Douglas Cochrane
Are you considering learning to ski?
The best time to start is in the spring. First, the weather is best as you can enjoy the snow without the blizzards or the deep powder that challenge beginners and experts alike. Second, the lift tickets and ski rentals are cheaper after the holidays. And third, the crowds are diminished so lift lines are shorter and there is less traffic on the hill.
Facing the challenge of learning to ski means addressing three major fears:
Fear No. 1: Getting Hurt.
This is a real fear. Nearly every year there is a big story about how some Sonny Bono hit a tree. But the truth is that with modern gear (such as the rental shops carry) and reasonable precautions your chances of getting hurt are much less than ever before. Mind you I am a dinosaur on the ski hill, having learned on wooden skis with no metal edges and bear trap bindings that only released upon a full pardon by the governor. Modern skis are typically shorter and the hourglass shape makes them easier to turn. And modern bindings are more likely to release too soon than too late, especially for beginners.
The biggest risk for beginners is the slow injury – where a slow increasing stress isn’t great enough to release the bindings but stresses knees or groins. For example, the slow spread eagle where your skis go in separate directions.
The solution to this is to follow three simple rules: Fall Early (before you are completely out of control); Fall Often (you are going to fall a lot when you first start so don’t overdo the standing up part); and Fall to the Side (which is a whole lot less stressful on the body than falling forward or backward since that usually involves the stresses on the knees or groin mentioned above…)
Fear No. 2: Getting Embarrassed.
There are so many ways to embarrass yourself on skis. Some of the most common ones (which you are bound to experience) are not getting on the chair lift properly, falling while getting off the chair lift, scattering your gear over a half acre of hillside during a fall, or falling while trying to show off to a pretty girl. Everyone who skis has done each of these several times while learning.
The important thing to remember is that in any endeavor there is always someone who does things better than you do. I have been skiing all my life and consider myself to be fairly good at the sport, yet nearly every run I am passed by someone who is so smooth and silky that it is all I can do to keep up for a hundred yards while studying how she does it. Accept it – unless your name is Bodie Miller you probably will be passed a lot! Enjoy the embarrassment and save the stories for regaling your friends.
Fear No. 3: Gravity.
Many beginners don’t realize the power of gravity until it is too late, when they are flying down Mt. Doom going faster than they ever realized possible. Even if the hill is only a few yards long you can go faster than you planned. The thrill of skiing is that it is about as close to flying as we can get without a lot of hardware. But if you don’t know how to control the speed of falling, the adrenalin rush may be more than you counted on.
For starters I recommend taking ski lessons the first few times you ski. I’m not talking about going out with your boyfriend who learned to ski last week so he is now an expert. I’m talking about lessons from a certified ski instructor who has actually studied how to teach someone the sport. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive than just buying a lift ticket and following your buddies down the hill – but it is less embarrassing than being hauled down the hill on a sled by the ski patrol. I still take ski lessons frequently as the thrill of flying only increases as the slope gets steeper.
Skis turn the same way a bicycle does. Keep them upright and pointed straight and they will run straight and fast. Tip them on edge by turning your ankles and they will carve an arc. An arc will soon change course from downhill to cross hill then uphill. At this point you will stop unless you turn your ankles the other way and start an S-curve. Once you grasp this simple concept you will realize that all the flailing around is unnecessary – just stand on the skis and bend your knees and ankles from side to side as you carve smooth turns down the hillside.
So don’t be afraid. Take advantage of the great snow we have this Spring. Rent some gear from a reputable ski shop or at the lodge at the ski hill, sign up for a lesson or two, and learn to ski. You won’t be an expert by the time the snow is gone but you can sure have a lot of fun.
Douglas Cochrane, a fomer ski patrol member, lives in Yachats. Contact him at [email protected].