On skiing down really (really) steep hills
Happy new year!
I’m writing from Canada this week?(on a skiing holiday with the family). Really enjoying being able to travel again. Definitely not taking it for granted.
The mountain we’re on, Panorama, has some really steep runs. Like really, really steep. Like there is absolutely no way I’m going down that. Runs that from the top look more like a cliff than a slope.
Luckily, I’ve had a couple of really good instructors here. I’ve learned that the key to skiing down the steep stuff is a bit counter-intuitive. The key is to actually lean down the hill. Yep, exactly the last thing you want to do.
The biomechanics of it is that when your upper body leans down the slope, your hips naturally move into the mountain and the edges of your skis dig into the slope. So you’re actually safer.
For me leaning down the hill feels like committing 100%. I take a deep breath, commit, and go. Committing fully feels riskier, but it’s actually the safest way to get down.
And of course, this is a metaphor for just about anything that matters.
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1 年Yes, I never thought of leaning into the mountain as a metaphor. I love your idea here. When we lean forward while skiing, we can center ourselves over our skis and have better balance. Makes sense!
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1 年So true and yet so scary...at first. Thank you for reminding us.
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1 年Love this. Reminds me of my first double black runs and the instructor's encouragement to 'turn like you're diving OFF the mountain'. I was like 'WTaF?' but he was totally right. As were the words of advice from an ex-Olympic skier I worked with in the US for a time. He said "You know, sometimes there are things you just don't want to do. But just put your tips over the edge and say "Well, here I go!" and push off." From there you're committed and it's easy!"