“Everybody said it would be so much fun!” she said, tears streaming down her face. “There are millions of people who do it, how difficult could it be?” “Even old people do it.” “What’s wrong with me?” I nodded compassionately. I could sympathize, sort of. Meanwhile, deep down inside I just wanted to skate off and do some real skiing.

Everybody’s been there done that at some point on the mountain. Welcome to alpine skiing! It is one of America’s favorite pastimes during the cold winter months and no doubt about it a whole bunch of people are having fun doing it. So what about those that aren’t? The freaked out? The one’s with the frozen toe death grip on the inside of their boots. “Why? Oh why does it have to be so scary?” That is what they ask me.

Fact of the matter is I love skiing. I like doing all the things those people hate. I like going fast, really fast. I get a thrill beyond words when I point my tips straight down and push off like I’m in a hurry to get someplace really important. It’s an indescribable sensation “catching air” defying gravity for longer than the amount of time it takes to take a dive off the diving board. The challenge of keeping upright after the landing and regaining control on the run-out is exhilarating beyond words. “What’s not to like?” is part of my unspoken response.

Degree of Difficulty

I’ve been told more times than I would like to remember how difficult skiing is. Just because one straps runners to each foot just tall enough to make it impossible to walk, and then they grease down the bottoms so that slipping and sliding become a necessary part of the incumbent face plant doesn’t mean that it’s not fun. “They” say you get used to “it.” At which point somebody always asks, “Get used to what, which part?” “All of it,” is the standard reply.

The fact of the matter is that skiing has a high degree of difficulty. It takes instruction, patience, practice, training, endurance, and fitness to get good at it. But once you do, you are hooked for life. It IS that much Fun! So how does one cope with the biggest obstacle of all? FEAR. People get scared skiing, at all levels. Even expert skiers must cope with uncertainty and anxiety at times. So long as one attempts to master a difficult run, or new terrain, or different snow conditions, the unfamiliar will breed fear, anxiety, and a multitude of involuntary physical reactions to these challenges.

The fear manifests in sweaty palms, cold feet, clenched teeth, head, neck and shoulder tension…..just for starters. It can get worse real quick if you don’t know how to stop the momentum. The shakes, paralysis and nausea occur when the fear is unabated. Some people are able to just “will it away” and use their determination to get down the mountain. However, I’m quite sure they are not enjoying themselves much.

Get into the “Flow” to Conquer your Fear

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a renown psychologist and author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. He references the flow state as similar to that experience elite athletes often describe as “being in the zone.” Flow is experienced as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

This form of positive psychology can be applied to the acquisition of any skill. The playing of music, solving a math problem, learning how to ski…they all can seem impossible or probable depending on the degree to which we can achieve a sense of Flow. So, how do we do that?

First, let’s take a little closer look at what the “Flow State” is composed of. In everything we do we have a sense of the degree of difficulty facing us as we tackle a task. We also have some sense of our likelihood of success. Some things are easy, so easy in fact they require little thought or preparation on our part. Just think back to when you first started to drive a car. In my case, there were three pedals and I had only two feet and then there was this stick on the floor that I had to change around in order to go, and on top of all that I had to steer the wheel. I don’t mind telling you, it was a pretty intimidating experience at first, especially when I crashed through grandpa’s garage door trying to show off. Not now, however. Repetition, practice, rhythm, and the proper sequencing of actions on my part eventually got easier and easier until those sophisticated movements are performed automatically now.

No beginning skier is going to ski a “double black diamond,” nor is any expert going to ski the “bunny hill.” The degree of difficulty for each is quite different and yet the skills required to do them both are quite synonymous. If I perceive a challenge as one I can accomplish with a degree of dedication and work . . . it fits one of the criteria for the “Flow State.” Imagine a scale from 1 to 10. 1 is simple, easy and not even a consideration in terms of difficulty. 10 is very difficult, perhaps impossible, yet obviously a challenge requiring great skill and patience.

Now, let’s take a look at your sense of your abilities, skill sets, experience, coachability, physical fitness, and your athleticism. All these things and more contribute to your ‘perceived self-efficacy’. If you regard yourself as competent, capable, a quick learner, and you approach most new experiences with a basic sense of confidence, you are well on your way to achieving the “Flow State.” On the scale of self-efficacy a 1 suggests little or no confidence in our ability, while a 10 suggests that there is nothing we might not be successful with.

If we perceive our abilities as limited and our self-efficacy lacking, and, we see the task as very difficult, then stress and anxiety will characterize our experience of such a situation. I liken such an experience for me as dancing in the mosh pit. On the other hand, if we believe we have all the skills and tools required for success and the task assigned us is a piece of cake, we might even be bored with the lack of challenge. “The Flow State” occurs when our “perceived self-efficacy” is challenged by the “demands of the task.” The level of concentration, creativity, and focus becomes so pronounced in such an experience that we absolutely appreciate the opportunity to play. We are then in The Zone, or the “Flow State.”

How do I get Started?

A skier, or rider of any ability level will face new challenges every time they hit the slopes. Have a plan for the day and take some time to orient yourself. Warm up on the “bunny slope” or terrain that is much easier than you can ski. Pay attention to your breathing to slow it down, and review the techniques you are working on deliberately and with total concentration. Experiment with your balance, weight shift, and frequency of turning until you’ve drilled yourself on all the skills you’ve been taught. Then you are ready to test yourself. Remember: Good fortune comes at that point where your preparation meets a new opportunity. On top of the slope, try not to take in the whole mountain unless its for sightseeing. Concentrate on your first two or three turns, especially if the terrain is steeper than you are comfortable with. Focus frequently on your breathing and your tactile awareness of the technique. Stay in your body. Stay in the “Now”!

Top 10 Things we can do to get into the “Flow” Skiing or Riding:

1. Talk to all of your skiing friends and find out how they learned to ski or ride. Find out when, where, and who taught them. Stop into at least one ski shop and ask one or two of the employees how they learned, when, where and who taught them.
2. Make sure you are in pretty good shape. You should be aerobically capable of hiking at altitude and have fundamentally sound knees joints and back.
3. Get fitted properly for your gear and pay particular attention to the goodness of fit of your boots. Wear a helmet.
4. Take at least 5 group or semi-private lessons from a PSIA certified instructor. Not only will they understand “flow” they will be able to assess your fitness, athleticism and match your capabilities to the skills offered in the lesson.
5. Read the “skills and techniques” sections of current and previous issues of skiing magazines on the newsstand.
6. Have an accurate and current assessment of your skier ability I, II, or III and ski the terrain appropriate to your level Green, Blue, etc.
7. Every new ski area you visit calls for you to obtain a map, and talk to the Area Host so that you know where to ski and what to avoid. Maybe take a class in orienteering so you understand elevation changes and can read the terrain on the map.
8. Ski or ride with friends of similar skill level and know in advance when, where, and for how long you will ski a certain run. Predetermine your lunch breaks and après ski activity. Nothing is worse than getting lost and missing your friends.
9. Take your most challenging runs after 3-4 “warm-up” runs. Make sure you are fueled properly and carry water to prevent dehydration.
10. Leave the last two runs of the day for “cruisers,” runs that you know you can ski well so that you finish your day with confidence. Never take a challenge run, the last run of the day. You’re probably tired and your risk of injury is at its greatest at that time.

Take a lesson every time you are ready for new terrain or an experience in “powder.” Knowing how to approach these new challenges assures you of being in the “flow.”

Have fun & don’t forget to yodel once or twice!

Read Dr. Walker’s Bio.

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This entry was posted on October 1, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.