What is good leisure skiing - what to aim for?

What is the aim when trying to improve? I would be interested to hear what others think. I start by setting out my own thoughts and aims.

Some people seem to be looking for more speed. But abfahrt / downhill speed is not it IMO. Anybody with the balls to point the skis down the mountain can ski fast? Going down from Rendl (St Anton) some people passed us close at racing speeds. Good style too. What is great driving on an F1 track is atrocious driving down the High Street. Maybe it is reluctance to take the Helicopter Ambulance "shuttle" which operates all day between St Anton or Ischgl and Innsbruck Hospital, but I feel the same principle applies to public pistes...

Races held socially for example in ski schools will be something like GS, which are more a test of control but not as hard as normal slalom. Maybe going fast in that context is the aim.

For me safety is number 1 and injury would not be fun. Second, efficiency. It is not fun ending the day exhausted. Third, good style.

But what is good style? Who knows, when ski teachers have so many competing theories (especially in America). Maybe they over-complicate things. There are various videos on the net illustrating these ideas. In the end style is in the eye of the beholder. I have no idea how to pick between these teachers and schools. For inline skating I have a lot of contact with a very technical instructor whose own style becomes a model for me, but I have never had a ski lesson. I like Austrian style because I ski in Austria and have received some informal tips on how it is done. Sofa Ski School would be the best example on video. This teaching appears to have a fairly loose connection with race training.

On the other hand for some advanced skiiers the aim is all about using and developing "real" off-piste skills, where a whole new range of skills and moutaincraft come into play.

Touring is also great for fitness. I am not qualified to do a real tour without a guide but I do enjoy walking up reasonably close the piste on touring skis (I did get lost in the woods once...skiing several km back down the footpath was even more strenuous than walking up it), and I do not really believe anyone who says they ski for fitness unless they have tried this type of skiing (which is surprisingly addictive).

What are your aims? And do you have views about what is "good" skiing, beyond the few basics which every skier could jot down on the back of an envelope (like not sitting back, and not starting a turn with the shoulders)? And why should we care anyway? If you can get into and out of the ski hut bar safely, and bullshit about your skiing exploits back in Blighty with your mates, maybe that is what a skiing holiday is all about?

First and foremost a ski holiday is just that, a holiday, in a wonderful mountain environment.
Good skiing is relative to your level, control is everything, skiing as fast as you can safely control can be good skiing, skiing faster than you can safely control is not.
I love to ski fast, but as soon as it gets busy, particularly if there are kids or beginners about (both by their nature are unpredictable), I wash off the speed. Same goes for junctions, you see so many skiers ski straight across oblivious of the risk.
I strive to be able to ski whatever conditions throw at me, being able to adjust my technique to suit.
We have saying in the club, the best skier is the one that enjoys it the most.

For me a good ski holiday is coming home bubbling with enthusiasm for the next one. Sometimes it may be that I have made progress with something I have previously found more difficult steeps/bumps/pole plants/powder etc Sometimes my skiing may have been average but the company hilarious/resort beautiful/conditions fantastic.
I go with the agenda of having fun no matter what the conditions, I always take lessons, sometimes group ski school if I'm travelling in a mixed ability group or a couple of private lessons if it is just myself and boyfriend. It will depend where we are and what the conditions are like as to what I choose to concentrate on in a private lesson.
I'm disabled and my physical condition varies wildly depending on a lot of things so I have no real style as I often have to adapt the way move to the amount of pain I am in or not.
Some holidays I will have to be content to enjoy the views on green/blue slopes skiing without poles because planting poles can cause electric shock type pains, my last holiday however I was feeling pretty good and was able to to spend a couple of days on the reds and blacks at VDI working on pole plants and generally more fluid movements.
A great ski holiday to my mind involves learning something (even if it is just to manage your expectations) enjoying the local eateries and bars, being in great company and arriving home in one piece with a big grin and photographic evidence.

What great answers, especially the emphasis on fun :-)

By the way, speaking as someone who spends a lot of time in Innsbruck, I can highly recommend revisiting the Alps in summer. On a sunny summer day the ski huts can be buzzing with walkers and mountain bikers (who may use the ski lift one way).

andyhull wrote:First and foremost a ski holiday is just that, a holiday, in a wonderful mountain environment.
Good skiing is relative to your level, control is everything, skiing as fast as you can safely control can be good skiing, skiing faster than you can safely control is not.
I love to ski fast, but as soon as it gets busy, particularly if there are kids or beginners about (both by their nature are unpredictable), I wash off the speed. Same goes for junctions, you see so many skiers ski straight across oblivious of the risk.
I strive to be able to ski whatever conditions throw at me, being able to adjust my technique to suit.
We have saying in the club, the best skier is the one that enjoys it the most.

Superbly put

I always find these kinda threads a bit on the tedius side ...... surely is it not up to the individual to decide, I do think we are all different :roll:

An enjoyable holiday is the key thing.
To achieve that you need a reasonable technique to be able to ski on piste safely - comfortable on blues and reds. I would say you would need to be able to ski most blacks, not necessarily fast or even with grace and style but well enough to get down safely if you need to.

Many would say their first week on the snow was their best ever but that's not an experience that can be repeated.

Beyond that it's really about personal preferences - some like the feel of high speed, off piste or moguls - in which case you need to develop a better standard of skiing (to do it safely) compared with cruising blues.

People will have different reasons for going skiing, especially the first few trips. I met quite a few people going for their first trip and it was a mixture of people following their partner and willingly trying it out, others were literally dragged along by their partners or mates.

The only rule is that you should know why you are going and what you want out of it. That's what mostly matters and do what's necessary to reach the goal whether it is having a good time, improving your skills or just going for a leisurely ski when you fancy it. This diversity makes it such a great activity. Of course safety should always take top priority and a little bit of danger is healthy too.

I took a strange approach to it though. My first trip was a load of fun with my friends but the skiing side of it was hopeless and even forgot how to stop after a day or so. My second trip was not meant to be a holiday and was basically boot camp for me. I was determined to improve and truly decide whether it was for me or not. I went on my own and improved beyond what I thought was possible. My next trip will be a true ski holiday as I'm now an intermediate and I've decided it is for me and I can sit back and enjoy while improving, etc.