The Fear & the Joy of Skiing

I was very fortunate to got to spend 1-on-1 time with Kristen Ulmer at Alta. Kristen was a mogul skier on the US Ski Team, though she was more known as the first true female extreme skier jumping off 50-foot cliffs. You can even buy her trading card or poster on Amazon here.

She talked about embracing fear, instead of overcoming fear, to become a better skier. The fear of skiing is an essential ingredient to the joy of skiing. For example, the fear of falling and getting injured makes us more alert to our surroundings (objects in the terrain, changing conditions, and other skiers). Another example is the fear of the difficult terrain brings us excitement as we take on new challenges. Without fear, skiing would basically be boring. Isn't it a simple concept? The hard part is internalizing the concept and having a mature relationship with fear whenever it creeps in.

This mindset shift changed my skiing (and life)! During the past couple weeks in Whistler, I often found myself grinning from ear to ear after tackling challenging terrains because not only did I made it safely, but also because I hung out with fear in a relaxed and confident way. Imagine seconds slow down to minutes, and minutes turn into hours. Imagine every turn on the snow is full of varied sensations from the feel of the snow beneath the skis to the weight of the body above the skis. Rather than being completely paralyzed by fear, this is how skiing should always be enjoyed!