Nervous skier in Solden - recommendations please!

[Itmakesnosensetome]

We’ve booked Solden for April. We are regular skiers and I’ve had so many ski lessons both private and ski school in my life but I’m still a terribly nervous skier. It’s ridiculous how many videos I’ve watched that are supposed to reduce ski anxiety and how many instructors have tried to teach me to ski. My technique is actually ok but I’m just really tense when I ski and worry the whole time.

I love going skiing and my family are super keen, very good skiers and I want to be able to be with them. Any nervous skiers used a great ski school in Solden that they could recommend? Thanks!

Would you consider self hypnosis, a calming recording that you can listen to with affirmations, to listen to frequently in the months and weeks before you go which you can then tap into when you are on the slopes - much like hypnobirthing! - where the mind goes, the body will follow.

Just got back from Sölden! Have you been before or is it your first time? I didn't use an instructor when out there but I highly recommend a private instructor if the budget reaches as they will take you to the pistes that suit your level and give you extra confidence on ones you're uncomfortable with.

There are some really lovely wide blues in Sölden but also some roady bits so make sure you're comfortable with short turns ☺️

Thank you! Yes we have been to Solden before. Loved it. And I want to really love it. I should possibly consider hypnosis. It’s ridiculous how nervous I am. I hate high speed and quick movements anyway but this is really not good. I have the budget for private lessons but really how much can a person spend on ski lessons before it becomes ridiculous? When I say I have spend over £2,000 on ski lessons I’m not lying.

I know the tense feeling you desribe, but I only tend to feel that if it's a very icey slope, whereas for you it sounds like it's all the time? If you have spent £2k on ski lessons already, there probably isn't going to be a magic solution any ski school can offer.

In your day to day life, do you do any activities which scare you, or do you stay firmly within your physical comfort zone? (Not criticising, so many people do, particularly after kids!). If you never normally do slightly scary activities, it might be expecting a bit much from your brain to relax, when throwing yourself down a mountain if you only go once or twice a year. Would you consider taking up ice skating, rock climbing, surfing, even cycling? Anything where there's a little bit of fear, and you are relying on your balance and movement to stop you falling. It may help your brain get more used to it and relax when you ski.

I feel a bit of fear / exhilaration (the line between the two is thin) every time I cycle fast down a hill! I'm not a naturally brave person and if skiing twice a year was the only scary thing I did, I could see myself struggling with it.

Maybe the problem is the fact you are skiing with a family of very good skiers and not comfortable with their pace and confidence?
Can you join a group at your own level, do a trip with friends or would you consider something like Ski Goddess aimed at building confidence as well as competence (and taught by women). Where there is much less pressure to keep up with "good skiers".
Hope you find a teacher you like, hope someone has some good ideas. Not all teachers are the same and experience really counts. Good luck. Just don't pressure yourself to ski with them at their pace, but to learn to love it at your own pace -- the rest will come!

Thanks for the recent replies, I really appreciate it! I always feel like this….blue slopes, red….have done a black with an instructor before and felt better than I sometimes on a blue. So yes, it’s anxiety for sure and not always logical! I always have ski lessons when I go with my family as I can’t skit with them - they are way too quick and skilled and I want them to have fun, not wait for me.

if I go with my friend we stick together and just ski gently for a couple of hours a day, but I still can’t relax. I just like being in a ski group so I have someone to follow and try and progress. I love everything about the ski holiday and really want to keep skiing. I would just love a great group to join in Solden to help me relax a little