Skiing the Now
You know those slopes where everything seems to click into place, your skis, body and mind were in the right place at the right time, causing the outcome to be a pure pinnacle performance. Yes? Then you stopped dreaming and found the reality very different!
All of us skiers aspire to possessing control on the slopes, with it comes confidence and comfort. An easy way of achieving this is to choose to ski on slopes on which you can gain control of your decent. Less control on the blacks? Then choose the reds. Less control on the reds, then choose the blues. Less control on the blues, ski the greens. Less control on the greens then retire to the mountain bar or your chalet.
Through my own skiing and ski coaching experience I have come to the conclusion that having an element of humour in our attitude to improving skiing performance is essential. Maintaining a light approach and not taking oneself to seriously in the learning process does really make us more open to changing our skiing and to gaining more control on the slopes we choose. In mindfulness we call this having a child’s attitude to the process.
In my ski coaching I help skiers to nurture this chid-like attitude in many ways. For example, learning to withhold the adult habit of self judgement, to release ones attachment to the outcome and to accept the performance as it is. With this attitude we can all learn more about our skiing and anticipate more clearly improved levels of control.
The essence of this approach is self awareness in the present moment, or the Now as its often referred to. Ceasing judgment, letting go of attachment and exercising acceptance is learned while we are ‘in’ the performance not just on reflection while we are riding the lifts; although this is a good place to begin learning the ‘letting go’ process.
Skiing the Now is a theme I choose in my own skiing and aim to help skiers take on board. You can learn more about this and other Mindful Skiing tactics on the weeks courses I organise in Champoluc in the Italian Alps near Aosta. The approaches are embedded in every day mindfulness principles which I apply to improving your skiing.
John
Knowing your limits of control is a great starting point to achieving it over the entire mountain.
