Improve Performance And Enjoy The Ride - Part 1

Hi everyone, and welcome to my first skiing blog post since last winter season eight months ago. During the winter I'll often put blogs on this page with an update on the latest snow conditions, and perhaps what's new in resort and on the mountain. Other times I'll write about who I have skied with, and how I helped them enjoy their ski holiday. I'll occasionally talk about the theory behind ski technique, but not every reader coming to this page is interested in such things, which is fair enough. However this week's post, and the following, I'll be going into a bit of theory with you.....

Today I'm going to be talking about Performance Threads. This is a subject that those of you who I've skied with over the years have heard me talk, whether directly or indirectly. There are four main performance threads that can affect our skiing, for better or worse. So having an awareness of them before and during your next ski holiday could be a useful advantage. What are these four main performance threads? Technical, Tactical, Physical and Psychological. Today I'll be going through the Technical and Tactical threads, with Physical and Psychological threads featuring next week. Right, are you ready?

TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE THREAD

This is a biggy, and quite often when people book ski lessons, the technical side of improving skiing will be at the top of their agenda. I completely understand this, especially if there is a hole in someone's knowledge. My goal when ski teaching is to try to simplify any technical feedback. Technique can get quite complicated but it really doesn't need to be. I know that when I'm skiing for myself, I'll only think about one technical focus, two at most. Why? It's the way my brain works, and certainly from experience with ski teaching over the years, I've found this to be the case with most skiers (but not all).

When I first ski with a client, straightaway I'll have a very quick look at their skiing within their comfort zone by choosing an appropriate piste. I'll start to make a list in my mind about which technical aspect can be enhanced, and then think what to prioritise first if there's a list. There are two main areas of technique that can affect a skier, balance and steering. If someone's balance is a little wayward, this can affect their steering (ie turning). However if someone's steering is sub-optimal, this could affect their balance as a result. It's my job to choose the priority of 'areas of improvements'.

The good news is, sometimes fixing one thing actually fixes another. Think of it as a 'virtuous circle', the opposite of a 'vicious circle'. Sounds great doesn't it? If a virtuous circle takes place, then moving onto the next technical subject will definitely help your skiing performance, which then hopefully helps you enjoy your ski holiday even more.

There are three 'planes of movement' when it comes to balancing when skiing. 'Lateral', 'Rotational' and 'Fore and Aft'. I often hear the command 'dig your edges in'! This isn't a phrase you will hear me say by the way. It can be used by people who think they are skiing correctly. You can 'dig your edges in' as much as you want, but if you aren't balanced correctly over the sweet spot of a ski, your ski edges will not provide you with enough pressure (think of it as grip) to give you the level of control that you want. It takes a trained eye to check that your three 'planes of movement' are working well for you.

Likewise, a trained eye will be needed to check if you are steering your skis effectively, ie how are you turning your skis. Why is this important? Maybe a better question to ask is, 'why do we bother turning'? The short answer is to give you enough control of the line down the mountain, and to give you enough control of your speed. Unfortunately our brain often tells us to do the incorrect thing on skis.

Skiing is a sport where it's very difficult to ski well without observation and feedback from a trained instructor. Yes, there will be the rare skier who can teach themselves, but for the vast majority of us..... When I was a recreational skier, before I started my ski instructor training and exams, I'd often watch 'good' skiers. Sometimes I was blown away with how people skied on tricky snow conditions, I couldn't understand how balanced they were and the level of grip between their skis and snow with so little effort! Ski technique doesn't have to be complicated.

TACTICAL PERFORMANCE THREAD

This particular thread is sometimes overlooked, which is a shame because it can make a big change to the level of your skiing performance and enjoyment. It's possible for a skier to have reasonably sound technique, but if they make poor tactical decisions then their performance is likely to be compromised. One example is who a skier choses to ski with! Skiing with the right people for you is a real joy, and absolute pleasure. Skiing with friends, or a partner, who are of a similar skiing level is a very fun experience.

However if there are mixed levels of skiers skiing together, with mixed agendas, there's a probability that someone is likely to feel under pressure. This sounds so obvious doesn't it, but you wouldn't believe how many times I see this scenario on the mountain, or hear of such tales. It can be a difficult subject to talk to skiers about. But if you are one of these people who can be openly honest, and stick to what you want, I can guarantee you your performance and enjoyment will be way higher. If a skier feels under peer pressure for whatever reason, it's a horrible place to be.

Another area where tactical choices are made, is choosing which type of piste you want to ski down. If greens and blues are your thing, then enjoy. Because let's face it, in the 3 Valleys including Méribel and Courchevel, you are spoilt for choice when it comes down to greens and blues. If you are determined to drag a friend (who normally skis on greens and blues) down a red or a black piste because you think they will enjoy it, I beg you to think twice before doing so. Some skiers easily forget how damn scary and terrifying the sport can be for others!?!

When it comes to weather, if it's dodgy then plan to stay on the lower half of the mountain, preferably pistes in the trees. Don't forget, many ski areas have their own apps which will show up-to-date webcam images. I use the 'Les 3 Vallées' app frequently when I'm working. Likewise, if you wake up in the morning and look out of the window and see low hanging cloud, check the webcams. You never know, it could be a sea of cloud where the higher ski lifts are in the sun. Talk about enhancing your enjoyment and performance when this happens!

There you go, nothing particularly new or ground breaking. But I really hope you picked up on a few nuggets that might help on your next ski holiday. Ski holidays are meant to be fun, and when things align, it's one of the best holidays ever. Next week I'll write about the other two main performance threads; Psychological and Physical. In the meantime, Live With Passion. Martin.