Friends Don’t Let Friends Ski – Or do they?

As an avid snowboarder and childhood memories of super stylin’ pink skies and being jolted off a t-bar or two in my formative years, I now with jest to those who would rather ski over snowboard – that friends don’t let friends ski.  

They do though and if they are a real friend, they should encourage it.

There are all kinds of good vibrations happening in this world when you decide to get your ski on.

Why?

Skiing is a good vibe and skiing enhances your health.

Whether you are skiing with the famjam or skiing all by your lonesome, skiing is an activity that can yield all kinds of good.

The Physical Benefits of Skiing

This is where the daughter of two physicians brings out the big guns in some verbiage and throws down the first benefit of skiing which is proprioception improvement.

Say whaaat??

This is a very fancy and fun word to describe the stimuli that is perceived and produced with positioning and moving of your very fine and lovely body. Yes, yours.

This is a very good vibe because this is something, as you grow older, that you want to keep on top of and dial in so as to stay vibrant and allow it to diminish not.

This activity is weight bearing on your legs which strengthens your bones. Your lower leg muscles get all kinds of strength building and say hello to “Toight” buns – as this jam has you in a squat position for the majority of the duration in which you are making your way down the hill. Ever so good leg burn which will not at all be focused upon as you embrace the magnificence of the environment around you and the participation of you playing upon it.

You will learn that staying balanced is a thing to implement when you are jet-setting down a mountain on two sticks – this requires you to use your core. Core strength training is supremely good for you and challenging your balancing acuity proves only to benefit you and your body and level up your relationship to you and your physical way of being in the world.

Stretching it out is recommended prior to getting up that chair lift, so improved flexibility is another win. When you expand the flexibility of your muscles and joints, you are more resilient in your movements.

The promotion of a very restful and deep deep sleep. After a day on the hill using your body’s entirety to ski it out, you will hit the pillow and then done. This activity is especially wonderful when engaged in with very active and energetic children. Makes bedtime a breeze!!

The Mental Benefits of Skiing

Skiing is refreshing and skiing gets you out on a mountain or hill top which immediately encompass feels of expansion and freedom. It is hard to get into a good ski day and at the same time entertain any stressful or worrisome thoughts about what is happening off the mountain. It is a mood elevator, a huge relief of stress and an all around uplifting kind of experience. Even the conditioned whiners, complainers and victimization kinda conditioned people, keep relatively quiet and chill when engaging in a ski adventure.

The environment and your requirement to engage the task fully in order to be successful, implements a mindset of focus and attention and very present moment awareness which yields to a better frame of mind (clear). Let us also not forget those wonderful entities called endorphins which, when aerobically moving your body, secrete them good feels up in your brain.

For developing little people, not dwarfism, but like children, it is a huge self-esteem builder, a chance to learn, a great mind body awareness level up and an opportunity for them to have a ton of fun – because that is how we are naturally wired and I think it is of great value to really let our children enjoy and encompass the innocence and fun that childhood is representative of. Skiing does just that.

How to Get Skiing

If you are fortunate to live near a mountain or a ski hill, most, if not all, provide ski lessons and instruction. This is a good idea if you are totally brand new to the sport. If you have friends who are seasoned in the sport, you can get instruction from them. It is good to watch somehow to videos ahead of time as I am sure with the diverse range of individuals this world possesses, there are useful tips and tricks to be picked up from various sources.

Renting or buying gear are options. For kids, if it will be an ongoing activity, there are great deals online you can find, same with adults. If you are just trying it out to see if you like it, renting is a great idea! Nothing beats having your own kit though, and getting the proper attire and gear can be a good vibe to dial in.

Skiing is an aerobic sport and then there are rest periods in between getting up the mountain so you exert yourself and then find yourself stationary for a time in colder temperatures. The manner in which you outfit your body will have a huge impact on your comfort level and your willingness to keep on keepin’ on for the day. When we outfitted our little guy for his first riding lesson we dialled in Burton – a brand we have always been pleased with in terms of quality, style and functionality and although Burton is a snowboard company, except for the footwear the gear is super solid for winter recreation.

Stay away from cotton, because when you sweat, the cotton retains that moisture and ends up making your body cold. A dry fit under layer that wicks away the moisture, a warm layer on top that provides ventilation to accommodate the varying body temperatures garnered from the nature of the activity of the sport and a top layer that is ventilated and waterproof will ensure your system is managed optimally so as to fully enjoy the ski!!

Depending on your body temperature and the way your body works, you can dial in your own specifications in terms of how many layers you choose – you know yourself best so just keep in mind the quality and fabric of your choices.

I hope this introduction to the vibrant activity of skiing has provided some inspiration for a fun winter ski holiday or and activity to engage in during the winter months. Stay tuned for more to come and in the meantime, keep those good vibes rolling!