10 Ways I Improved My Skiing Confidence in a Winter

How I Increased My Skiing Confidence By A Bazillion* Over One Winter

*Not an exact measurement

1. SKI DAY MONDAYS!

At the start of the year, I blocked “Ski Day” into every Monday of Q1. The time changed each week, but I made it work by not taking Monday meetings and working a bit less those days. (Yet skiing made me more productive the rest of the week... Ultimate life hack if you have the ability to flex sched.)

2. I TOOK AN INTERMEDIATE LESSON ON MY FIRST DAY OUT.

In December, I paid for a “group” lesson, but turns out intermediate/advanced skiers don’t really take lessons, so I ended up with the dreamiest 1:1 powder day lesson. And the tips helped me the rest of the season. I will do this again next year!

3. I WENT WHEN CONDITIONS WEREN’T GREAT.

Rain, ice, whiteout, cold, wind... I saw it all this season (in addition to perfectly sunny, mild days)! Sometimes the conditions made it hard but I realized that’s when I improved the most.

4. I STUDIED THE TRAIL MAP.

I got way more confident when I finally was able to navigate the mountain on my own. Knowing how to get to all the lifts, which trees were friendlier than others, what names on signs to look for... It was SO fun once the trails felt like a familiar home.

5. I KNEW WHEN TO TUNE OUT THE TIPS.

You know when people are just trying to help you and share the stoke but then you have a million tips you need to sort through? TBH... sometimes I’d just nod and smile but actually not listen when it got overwhelming. HEHE oops.

6. I QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD.

There were some days when I felt that urge to “just a couple more laps...” But ending the day on a great run kept me positive and left me excited for next time.

7. I BOUGHT A VALUE PASS.

The full annual pass is still a bit pricey for me (and let’s be real, the value pass doesn’t come cheap either), but I found the value hours way better anyway. (Fewer crowds!) Having a pass helped me stay accountable to showing up, since I wanted the “value” I paid for!

8. I SKIED WITH A VARIED MIX OF FRIENDS.

Observing a bunch of people’s different forms, tips, and mindsets allowed me to experiment and see what resonated most with me.

9. AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME SKIING ALONE.

Sometimes I would go “woooooo” alone, sometimes I would play Lorde in my open ear headphones (for some reason she became my “ski music”), and sometimes I’d even catch up on texts while on the lift (risky hehe).

10. I PRACTICED MY “OMG STOP THINKING AND JUST GO FOR IT” SELF TALK.

As I got more experience with trees and moguls and steeps, I’d still sometimes get that lil pit of fear in my stomach, which made me think too much about what was ahead. Turns out, I felt more confident in the face of fear when I ripped off the metaphorical bandaid and just dropped in before my brain could catch up to my body.

THAT’S IT! As someone obsessed with reading “the how” of others’ goals, I hope this helps you as you plan your next sports goal.

And if you wanna follow along with my next goals…