whatever level you happen to be, and where you go from there is a function of your own motivation and determination.
That’s why there are two I’s in skiing.
 

Seldomski

All words are made up
Skier
Joined
Sep 25, 2017
Posts
3,051
Location
'mericuh
Just found this and thought I would contribute pointers for true never-ever skiers that I did not see yet mentioned specifically...

1) Are there specific (cheap) fun activities that can get you ready for skiing? YES! One in particular is rollerskating/rollerblading and/or ice skating. Going to the skate rink a couple times before your first ski trip can get you comfortable with the sliding sensations you will get skiing. You don't need to go crazy with the skating - just go enough so that you feel competent moving at slow/moderate pace without holding the wall. Ice vs. roller skating - not much difference in which helps more. Skating is a great way to get some basic familiarity with skiing's sliding sensations and balancing on a sliding platform just prior to your trip.

2) Regarding fitness - it doesn't take much fitness to ski well. The problem is getting to the 'ski well' part. Getting up from multiple falls can be tiring. Carrying gear to/from the parking lot or condo can be tiring. Prying boots on/off your feet takes effort. At high altitude, everything can be more exhausting. If your baseline cardio/respiratory function is good, then things in general are easier. So, some baseline cardio is certainly helpful. Like - be able to 'jog a mile and do some push-ups without hoping for death when you finish' baseline. More fitness is helpful, but you should become fitter to enjoy all of life, not specifically for skiing.

3) Regarding clothing - the tendency for many of my beginner friends is to err toward wearing too much clothing, not too little. They usually wear thick insulated everything. It's better to have thinly insulated garments and wear more than 1, rather than buy really heavy/thick pants and jacket. Would you wear really heavy clothing to the gym? No. Skiing is exercise, so dress lighter than you would if you were just sitting watching an outdoor sport. Being too hot leads to sweating, dehydration, fogging goggles, wet clothes, which turn into cold, wet clothes. So if you are cold and damp, you may have better results wearing LESS and/or thinner wicking garments. Being too hot can also cause your feet to swell, making your feet numb/painful in the ski boots, which makes skiing very hard!
 

mister moose

Instigator
Skier
Joined
May 30, 2017
Posts
656
Location
Killington
Aug 13, 2017

Now that I have realized the joys and benefits of skiing the terrain which one finds oneself on, I find that I am usually split equally between terrain of various difficulty levels and don't purposefully choose more difficult trails because of any self gratification needs. In this same vein, I don't avoid difficult terrain unless it is way above my comfort level. I enjoy the leaning and the comforting experience which blue and green trails offer, as well as reaping the challenges, satisfaction and exhilaration of more difficult terrain.
Once you attain that skill level and let go of your inner (peer driven) voice telling you that you have to ski ♦♦ terrain in order for it to be worthwhile or fun, your skiing changes. Just because you can doesn't mean you have to. Lots of other ways to have fun on the mountain. Sure, I want to polish my ♦♦ skills and I frequently have a blast there. But I also want other fun, variety. The place the most fun occurs on the mountain changes daily, and it's rarely a function of trail rating.

2) Regarding fitness - it doesn't take much fitness to ski well.
Um, yeah, well, sorta maybe. The whole thing about being in shape is that you don't feel 'in shape'. There's no wattmeter inside our eyelids. When you're in shape things just seem easier. Just because the good skier doesn't feel his fitness, and it feels easy, doesn't mean no fitness is required. Just the act of balancing in motion takes muscle tone a non-skier doesn't have. There's a reason 100 day skiers are better than 10 day skiers. Of all the skiers I know whose skiing I admire, none are of average fitness. If you get out of breath walking in from the parking lot, you probably aren't killing it on the slopes.

That said, you certainly don't have to be a marathon runner or a weight lifter gym rat.
 

CraigBro

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Posts
63
Location
Vermont
As an adaptive instructor I feel compelled to at least get a bit involved in this discussion, especially when you discuss "fitness."

I'll be blunt, I don't care about fitness. You want to ski, lets do it! If you can stand up there's 2 track, 3 track, or 4 track skiing. If you can't stand then let's sit down on a monoski, biski, twin ski, cart ski, or some other type of bucket. Can't see, I'm your guide dog.

The big thing is to go out and do it. If you fall in love with sliding and playing outside in the snow that's all it is about. Fitness, if it can develop will improve. If it doesn't, who cares as long as you are having fun.

Late reply, but seeing the adaptive ski program in action at Pico compels me to than you. It is indeed about the fun. I can get focused on skill development and progression, but what keeps me coming back and what keeps my dreaming of the next day on the mountain is the fun— the sliding, tree speed, the light, the air,the views, the trees, the time ice and snow, and the stoke as you curl around into the lift line after a run

Enabling others to experience this is giving a great gift.
 

jt10000

步步高升
Skier
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Posts
1,128
Location
New York City
I'm bored so reading older stuff.

I know exactly how you feel. Try teaching a professional dancer! They watch then copy you exactly. It's downright eerie bec that's what they do when learning new choreography......... We're doing some full speed drills and I'm sliding down the slope sideways watching my GF (Beginner/Intermed) and she thinks that is what she was supposed to do and turns sideways almost switch at full speed.......... In my head I was like WTF are you doing!?!?! OMG she pulled it off beautifully, and was just about skiing switch when I GENTLY motioned that she slow down and stop......... Careful when teaching ballerinas!
This is very cool.

Some years ago a friend and I were teaching another friend who is a super coach in rowing and tennis plus a high-level bike racer to cross country ski (skate skiing). He just did what we told him very very well. He made the moves we told him. He had two or three things going for him:
  • fitness in several dimensions
  • good body control
  • willingness to listen.
There are a lot of different kinds of beginners out there - some jump right in much faster than others.
 

jt10000

步步高升
Skier
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Posts
1,128
Location
New York City
Late reply, but seeing the adaptive ski program in action at Pico compels me to than you. It is indeed about the fun. I can get focused on skill development and progression, but what keeps me coming back and what keeps my dreaming of the next day on the mountain is the fun— the sliding, tree speed, the light, the air,the views, the trees, the time ice and snow, and the stoke as you curl around into the lift line after a run

Enabling others to experience this is giving a great gift.
"the stoke as you curl around into the lift line after a run" Beautiful.
 

Chris V.

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Mar 25, 2016
Posts
1,366
Location
Truckee
"The only time you'll see rich people standing in line." Except that for the truly rich, there's the Yellowstone Club.

"Who knew standing could be that hard?" Something I wonder at every day when with beginners.

Speaking of skiing being an equalizer...getting ever fancier gear, and hiring ever more expensive private instructors will not make skiing easy. You still have to put in the work.
 

RoninSkier

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Jul 12, 2022
Posts
259
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
I’ve been there, just where you are. You are a grown-up who has never skied before. You are thinking about going to a ski resort and giving this thing a try. You might be bringing a friend or two, your significant other, your kids. By this time, you are feeling a little overwhelmed. That’s a good sign. You are aware of some level of complexity around the task at hand.

I’ve been there, merely two years ago. I asked a good friend, who is an active skier, for advice, and he gave me plenty of info. I set up everything for my family and myself, all determined to get started, and we went for our very first ski day. We hired a private instructor for the group of four. At the end of the day, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, and so did my arms. I was physically exhausted and emotionally drained. I also knew that my life had changed forever.

Skiing is a wonderful experience, especially when shared with friends and family. It involves play and fun in the most beautiful natural setting: snow-covered mountains. You feel like a kid again. But you need to be aware that skiing isn’t particularly straightforward. It takes commitment to learning, proper equipment, and adherence to the mountain rules.

You may be wondering what was so hard about the first day. For starters, I had to wear ski boots, the single most important piece of skiing equipment. Ski boots provide the mechanical link between your feet and your skis. Ski boots are great for skiing, but hard for moving around if you are not used to them. I felt deeply frustrated in other ways, too: the most basic things seemed incredibly difficult to me, yet little kids would pass by me, skiing wonderfully. What was wrong with the Universe, all of the sudden?

mendieta-jpg.15900

But let's back up and discuss getting ready for that first day. The most common advice is that you rent equipment, head to a resort, ski for a day or two (under some sort of professional instruction), and then decide what’s next. Most people would agree that you should take at least one or two ski lessons to get started. The first one will teach you the rudiments: how to walk in ski boots, how to put skis on, how to walk on the snow with the skis on, how to get up when you fall. You will probably move to a bunny hill, where you will learn how to turn and stop in the most basic way (wedging, that is, placing your skis in an inverted V-shaped position and using the inside edges to scrape the snow). That’s your first milestone. Your second milestone will be learning how to ride a chairlift to the easiest run on that mountain then how to make some basic turns in a wedge. Next you'll probably focus on learning how to stop in a more efficient way (the so-called hockey stop), and progress into more parallel turns.

That’s the short of it, but let's dive into the details. Using proper equipment and wearing appropriate clothes for the sport are key, and so is choosing a good time and place to get started. Adequate fitness level is an important prerequisite.
  • Equipment. You’ll probably want to rent skis and boots first and then figure out the rest. Try to avoid generic big-box stores and use a dedicated ski shop instead. Ask them about pros and cons of buying versus renting. Renting ski equipment is a lengthy process, so do it before your first ski day. Do not use somebody else’s boots and skis, which could result in serious injury.
  • Clothing. You need to keep yourself warm and dry. Buy snow pants (you can get a cheap pair to start), and make sure you have a proper snow jacket. Buy ski socks: you must use proper socks. Dress in multiple, comfortable layers. You definitely want goggles for eye protection, and a helmet is just as important as when you ride a bike, perhaps even more.
  • Location. Ask for help finding a good resort to start in your area; pugski.com is a friendly place to start. Give the resort a call and book lessons ahead of time. Make a plan. They should be able to help with that.
  • Timing. If you can, avoid starting on a long weekend or major holiday, when most resorts get crowded and the whole experience degrades. Remember: the very first day will be a little tough no matter what; you don’t want it to be any harder than it needs to be. Try to give your first trip at least two consecutive days, ideally three, with instruction each day. You will have invested a significant amount of money and preparation time, and you want to reap the benefits. It's very likely that by Day 3, you will be having fun, and you’ll end your first trip on a positive note.
  • Fitness. As mentioned above, a certain level of fitness is required before you start. The thing to remember is that you need to get in shape in order to ski, not the other way around. Skiing is a high-performance sport where you slide down slippery slopes on two thin planks. There are no brakes. Your body is the machine that controls the skis. If you haven’t been physically active lately, do yourself a favor and get at least a month of preparation; gym workouts with a focus on lower body and core section are great, and so is biking.
  • Other tips. Morning lessons work best for many beginners, because fatigue can be an issue in the afternoon. A good, healthy, wholesome breakfast will help you make the best of your ski day. Hydration throughout the day is also very important. You might want to bring along some snacks, such as cereal bars or nuts.
Does it sound like quite a bit of preparation? It is, but it's well worth it. And it's not that complicated, if you focus and get organized. Let's restate our quick checklist: buy or rent proper clothes and equipment in advance, book two to three consecutive days of instruction, and make sure you are in reasonably athletic shape.

So, now you are probably wondering, what's next? Once you are back from your first trip, you probably either loved it or decided that skiing is not your thing. Assuming you loved it, which you very likely did, you'll want to extend your rentals. Season rentals are much cheaper than renting every time you hit the slopes, and they make the preparation for the next trip trivial: all you need is lift tickets and a big smile. Try to ski at least 10 days in your first season, hopefully even more. Also, try to get frequent instruction.

At first, and most likely for the rest of your first season, you will be using beginner trails, which are indicated by the color green. Enjoy them, have a blast. You will progressively turn with your skis more parallel to each other. Your level of control over your skis and your overall level of confidence will be constantly increasing. Your next milestone will be to control your speed by making turns with parallel skis, where corresponding edges are used each time, so that both skis have very similar inclination with respect to the snow. Skiing is the art of turning. Good technique will allow you to make good turns. Good tactics will dictate the size and shape of your turns, which will allow you to control your speed.

Other milestones will follow, but avoid the temptation to move to steeper terrain before you are ready. Focus on improving your technique. Skiing is an extremely technical sport, and there is a lot to learn. Better technique will allow you to explore more challenging terrain. But it's not so much about the destination, it's about enjoying the journey. And this journey, I can tell you, is a lovely one.
Very good advice.

And there should be a warning about becoming too absorbed in the minutia of the physics/biomechanics of skiing as an armchair instructor/coach/WC racer..... good to know & understand but its like a drug, intoxicates..... will fry your brain...... avoid it as long as you can.

Your body doesn't have pressure/force gauges, angle & speed gauges. Go by what your body senses, what feels right. Good instruction and good ski buddies help.

Spend your money on good boots & skis for your ability. Dont be a brand snob about clothing..... go functional but cheap.....looking hot doesn't mask what you are not.

Enjoy & have fun first and always.
 

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