Obviously a lesson will help. An instructor will take you on appropriate terrain to address any technical issues you need to work on. They will explain the whys to give you a better understanding of how to tackle the pistes as well taking you through different exercises to help improve various aspects of your skiing. You will start within your comfort zone before gently pushing that zone a little wider & wider as your confidence grows. In addition, an instructor will know the resort and all its pistes inside out which will ensure no nasty surprises!
But outside of that, when you are skiing on your own, here are my top tips to build your skiing confidence...
1) Practice on terrain you find easy.
2) Take it onto more challenging terrain - build this step slowly, don’t jump from green to black in one go.
3) The first time you do a run it may feel hard because you don’t know what to expect - go back and do it again to give yourself a boost.
4) Look for more challenging sections of runs you know well and use these shorter bits to practice knowing that you have a get out.
5) Don’t just look at the colour of a run - not all runs of the same colour are created equal and changing conditions will play a part, eg bad visibility or icy conditions can make even the nursery slopes feel tricky. So don't take it personally or be discouraged if you glided with ease down a blue run one day but the next day it was a different story.
6) Be honest about your ski ability & enthusiasm if going with friends, you don’t want to be pushed to ski long days on black runs in zero visibility if that’s not your thing!
7) Pick you ski partners wisely - you don’t want to be constantly criticised or pushed too hard, choose supportive ski buddies who have similar aims to you.
8) Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and that progress is not always linear. Don't be disheartened if you don't absolutely nail something first time, or if you nail it first time but not the second. Keep going and keep believing.
BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN!
Skiing is a holiday, a thing of absolute joy & freedom so make sure you make the time to stop and smell the proverbial flowers!
Take a look at my post about leaping off the skiing plateau here