Skiing: there is always room for improvement
We've taught so many families to ski over the years, and one of the greatest pleasures I get on the mountain is when I bump into young skiers that I helped make their first turns on snow.
The non skiing months are long and so another thing to consider is that you might not immediately remember all of the good stuff that you were doing on skis in March last winter. Many clients pop in to see us for a refresher at the start of the winter, where we ski and remind them of the fundamental truths in skiing about what makes a ski turn and just how easy it is.
Often I am surprised by how big they've got, and there is nothing that makes you feel older than meeting a teenager who you remember being really small.
One of the greatest things about skiing is that you never run out of things to learn, and within skiing itself, there is a culture of continuing improvement as the years go by. It's something that doesn't seem to exist in snowboarding to the same extent, and I haven't worked out why yet.
Learning on skis doesn't have to stop once you've mastered turning left and right, and you can get around on your own. There are different places and coloured slopes to explore, different types of snow, and different ways of getting your skis to turn.
Often, children get bored with or become too good for traditional ski lessons. When that happens, we offer various solutions for families. For Example, in recent years, we've offered social days out for groups of teenage girls where the instructor essentially acts as a chaperone and keeps them safe. Of course, we run our hugely successful freeski club, where the members of the gang try out freestyle and off-piste.
For kids and adults looking for something different, we run avalanche awareness and introduction to ski touring days, and lots of people cross over and try their hand at snowboarding. This year, I'm running an introduction to telemark skiing for a few clients.
SnowPros Freeski Club
There is a lot to be said for continuing to learn. It creates new neural connections in the brain and keeps you sharp. I try to learn new things each year, but I am not always successful. My last boondoggle was golf, which I discovered my body wouldn't let me do anymore, so the next things are either clay shooting or surfing.
It's nice to try something new, something that you aren't already good at. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and into something called 'the learning zone'. There's a lot of scientific research on just how far outside your comfort zone you should go. Apparently, only a little bit each time makes for the best learning, but cleverer people than me can explain that better.
All I know is that it is fun to try new stuff as long as you go into it with an open mind.