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Welcome to The Ski Zone
Sking is a popular past-time that has
excellent rewards both in
health and the obvious reward of a whole lotta fun...we highly
recommend getting down and snowy.
The Road to
Expert Skiing
by Jim Safianuk
Imagine yourself cruising down a groomed run
carving elegant
turns with your new shaped skis. In the distance you see two
symbols, a blue square for a left turn and a black diamond for a
right turn. Without hesitation you steer to the right. The pitch
becomes steeper, the snow is un-groomed, and there are trees,
lots of trees. You stop momentarily, pick a line, push off, and
tighten your turns as you begin the descent.
Many skiers would have taken the left fork with the gentle
groomed slope. Some intermediates reach a plateau in their
ability and find it difficult to advance to the next level. This
doesn't have to be. The keys to unlocking your true potential lie
in your mind and body. When you are physically fit and mentally
prepared the goal of becoming an advanced level skier can be
realized.
Skiing at an advanced level means being adept at handling varied
terrain in different snow conditions on marked trails. The
terrain may include steeps, glades, or moguls. Snow conditions
might include hard pack, crud, ice, or powder. At this level you
need to be able to make quick adjustments to your speed, turn
radius and balance to maintain control at all times.
Ski Fitness Level
Advanced level skiing is more demanding on the knees, thighs,
hips, abdomen, and back so preseason preparation is the norm. Try
to begin your ski fitness program at least two to three months
prior to your first day on the slopes. Your routine should
include stretching for mobility, strength exercises for staying
power, and cardiovascular conditioning for endurance.
The good news is that you don't need a lot of money to finance
your program. All you'll need is a mat, free weights, runners,
and an hour a day. One approach is to do stretches and strength
exercises the first day followed by stretching and cardiovascular
conditioning the next day. By alternating your workouts you can
reduce the time spent each day and give the different muscle
groups a chance to recover.
Stretching
Improved mobility will do more to improve your skiing then you
think and it will help protect you from injury. The areas to
concentrate on are the back, calves, hamstrings, quads, and
shoulders.
A good book on the subject is Stretching by Bob Anderson (Shelter
Publications, Inc. 1988). It has specific stretches for downhill
skiing, weight training, walking, and running. You may want to
include the stretches for weight training in your fall routine
and do the downhill stretches during the ski season.
Strength
These exercises will improve your ability to ski short-radius
turns through enhanced staying power and impact absorption while
minimizing muscle fatigue and soreness. The strength session
should include calf raises, partial squats for the quads, and
abdominal exercises for the stomach, sides, and back. Include
weight training for the arms, chest, and shoulders using
dumbbells and barbells.
Rotate through the exercises working one muscle group while the
other groups are in the recovery mode. Perform a leg exercise, a
weight maneuver, and then an abdominal exercise.
Endurance
This is the ability to perform at a given level for greater
periods of time. Endurance is important for those long mogul and
glade runs that never seem to end. To improve endurance the focus
is on cardiovascular conditioning. Exercise three times a week
keeping your heart rate elevated for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Good ways to do this are cycling, inline skating, rowing,
jogging, or general aerobics. An alternative to running is a
brisk, forty-five minute, non-stop walk.
Mind-Set
You won't need a treatise on the latest breakthrough in the
psychological aspects of fear to conquer the steeps, glades, and
moguls. The old adage, you have nothing to fear but fear itself,
applies to skiing. Mental toughness and focus are essential to
master your subconscious mind.
Mental Toughness
Being tough mentally will put you in control of your thoughts.
You need to tell yourself over and over that you're in charge,
not the ski hill. This will help develop the right attitude and
keep a lid on you anxieties.
Focus
Focus allows you to break up the run into smaller tasks so you
can zoom in on the next two or three turns. The pause, approach,
divide and conquer technique should help you pick a line, set the
tone, and focus on the immediate.
Pause: Take a moment or two to size up the terrain and pick a
line appropriate for your skill level. If you wait too long you
will give your subconscious mind a chance to take control. To
avoid this anxiety trap, stop, survey the terrain, pick a line,
and push off with your poles. This sequence should take between
five and ten seconds to complete.
Approach: Develop the correct turn radius early. This should
occur within the first three or four turns. This sets the rhythm
and gets your legs pumping. You want to be moving at a constant
speed with good balance over your skis.
Divide and Conquer: This method will break up a difficult run
into manageable tasks. After the approach always look two or
three turns ahead if you are on the steeps, two or three bumps
ahead if you are in a mogul field, or two or three trees ahead if
you are on a glade run. Looking ahead will allow you to quickly
alter your course for any unusual conditions. This technique
takes practice to learn, but once mastered, will prove
invaluable.
Summing Up
The mind and body have to work in unison to ski black diamond
runs safely and effectively. Condition your body in the preseason
for peak performance on the slopes. To ski strong, you have to be
strong. In addition, strive to master the mind techniques in
stages. You need to be mentally tough and focused to keep your
anxieties in check.
Make an effort to ski thirty percent of all runs on more
difficult terrain with an even split between steeps, glades, and
moguls. You will know when you have reached an expert level
because you will be the one in the descent of that forty degree,
un-groomed, glade run.
Jim Safianuk is a certified ski instructor and writer of the
downhill skiing lessons in the course Skills of the Expert Skier.
If you are interested in becoming an expert skier and/or you want
to find out when the next article about ski boots will be
published, visit this URL: http://www.becomeanexpertskier.com/
Copyright 2005, by JKS Publishing. All Rights Reserved
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