How did you get good?

B

bob.marley

Member
Hi,

I'm 14 years old and I ski at Alta, this is my 3rd year skiing I think, and I am pretty bummed that I haven't really progressed much how I wanted to since the beginning of last season. I have gotten better but I still am pretty bad compared to a lot of people. I can do 180's and I did like 4 360's last year when I nutted up enough to do them on a small jump, I just can't really get myself very pumped when I am up on the hill and then I just ski too safe and never push myself. I know a kid who's been skiing all his life my age and he's rell
 
I got good by using the search bar,

Buuuuut... Don't give up, and how often do you ski? if its 1 day a week, then half that day is making up what you lost after 6 days of not skiing, so try to get at least 2 a week. 3 or 4 and you'd be damn good after this season if you can go up after school.
 
just tackle one trick at a time, visualizing is key. Even when you're not on the hill think about certain ways to set a spin, etc
 
Well you certainely have a good environment for progression skiing at Alta. Do you ski with anyone? Skiing with people who are better than you (preferably people who will peer-pressure you into trying stuff) will help you sack up and try stuff.
 
I don't consider myself good, but you just have to sack up. Everyone has to at some point or another. I have on slid a couple of rails since I destroyed my shoulder on a rail about a year and a half ago.

But since it is of relevance, how many days a week can you ski?
 
Woops, it didn't post the last halfof that.

What I was aying is that the kid is really into it and he just isn't very good at all for how much he goes, he never tries new things and the only thing he really does is little 180's here and there that look bad and you never see him doing 3's or anything. That's how I am afraid I will always be because I haven't gotten much better since last fall, or I should say, how much better I could have gotten. I just am never really stoked when I am actually up there on the hill, so it's hard to try stuff when you're like that maybe some here know. I know a kid who moved here when he was like 14 from somewhere there's no skiing and after about 2 years of skiing in his life, he was throwing big 7's and big smooth 3's a lot and always doing 180's off of little bumps that look sick and not slow and sloppy.
 
The worst thing that can happen is you hurt yourself. And if you do, you just have to jump back on the horse. Two days a week is normal though. Try a couple days a season < lol.
 
Park Tips

- Ski Switch as much as you possibly can inside/outside the park- Learn every trick right side and left side

- Make lists of long term/short term/daily goals

- Ski with people better then you

- Sack up. Even though you might be scared, you gotta take risks to become better. Just visualize the trick, and realize that the risks are totally worth accomplishing your goals.
 
if your trying to progress on rails/boxes: Try to make one at your house to practice on in backyard this winter/find someone who has one, if thats not possible hike a box/rail at alta all day and just try new things.

jumps:

try new things on trampolines, get comfortable with different spins/flips, once you can do that on a trampoline you can either just take it right to the jumps or bring it to an airbag or something like that, get it down on that with skis on, and taking it to snow really shouldn't be a problem, Good luck!
 
i got good (by my standards which are very low) by going all out every time i got a chance and building my own rails for my backyard because i only get like 10 days a year if i'm lucky
 
One thing that camps are really good for is teaching good form. Its maybe not the most fun glamorous thing to do, but reviewing footage and having someone sitting there going, "see how off balance you are at the lip? Put your hands like this. This is why you are landing on your ass, etc... " is kind of important. Its nothing you can't figure out on your own from skiing a ton, but thats my two cents.
 
you cant be afraid to eat shit. I've noticed that when i ski "safe", i crash, but when I'm charging hard with my much more advanced friends and doing park laps faster than i can second guess my ability level, I end up throwing down as well as my buddies.

on the other hand, one time last year I was peer pressured into trying a cork 7, and I backslapped the landing so hard i went blind for ten minutes.

so just do what you want. Have fun, and if you feel like you want to learn new tricks, just try them. the worst that can happen is you get killed, and being dead is definitely less frustrating than not learning anything new in a season.
 
This. Especially the last 2. Set goals for yourself, and once you're at the mountain, follow through with what you said you would try. The most important tip to getting better is to man the fuck up, start throwing new tricks, and getting outside your comfort zone. The only way to improve is to have the courage to try new things. Every time you go out and ride, try a new trick, or hit a new feature in the park. Don't over analyze things once you're in the park, just sack up and throw down!

 
Didnt read the replies but Ski with a friend/friends that are on the samle level/slightly better. they get you stoked and you push each other.
 
i WAS shitting myself. it took me 10 minutes to calm down. i thought i was fucking dead. once i relaxed though my vision returned. must have been a pinched nerve in my back that released when i relaxed it.
 
I got to the point I am now by being good at falling, not be afraid to fall, and by throwing myself off of shit like a rag doll.

Do future spins, get paid.
 
Go to the snogression place in SLC , they have trampolines and a ski ramp into a foam pit .. Huck your meat .. Then on a pow day sack the Fuck up and go land on your head injuries are part of life .. You live in Utah not Michigan and you have acsess to world class facilities .. Go use them .. If your parents don't let you .. Tell them youll end up a heroin addict if you don't get to ski .. That should work .. If it doesn't o bury your head in the sand
 
i learned how to do a 3 last year on my race skis...some advice: i learned on one of those jumps that come in from the side of the trail onto the trail (my dad calls them "woop de doos"). anyway, on those things you really only have to do a 270 to ski out of it because you're downhill anyway, so i gradually spun more and more until i was landing a complete 360, while still landing them in the process.
 
learn to actually ski first, then worry about getting good at park.

no offense, but you've only been skiing for 2 years, ski at alta and are worrying about how well you ski park!? there's no way you're an expert skier yet or anything (again, no offense, but it's only been 2 years, you just aren't, especially if you are already starting to spend a lot of time in the park, which is what it sounds like. learn to turn, then carve, then ski moguls, then ski trees, then drop cliffs, then drop cliffs at speed, then all of that in powder, then all of that on ice, THEN start skiing park.

kids these days. growing up in the powder capital of the world with some of the gnarliest terrain you'll find anywhere, and you're trying to learn how to ski park? makes me sick to my stomach.
 
this.

if i lived near a place like alta, i would'nt even touch rails.

just huck cliffs. its more fun than spinning off an icy jump or sliding on boxes and steel poles.

 
exactly. the whole mountain is pretty much a natural terrain park, and with all that snow the landings must be pretty soft too.
 
Honestly, why are you arguing for him to come crowd up your spots? I've seen half my best stashes turn into a fucking Wal-Mart in the last few years, I gotta skin to get any fresh anymore. The more park rats the better.
 
I just put on my friends jacket. No seriously, I landed some cork 7s last year in his but never in mine. Go figure. But if that doesnt work I'd honestly just say tell yourself "It's all in my head" because it really is.
 
You just gotta keep going. I progress slow as shit too. Wasn't until this past spring that I actually felt like I was landing anything cool. You just kinda gotta figure it out for yourself.
 
Why so serious? I ski because its fun. I don't understand why you would go the the mountain, nonetheless alta, with the sole goal of progressing in the park. 99% of skiers arent going to become pro or even sponsored. I myself only started skiing two seasons ago, but have progressed further than most people with my experience all over the mountain because I dont just try and progress in the park. If you're not stoked when you're skiing, then you're either doing something wrong or the sport is just not for you. Ski to have fun, ski with your friends especially. Dont go out there with the sole goal of getting good, and the progressing will just come with time.

/philosophicallatenightnewschoolerspost
 
Thats the same situation I'm in currently though I may start to do some seasons soon, a backyard rail or kicker/ indoor ski slope are good for progression.
 
OP, did you post this on Epicski as well!?

Anyhow, just ski tonnes, and always be pushing yourself. The kid above who fell over so hard he went blind probably pushed it a bit hard, always be pushing to the point where you take a few falls, but not to the point where you get really hurt. Hard to know the difference I know, but my point is to progress slowly, but still progress, you'll get it.
 
I got good by skiing with people stronger than me and these people always kept pushing me! Skiing with a group pushes your limits in a way. Practice practice and practice... When you're home, watch videos, read articles about freesking, check out some "how to" if you're really struggling over a trick.In a nutshell, you gotta be in it, if you freeski just on the slopes, you'll have a nice but limited level. Really push it, believe in it :)
 
well i'm from the east coast and have never skied alta before. if it was my mountain though, i would totally be telling him to ski the park more.

if alta is your home mountain, i sincerely apologize. but, lets be honest, kid isn't going to listen. he's just going to claim that, since he can turn and stop without falling most of time, he is an expert skier already
 
Since i ski 1 week a year i can't really practice alot on ski's. Just practice alot on the trampoline, if there is a bigair bag indoor i try to use that to get some feeling of the trick on ski's and then i try them on the snow in that 1 week. This year was my first year i actually had a descent park so i tried cork, front and flat.
 
I never said I am an expert skier. Probly %95 of the skiers on here are better than me. I have never been in a park in my life, Alta doesn't even have a park.
 
push yourself, ski the mountain, ski with people that are better than you, crash a lot and learn from the mistakes.
 
you have decide if you truly want to progress and learn new tricks, or if you feel that you have to. If you truly want to progress for yourslf, then you just going to have to nut up and go for it. Know that your going to fall and it's going to hurt, but thats part of the sport.
 
You have to ski a lot for a long time. I've been skiing for 16 years and I go 2 or more times a week. You just have to go and go and go and you'll get better!
 
days on snow, as many as you possibly can.

Oh and don't worry about getting "good," someone will always be better just shred.
 
yeah, friends are pretty key ! friends who are better than you at skiing are excellent because they can push you into doing new things and they can help you out with technical problems...

for example how to (not) get off axis on a rotation and stuff like that

same level friends, go play the game of 'horse' or'skate' or however you wanna call it and try to find new things to beat your opponent ! great and funny way of sacking up to do new stuff !
 
People with brain usually don't progress in extreme sports since it in fact is extreme, hence the name... You have to be fearless pretty much. It's dangerous you know.
 
This brings up a good point when you say "Learn every trick right side and left side."

When I initiate skiing switch, I always turn to the right. It just feels more comfortable and I actually struggle to do it cleanly turning left.

Same thing when I 50/50 rails, I always pop on turning to the right.

I think this goes back to my childhood days of skateboarding, I always skateboarded "Goofy" and I always thought it was easier to 'back on' to the rail rather than 'facing forward' on it.

Should I focus more on doing things from both sides during my 2nd season (this season) really cleanly or just sack up and try things both ways?
 
I've skiied for 4 years, I'm 14. I'm a girl, and I pop rails and jump cliffs like it's nothing. I just had to get the balls to push myself.
 
Youv been skiing 3 years and you ski alta. dont worry anout doing tricks. Learn to ski and tear that mountain a new asshole.

Once you do that than maybe worry about some tricks. A lot of people you compare yourself to have been skiing their entire lives which isnt fair to you. Get the fundamentals down before you do anything else.
 
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