“It’ll change your life,” she said on the summit of Flagstaff Mountain at Deer Valley last summer. I was chatting with Chef Sarah Glover over an open fire during one of the resort’s Taste of Luxury events. We weren’t discussing the mountain bike flow trails criss-crossing beneath our feet or the powder-filled Daly Chutes casting shadows behind us. Nope. I simply asked the Australian where to travel to in her vast homeland, and, as if revealing cosmic secrets, she looked directly at me and replied, “Tasmania. It will change your life.”
She was right.
Stay with me; I’ll bring it back to skiing.
Solutions instead of resolutions
Driving up to Sundance Mountain Resort on New Year’s Eve, I’m listening to a podcast about habits (yeah, that guy). A few years ago, I wrote about swapping 'resolutions' for 'solutions,' mindset that focuses less on goals and more on tweaking things, which often involves trying new things. This is an adult phenomenon. Kids don’t make resolutions; they try new things all the time. They enroll in new classes every semester. Their lives are constantly changing.
Recognizing that changed my life, permitting me to…say ‘yes’ more often. I learned to ski in my 40s and learned to ski well in my 50s. I’ve taken private and group lessons and enrolled in clinics but probably had the greatest number of a-ha moments skiing with girlfriends (spoiler: boyfriends and spouses make poor ski instructors), the ones that told me, “You can ski . I’ll show you.” I’d follow, flail, swear and laugh out loud all the way down, meeting a cheering section at the bottom. Then, I’d do it again, laughing more and swearing less. I never imagined I’d do any of these things, and yes, I’m still learning to execute them better, but I’m NOT AFRAID to keep trying, to keep exploring not just new runs but my abilities.
That is life-changing.
Who do you want to be?
The habits guy explains what motivates you to do things, whether exercising or mowing the lawn. It’s to be the person you want to be. If you like your strong arms or people compliment them, you’ll lift those dumbbells; if you want to be a good neighbor or folks stop to admire your garden, you’ll cut that grass and weed. These are powerful internal and external motivators.
If you want to become a skier or a better one, ask yourself what kind of skier you want to be — a powder hound at Alta Ski Area, a mogul maven at Snowbasin Resort, a high-edge groomer slayer at Brian Head Ski Resort, a backcountry explorer through Ski Utah Interconnect Tour or an I-just-want-to-keep-up-with-my- skier at any Utah resort.
For first-time skiers, the answer is to take several half-day lessons or enroll in a multi-day clinic. Realize that, like any other new endeavor, you will NOT be an expert after Day 1, but you WILL BE BETTER than when you started. Let your crew know you’re excited to learn and would love their support.
Don’t be afraid to Fail or Fall
If you’ve been skiing for a while and are getting frustrated cruising down the same runs at the same resorts (THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT I HEAR FROM VISITING FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS), there is only one piece of advice: Don’t be afraid to fall or fail.
After booking flights to Tasmania, I became consumed with anxiety. What if this life-changing trip produced something…awful? There’s a popular joke that everything in Australia wants to kill you. I stopped Googling at 14. Fear is a powerful motivator and antagonist, making me, at one point, consider canceling my flights, hotel and dining reservations to way, way out Tasmania. After all, who goes to Tasmania? Home of devils? This is crazy!
To some, skiing sounds crazy too. Living all over the U.S., I’ve learned there are “crazy” activities everywhere: water skiing in snake-filled bayous, big wave surfing, deep sea fishing (hooks, sharks!), road biking, attending Mardi Gras or Times Square on New Year’s Eve! Forget about what’s crazy.
Forget about what “could” happen, too. Falling? If you’re picturing Mikaela Shiffrin crashing into a barricade, remember that she’s skiing faster than a rally car with her hip hovering above a sheet of ice. If you look up the mountain or the bunny hill, the vast majority are upright. Finally, you could fall in your own kitchen. In actuality, increased activity and body awareness will likely help avoid injury. In the U.K., researchers teach older adults judo to learn ‘how to fall’ to prevent hurting themselves. Skiing is not crazy.
Change things up to level up
I famously quipped to a frustrated friend during his annual trip to Utah, “You’ll never be a better skier skiing the same runs at…” I wasn’t trying to be cheeky or single out any resort. My point was that we get comfortable skiing the same runs repeatedly, and because we’re not focusing as much on the fundamentals, we form some bad habits.
As you’ve heard from every behavioral researcher and fitness guru, you have to change things up to learn, develop and grow. That doesn’t mean you go from green corduroy to Snowbird Hidden Peak and try high-angle carving on Regulator Johnson or bootpack a powder-filled Jupiter Bowl at Park City Mountain. But with some intermediate steps, there’s little keeping you from both. Like the first-time skier, once you start, you’ll be closer to that goal than when you started.
Find your motivations and strengths
I hate to break it to you, but you’ll never ski like Lindsey Vonn or Ted Ligety…unless you’re Lindsey or Ted or any of the incredibly talented athletes who train and play in Utah. Living in a place with REALLY talented skiers can mess with your head and confidence. The only antidote is to change your focus.
“You are doing more than 99% of the people you know,” I constantly tell my friends and grown children while skiing, hiking, biking, or engaging in any other non-crazy activity throughout Utah. You cannot compare yourself to the 1% training full-time for Olympic or even high school glory. This doesn’t mean you can’t step onto the podium.
First, grab your camera or, better yet, grab friends with cameras and allow them to take photos and videos of you skiing. You will be AMAZED how fantastic you look! Active people are gorgeous. Pull down that gaiter (to show off that smile) and lean forward, backward or sideways into the pose. Do NOT just stand there!
Don’t worry about how slow you’re moving if shooting a video. Instead, use screen capture to single out a turn. For learning purposes, record skiing the same run multiple times. You’ll be shocked at how much confidence and improvement you’ll see between the first and final run.
Second, track your health statistics with a mobile app like Strava. The data is revealing and inspiring, even if you’re not a health fanatic. Over a spring break week, an entire ski season or several, you’ll see not only which runs you’ve skied but how fast and, much more importantly, with how much effort. Such apps record heart rate and estimate VO2 Max, excellent fitness indicators and motivators.
Finally, acknowledge your strengths. Yes, every skier at every level has strengths. Work from there. If you feel terrific skiing fast on a groomed green run, fantastic! You probably have the fundamentals down and need to gain confidence (read: time) on steeper pitches. If you feel the best in deep powder, keeping your knees together and skis parallel should carry over to mastering (soft, low-angle) moguls. If your talent is…making plans or cooking (like me!), you’ll ALWAYS find friends to ski with (the better they ski, the hungrier they’ll be!), ones that will be waiting patiently and cheering you on down to the ice chest. It’s fine to acknowledge weaknesses; just don’t let them dominate your thoughts. You really are doing more than the other 99%.
Skiing will change your life
“It’ll change your life,” she said. Tasmania did, but skiing has changed it more and more often. As an adult, learning to ski made me feel not like a kid but a rockstar. From a summit on a sunny day, I soar down most runs with adrenaline and pride. Each season, I ski a new run or resort, work on a skill or two (outside ski pressure, early initiation of turns), and continue to improve. I can keep up with my spouse and friends and get others to enjoy these incomparable mountains, as well. So, go ski, ski better and then cheer someone else all the way down. I promise, it’ll change your life.
