From: johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira)
Newsgroups: rec.skiing
Subject: Re: You have to fall to learn?
Date: 15 Sep 92 19:36:20 GMT
Organization: Auspex Systems, Inc.

In article <2qzn9pa@quantum.on.ca> eric@quantum.on.ca (Eric Johnson) writes:

I wrote:
|>"If you don't fall, you aren't learning".  This is also
|           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|>true for skiing.  You have to challenge yourself, and fall as a result.  The
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|>key, however, is to recognize your limits and push them such that you are
|>not endangering yourself or others.  Nobody benefits when you ski a run
|>the is *way* beyond your ability to ski.  
|
|I keep hearing this from all sorts of people. Its one of those truisms which 
|I feel is quite false. You may have to make mistakes to learn. Those mistakes
|do not have to result in falls to learn. I have been downhill skiing for only 
|two years, rarely fall (i.e. maybe three times a year or so I will fall,

I've been skiing for 21 years and still have a lot more falls than that, some
of them pretty spectacular.  Sometimes it might be on a race course when I'm 
really letting it hang out, sometimes it might be in the bumps when I've 
caught and edge and for a split second lost my balance, sometimes I've just
been cut off by a beginner on the advanced hill (sorry, just had to do it).
My point is skiing aggressively will help you to improve.  While some people
are satisfied with taking the easiest way down others look for the most 
difficult way down a particular run.  Knowing your limits and pushing those
limits is not necessarily going to make you fall but it is going to happen.
How many times you fall has little to do with your ability.

|have lost equipment only once when I made a mistake in deep powder resulting
|in one of my skis coming off), and have _definitely_ improved. I am comfortable
|skiing just about any pitch and am getting the hang of the bumps pretty well
|now also. On bump runs I have certainly made lots of mistakes and lost control
|for brief (i.e. <1 second) moments. I have found that with practice and taking
|sensible risks appropriate to my skills that I have the recovery skills
|necessary to stay in control when I make mistakes on progressively more
|challenging terrain. 


|I have several friends who started skiing at the same 
|time I did and took the recommended 'if you don't fall you aren't pushing
|yourself hard enough' approach. All of these friends are far, far, behind me
|now in skiing ability. I think this idea that you have to fall is just plain
|wrong. If you are falling frequently or are presenting a hazard to other
|skiers, put your ego away and find a slope more appropriate to your abilities.
 
I hope that this wasn't directed at me as you have never seen me ski.  As
I mentioned I've been skiing for 21 years and competed on the HP bay area
race team for three years.  I'll let it hang out when the conditions warrant
it.  Ski responsibly, ski aggressively, and most of all have fun.

-- 
+==========================================================================+
| John Fereira     | Auspex Systems | "Auspex does not share my opinions.  |
| johnf@auspex.com | Santa Clara CA |  So Why am I still working here?"    |
+==========================================================================+
From: glenb@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Glen Baker)
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 23:32:24 GMT
Subject: rec.skiing FAQ 01/13
Organization: What, me? Organized?