That’s the simple question, would you like to improve your skiing and enjoy it more?

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Would you love skiing as much if you were a wedge skier?  Probably not.  What about a pretty good parallel skier, but anxious on the more challenging black diamond runs?  Maybe you’d avoid them, stick to the corduroy and feel great.

My point is this: The more skilled we are, the more we love our skiing days!  It’s that simple.  And when I began as a part time ski instructor in VT eleven years ago (my kids had moved west, and so had my ex-wife), I got myself hired at Stratton.  First thing I learned while doing “clinics” with the best instructors: There was a lot to learn about technique that I DID NOT KNOW.  I thought all my expert skills learned in the 1960s-1970s were enough.

Wrong.  Skiing techniques have changed, because ski design has massively morphed.  Back in the day, longer skis meant you were a better skier.  Today, not so much.  And ski shape has changed dramatically: One shape for all-mountain, and something very different when you’re going into the deep pow.

Here’s what I see the most among my own “senior” skiing friends, and those I teach:

1. Many skiers forget about the importance of maintaining the “athletic stance” on skis, but it’s so important because it’s what brings us forward into our boots, and gets us over our skis for maximum edging and  balance effectiveness.

2. Skiers like to look straight ahead over their ski tips, when much of the time they should be facing more downhill than their skis, such twisting thus keeping the hip into the hill and edges carving.  This is where the saying “move the skis more than the jacket” comes from.

3. Skiers get lazy and stand up too straight and tall, and by doing so, lose control and confidence on more challenging terrain.

These are all little things that can easily be fixed, but it’s easier to “show” the error to skiers and then have them fix it in their own skiing than to simply “tell” them to do it without any demonstration of what’s being done incorrectly.  And with some focus and concentration, any skier can correct these bad habits and see/feel their improvement so quickly,

So what if you could instantly take a step up to a higher level of skiing with one or two short private or semi-private lessons?  Remember the way we used to hop at the moment of turning in order to cause the weight change from one downhill ski to the other?  We don’t do that with today’s skis, because the skis are much more effective, and they have the ability to be moved from one edge to the other almost magically with subtle movement. All it takes is a little new knowledge.  It’s called carving, and it works.  But even as an instructor, I thought I didn’t need it.  Now that I’ve got it worked into my skill set, I would never get rid of it.

And don’t you hate it when you get to a run (usually a black diamond), and you don’t feel confident enough to turn your skis downhill on that run?  A single lesson or two at the beginning or middle of the season could set you on a glorious path of improvement enabling you to ski previously daunting black diamond runs you’d avoid.  Or enjoy them much more!

Let’s face it, we’re not getting younger, but as Mike’s recent piece pointed out, getting more skilled and proficient at the sport we love is just one more way of “keeping the old man away” (or “old lady”), so we can still feel young plunging down the trails we love. And there’s nothing like improvement to make us feel younger.

When you think about all the money you’ve spent (and still spend) on ski clothing and equipment, don’t you owe it to yourself to spend just a fraction on actually getting better?

One lesson each season, that’s all it takes. Just find a great instructor. I’ll tell you more about doing that in another column.