Mindful Skiing

It’s great to have John back on the F2S Team this season. As some of you will know he brings an incredible depth of experience to his ski teaching having been an instructor trainer and race coach for many years and worked in many ski schools across the world. John is available for ski lessons this Winter here in Avoriaz and Morzine. Contact us through our website to inquire and make bookings.

Fifteen years ago, he became interested in mindfulness and meditation and subsequently completed a 3-year master’s degree from Aberdeen University in Mindfulness Studies. Since then, he has developed methods which incorporate mindfulness principles to learning and improving skiing.

In this blog John summarises the methods he uses to improve skiers’ performance. As they are methods for learning and coaching, they apply to all ability levels, from beginner to expert and in all terrain, from piste to powder.

Mindfulness is truly defined when one experiences it. Words only point towards a definition providing a hint about this fascinating and powerful subject. One of the shorter definitions I use is; ‘To know whats happening, when it is happening, non-judgementally.’ Wrapped up in these few words is great depth but essentially, they show a few things that are key.

Firstly, is self-knowledge, arrived at through bodily feelings rather than intellectual understanding. Realising what each body part is doing and where it is in relation the rest of the body and to the skis. Awareness of the body posture, movements of the limbs and muscular forces are crucial. In skiing, awareness of the forces generated by descending in curved arcs, is also very important. That is, feeling the forces generated through the feet, legs and by the whole body. In skiing this becomes really interesting and more complex because the environment, that is, the gradient, terrain, snow condition and weather all have a huge impact on skiers’ performance.

Secondly, is the knowing, the self-awareness which occurs at the time of performance, whilst one is skiing, during the decent, rather than in a reflective process once the decent has ended. Reflective and introspective learning techniques are used in mindful skiing, where they supplement the knowledge and awareness of real time performance. This element of the definition refers to the catch phrases of being in the present, living in the moment and the power of Now.

Thirdly, is the absence of judging one’s own skiing. This is often a tough one for skiers. I have found that the biggest, loudest and harshest critic of one’s skiing is oneself. Over the years of my ski coaching experience, I have listened to hours of self-criticism from my pupils and previously thought this must be detrimental to performance, it doesn’t help. Withholding the preferencing of one’s own performance enables the body to simulate its experience more readily. Self-judgment stifles exploration and experimentation, both of which are crucial for mindful skiing.

I often talk about mindful skiing as skiing from the inside out, rather than the outside in. Meaning the focus is mainly on the skiers’ actions, thoughts and emotions rather than the outcome of performance, being the arc shape and size or maintenance of posture for example. Where we place our attention during skiing is another key point. Attending to what the body is doing, maintaining presence and acceptance of what is happening are all important elements of mindful skiing.

Then there is the mind, which play all sorts of tricks on us. I know that not only skiers relate to this but also golfers and indeed many sports players across the spectrum. I often mention that to achieve mindfulness one needs to be mindless in the sense of being driven by the body sensations rather than succumbing to the mind games involved in generating fear, anxiousness and trepidation. Having a cautious disposition can be an asset in the mountain environment however when the caution extends to learning methods, they often hinder rather than help progress.

Mindful skiing methods free the mind hindrances, quietens the disposition and nurtures a sense of self-acceptance. We learn to trust the process of learning without forcing an outcome. Learning these ways becomes a playful endeavour, curiosity, self-awareness and exploration of the self and mountains are the hallmarks of mindful skiing.

During the mindful skiing sessions, I help skiers apply these strategies through many techniques and tactics which I’ve developed over the recent years. I also endeavour to shape the skiers view of skiing itself. Helping to shake off the demons, fear and complexity whilst moving into a freer more realistic and simpler perception of whats important in skiing.

John Arnold.
November 2024.