Learning to ski
Don't try marathon running before you've learnt
to jog and likewise don't expect to be changing into your lycra gear
and covering 50 km by the end of your first week on skis! On the
other hand, unlike downhill skiers, you're not going to have to
spend the first week in ski school listening to a ski instructor
telling you to "bend zee nees". If you're not going to be put off
for life or develop some horrendous personal "style" of skiing, it's
essential that you take a lesson early on in your skiing career. Try
to get a lesson with a small group as it helps you identify mistakes
as others make them - it's easier than getting a video of yourself
skiing! I find that people learn best if they've had half an hour
getting used to having skis on their feet and mastering a bit of
balance, getting up from a fall, etc. A couple of hours of good
instruction is all you need to get the basics, enough to start
enjoying being outside in the fresh air. This is what it's all
about!
After a few days, take another lesson to try and improve your
technique and learn some more advanced skills. Continue to have a
short lesson every now and again throughout your skiing career to
correct the errors that creep in as you ski. I only ski with good
technique when I'm instructing and at the start of the day. As the
hours go by I get lazier.
Cross-country skiing is all about doing - the more you ski
the better you'll become. Even beginners can ski quite demanding
trails, just less successfully than the better skiers. There's no
shame in taking your skis off on the steepest hills as the rest of
the trail is likely to be easier. One of the beauties of
cross-country skiing is that you can return to the same area over
and over again and it's never the same. The snow conditions, the
weather, your mood, your companions and your own improving ability
make every tour on the same trail a different experience. I get
asked often if I don't get bored leading the same tours throughout
the winter but I can truthfully answer no. There's so much more to
skiing than just following the trail.
I'm not going to go into various skiing techniques necessary as
there are plenty of books on the subject, and plenty with good
pictures and explanations. One thing I will suggest is that in your
first lesson you get a glimpse of all of the basic techniques, even
though you won't have time to perfect them straight away. If you're
aware of them you can slowly apply
Most of all - enjoy it, and be happy with your own level of skiing.
Many people return to a skiing holiday year after year with no
ambitions of being an expert but enjoy the feeling of fresh air,
snow, views and a bit of healthy exercise. Now that's skiing
!!
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