Ok so you can ski. You can get down most runs, go pretty fast on the less steep runs and get through the off piste. Where do you go from here? Do you go faster? Do you look for jumps? Do you change your equipment?
The world's best skiers and snowboarders can be seen out on the mountain in all types of conditions having fun. In the off piste they are effortlessly gliding rhythmically through the powder. On hard pack they are turning with great accuracy and rhythm seemingly dancing down the mountain.
These boys and girls are out there having a great time because they have the technique and skill to enjoy the mountain. The mountain is their equivalent of a dance floor with their favourite music blasting in their ears. The more they do it the better they get, the more fun they are having, the more they are in harmony with both themselves and the mountain. They are buzzing. Nothing can quite replace the feeling.
Very rarely will you find somebody who is good at a sport who has not had good and informative direction. The more direction you get the better you will become and the more you will enjoy the sensation of the sport. This is what makes a sport so addictive. You can guarantee Andy Murray loves the feeling of hitting a smooth clean backhand down the line. Bode Miller loves the sensation he gets from carving a beautiful clean turn down a GS course, Cristiano Ronaldo must love beating five players and putting the ball in the top corner.
The common theme with all these guys is that they have great technique. There is no substitute for it. The better your technique the more fun you will have. We often see intermediate skiers straight lining an easy piste at speed. They try to go faster and faster to generate some sort of buzz. This is ultimately boring and dangerous. A good skier/snowboarder will travel down that piste carving, experimenting, changing rhythm, getting more angle, working the skis as they are designed to be used. They will be having greater fun, getting fitter and go back for more.
If you want to get that buzz and feel the rush then get some good instruction. Why try to reinvent the wheel? You only live once, do the best you can and do not miss out.
