Has anyone else just never got any better no matter how many times they have skied?

[Tellingitlikeitisnt]

Between the ages of 16 and 48 I have been skiing 7 times
I have had lessons all but one of those times- in a group or privately in a pair.

I am fit and very keen but I’m absolutely crap at it.
Have never progressed further than blues.

Is that it basically?

I enjoy it and I will happily ski all day but I am so limited by the need to stick to greens and blues and yet I just cannot ski well enough to progress safely.

Should I give up?

I have been 4 times. Done a beginners course each time. I'm perfectly happy with the situation.

DH has instructor qualifications and has told me there are a small amount of people that are nearly unteachable, however hard they try. To get over it will take longer than a week a year though. So I do easy blues, then have hot chocolate while DH does harder stuff with the kids (even my 6yo is far beyond me now!)

I started skiing when I was 17, I was slow to progress but had an amazing couple of holidays in my 20s where I whizzed down reds ( never blacks) and was really pretty competent. Since taking it back up in my 40s , I seem to be regressing if anything. I still love it though and am happy tootling down blues most of the time, as long as you enjoy it and don't get caught on a slope that's above your ability- no shame in snow ploughing when stuck - then why worry.

Oh and also my general fitness is a lot lower than it used to be which makes it more difficult as well.

Yep I can’t do it. It’s in my head not physical

That’s interesting both thanks

I guess @rookiemere that part of what bothers me is that I’m actually really fit and sporty so I feel like I should be much better iyswim!
I’m not at all flexible though so that may be part of the issue.

I’m not unhappy skiing the way I do- I really enjoy it- I’d just so love to be more confident and to expand my horizon a bit by managing reds.

Me. Never progressed from lessons. Toddlers can out ski me. My instructor said he’d never met anyone who couldn’t stop before he met me, even using the correct technique. My yodelling to get out of the way is pretty impressive though!

It is common to plateau. As you get older your physique, risk assessment and confidence level changes. Technique and equipment evolves. We recently returned to skiing after a 8 year break and kept largely to blues which we were within our competence and (un)fitness level. It really does not matter.

Agree with others you need a consolidated block, 10 days or better 2 weeks. 7 weeks really isn't that much experience especially over 24 years !. I have skiied nearly every year since I learnt 22 years ago, I definately take longer to catch up after a missed year and do better the years we go for more than a week.

My SIL. Mostly it’s in her head- she’s scared of looking down the mountain and will only do massive sideways turns and practically comes to a stop between each one just to know that she can. She enjoys it though so if she’s happy then what does it matter?!

Keep doing the same blue over and over - it builds your confidence

I find a Glühwein helps me sometimes

As long as you can meet everyone for lunch keep at it

Just find a resort with lots of blues - that's what my friends and I do !

Open to all suggestions @rookiemere

Over 30 years that is not a lot of skiing. I have been 6-7 times since I started to learn 8 years ago and only now starting to feel properly decent and can tackle most stuff on piste.
Try snowdome lessons to build confidence before you go or as suggested elsewhere keep skiing the same runs or in the same resort. You don’t sound unreachable, you just haven’t skied much at all really given the long period you are talking about

Well last year we did a long weekend with ski weekenders. They are based in between Le Grand Bornand and La Clusaz - Le Grand Bo has ample cruisy blues for a long weekend and - joy of joys - a slopeside cafe that serves both croque monsieur and steak tartare and has ground level toilets. Then La Clusaz is a bit more advanced for options.

I also agree you tend to plateau especially when you are learning in middle age! I remember saying I’d never ski a black run ever and would be happy to be comfortable on reds. But once you are comfortable on reds, many (European) blacks aren’t much different. You’ve just got to spend more time on snow recognising what feels right and what works, before you get there.

The reality I'm afraid is you aren't spending enough time skiing, and each time you go you are therefore spending most of the time "getting your ski legs" and not really advancing.

If you want to advance/improve, you need to go for longer each season, and/ longer each holiday.... and lots of lessons - maybe private lessons as you will improve faster!

In my early 20's when I started I was skiing 3-4 weeks a season, then you do start to progress. More recently we have been doing more like 6-8 weeks (and 3-4 weeks at a time) and boy do you get better quickly!

Agree re time on the slopes. I started snowboarding in my mid 20s and since the children were toddlers we've been 2/3 times every season. I'm not amazing but I can get myself down anything these days, albeit at a slower pace than the kids. I'm deeply envious that my kids have mastered it now as it's set them up for life!

Well this is all very interesting!

I can’t honestly imagine many families (and don’t know of any) who manage more than a week a year?

But my comparisons are all people who also go one week a year and have been less overall than me (my husband eg has been twice, close friends each three times) and all are good to very good and managing reds and some blacks without drama

I think some of it is fear (I have more than my fair share!) but it’s also I just can’t master the technique despite being really fit and well up for spending as many hours as I can on the slopes in the week!

I would also suggest it is not easy to develop technique on less challenging terrain. Sometimes you need a certain pitch and speed to get rhythm and practice in different conditions.

A lack of flexibility is a huge factor. I'm a competent skier, but, since having a child, my hips are for shit.

I can turn one way on the slopes, but frequently end up facing uphill the other way.

I can feel how immobile my hip movement is, which is frustrating. I'm pretty sure that if I had the fluidity of my younger hips, I'd be much more proficient, and I would also tackle harder runs with more confidence.

We usually manage 3 weeks a year mainly because DD is still in school and we're restricted to the (even more) expensive weeks.

In saying that, we were lucky and managed to have a few months at a ski resort when DD was small. Our skiing made a massive improvement during that time. As a PP said, if you only go one week a year then you spend a lot of that time getting your ski legs back.

Do you have a snow dome nearby? If you could go regularly and practise there before going on holiday then it might help.

Yep, it's a flexibility thing for me too. My knees aren't up to it.

An adult who has been skiing for two or three weeks and is a “very good” skier (ie who can ski a steep red or black in a decent and controlled style) is definitely the exception rather than the rule. So don’t beat yourself up. You are far more the norm. Being fit helps but it is not a substitute for time on snow.

A lot of people think they are better skiiers the they are... Like the bloke that went into my 6yo who was waiting at the side for DH to catch up, sent her flying and didn't have enough control to stop to see if he had hurt a child. DH (instructor) sees plenty of dangerous skiing.

Try lessons in the UK at a snowdome or even dry ski slope.

Lots of people don't progress, so try not to worry too much. I would suggest getting a private lesson with a female instructor, completely alone, explaining the issue and asking to go down the nicest red slope they have in resort.
Bear in mind that what is red in one resort might be classed as blue or black in another. And there are frequently steeper bits on any run that could be graded as 'red', it just depends how long and wide they are as to whether they affect the grading. A good instructor should be able to take you up a ladder of difficulty as it were.

Also the fact you turn to almost uphill suggests to me a very quick fast turn in one direction (almost panic turn using leg strength rather than weight) because you are scared more when you turn in that direction: possibly because you have an imbalance in the way you can use your legs (incidentally this is true to some extent in all skiers - professionals work very hard to eliminate this assymetry).

Might be worth going to an indoor slope in the uk and getting a few improver lessons to try and allow you to do more fluid turns on an easy slope. Th benefit of this is you will be able to approach steeper slopes with better technique.

Also who cares if you stick to blues? Skiing for fun isn't about 'who can do the most dangerous run' but about enjoying the snow, the scenery and a coffee in the bar with your family and friends. If you are petrified the whole time then that is no fun but if you are enjoying yourself then don't worry too much!

Ivr been about 12 times OP and I am getting worse now if anything! I seem to have no style and very limited technique. My children age 3 and 6 are far better than me!!