By Merisa Sherman
Ahhh, the New Year’s Resolution. The pressure to become a better version of yourself than you were last year and usually something that you will have forgotten about within the four weeks of January. Sure, we all want to recommit ourselves to our physical and mental health, but what does this mean for skiers?
As a skier and a coach, I am constantly reminded that we must choose for ourselves whether or not we want to put in the hard work to become better.
Over the years, I have developed my Four Philosophies of Skiing and I use these as my New Year’s and daily resolutions.
More days on snow than last year
If you’ve ever gotten a holiday card from me, then you know that my most fervent wish is that you will have more days on snow this year than the last. Any good coach will tell you that mileage, once you have awareness of a certain skill, is one of the best teachers there is. It also implies an increase in time spent outdoors (especially during the “SAD” months of winter — it’s also an opportunity to work on your mental health!) If you ever feel lost, sad or in doubt about life, a few runs downhill, a tour uphill or an adventure in the backcountry won’t cure your depression or solve your financial problems, but it will certainly remind you of how beautiful this world is and perhaps put all life’s difficulties into perspective.
For others, who strive to be better skiers, you have to ski more. More days, more runs, more variety, more challenge. Period.
A good skier is always thinking about something
My second phrase is that a good skier is always thinking about something. No matter how good you are at skiing and how many days a year you ski, you should always be improving — unless you ski around blindly on the same groomed trails just standing on your skis without a thought in your mind. Pick something, pick anything, to work on at the top of every run and then put mental and physical effort into performing that skill. Each section of trail is an opportunity for improvement. Whether you get better or stay the same is your choice, and it might be my tendency toward perfectionism, but I simply cannot tolerate a less than stellar performance on any section of trail. Which is why I always remind myself that most of the time, you have to do it twice to get it right.
Falling is part of skiing
With everything comes risk, it’s just that in most parts of life it doesn’t usually happen under the chairlift where everyone can see. In the early ’90s, there was an awesome t-shirt shop in town where they would custom press your t-shirt right before your eyes and I thought this was the best thing in the world. The shirt I really wanted was one that said “No Falls, No Balls, No Guts, No Glory.”
As a girl skier, I knew I didn’t have balls but the sentiment was there — if you didn’t try, if you didn’t work hard, then you would never have the glory that would come along with it. In my little mind, the glory was just being able to rip around the mountain like a big kid. If you are trying something new, you fall. If you don’t pay attention to your footwork, you fall. If you don’t anticipate the terrain, you fall. If you fear moving your weight down the hill, you will struggle on anything steeper than a blue trail. Anything can happen in skiing and we must embrace this opportunity for failure in its simplest form — you cannot hide from your mistakes, they take you down like a simple snow snake.
Anyone can ski fast; a good skier makes turns
The previous three fundamentals beg the question: what is a good skier? My dad always said that the best skier is someone who can ski anything, anytime, anyplace and with any style. A good skier is present, both physically and mentally, and not afraid to take risks, however small. But a good skier is also in control of their skis, their thoughts and their movements. It takes little thought or effort to stand on a pair of skis and glide down the mountain — we watch thousands of people do it every weekend on their vacations. But what takes a skier and makes them truly great? Turns. In fact, skiing slowly on challenging terrain might be one of the most difficult tasks in skiing.
As you head out to the slopes today, tomorrow or next weekend, give these four philosophies a thought and see if they make a difference in how you approach the sport. Even if all that happens is that you ski five more days than last year, you’ll still be more awesome than you were the year before.
So Happy New Year everyone, and may you have more days on snow this year than the last!
Merisa is a full time Killington resident, KMS coach and local Realtor. She can be reached at femaleskibum@gmail.com.
