Would you be content to spend every day on the slopes? Just wish you could master a tighter turn or more finesse? If so, you may want to spend some time perfecting your skiing or snowboarding game before you take on the more challenging mountains. Becoming more agile and adept at your skill can help you feel better about time up on the mountain and help you avoid the possibility of injury. Included here are a few ways to sharpen up your skills.
All-Mountain Training
There are many mountains that have trainers on board. Now, if they are not at the level you are at, it is easy to shop around to find an expert to teach you. Follow their lead and pursue what could be a mentorship with them. Find out what they struggled with and what successes they had to get to their level. You may be also able to find expert level training courses offered from some mountains where you can fine tune your skill working with high-level experts.
Another thing to remember is to train on the full mountain. Do not avoid courses because they are uncomfortable or you don’t like them. Full mountain training is the idea that you should be just as finessed off-piste or in moguls as you are on-piste. If you struggle in deep powder or on steeper slopes, you may need some all-mountain training so you can be comfortable and have expertise on every side of the mountain.
Become Certified
Whether or not to be certified depends on your level of skiing. If you are a beginner you may want to pursue some training courses at your local mountain. However, if you are a long time skier or boarder you may want to consider becoming a certified instructor to tune your craft. Throughout your training to become certified you will have many circumstances thrown at you to test your ability. You must be able to respond and be knowledgeable, capable and safe in every instance. By becoming certified, you are spending time perfecting your craft and will have even more time to do so when you begin teaching. Everyone looks at things a little differently, so remember you may have things you can learn from your students as well.
Train Off-Piste
Many skiers and boarders can become experts on-piste, but what happens when we remove their groomed trails? Off-piste skiing is more extreme and unpredictable, which is why it may be avoided by many skiers. However, if you want to perfect your skill, you are going to need to spend some time in the deep powder. Off-piste skiing will help you learn to respond to various new elements in your run that you may not be prepared for. You will have to be better trained on avalanche response and safety. All of these things will help you know the mountain better and have appropriate expectations when you hit powder.
