How to deal with the ski fear

Fear is a bad counsellor” is sometimes said, and it certainly is when it comes to skiing. “How am I ever gonna get down that mountain in one piece? It’s so high! I really can’t do it! “I can’t! Fear is a phenomenon that occurs not only in adults, but also in children. It’s a shame, because fear makes you lose the pleasure of skiing. And even though with good guidance this is not necessary at all!

How does fear of skiing arise?

Although fear is often caused by images that people create in their own minds – skiing is so fast, the mountains are so high, skiing is so difficult! -, there are also often more easily influenced factors that come into play. If, for example, someone is assigned to the wrong ski group, this can quickly cause anxiety. The group goes too fast, goes down too steep slopes, or the level is just totally different. There are countless options.

It can also happen that someone gets acute skiing anxiety due to a nasty fall or accident. As they say in the world of horse riding: you have to get back in the saddle right away! But, what if this doesn’t work? What if the snowmobile brings you down because of a broken arm? Then you don’t say: ”oh let me go skiing, because I have to start skiing again someday”.

What can you do to get rid of your fear?

In the first incident above, you are assigned to the wrong ski group, you can of course already start with the right ski group. It can happen that in this situation this is just one step lower than the group you originally should have been placed in. In this way, you’ll have time to build up new confidence and you’ll be able to grow back to a higher level.

Have you had the misfortune of being involved in a nasty vol or an accident? Then it’s a good scare! Don’t get back on your skis on your own again, but book a few hours of private lessons so that you can perfect your technique to perfection with instructions from a ski instructor. A ski instructor can give you instructions that will give you more stability and security on the skis: more through the knees, upper body further forward, hands neatly forward, and so on. The ski posture is extremely important for your self-confidence on the piste!

Patience is a virtuel

It is important to be patient for the person with skiing anxiety. Whether this is your husband or wife, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your cousin or niece, or perhaps your own son or daughter. Patience is a virtue! The skier with fear of skiing will not get better and will certainly not feel better. For exactly the same reason it is also advisable to take private lessons instead of group lessons: there will not be six people eating out of their noses because they constantly have to wait for you.