Find Your Inner Skier: The Ups & Downs of Playing at the Edge by Marilynn Preston on Creators.com

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Find Your Inner Skier: The Ups & Downs of Playing at the Edge

Traveling to the mountains has been thrilling outdoor lovers of all ages, for ages. There's something about the inexplicable and mystical nature of the experience — "You don't climb the mountain, the mountain allows you up" — that speaks to an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in the warmest thermal underwear I can find.

For my first few ski trips to the mountains, the mystery mostly involved the possibility of sudden death or a ride in a stretcher. But over time, I have discovered my Inner Skier — calmer, much less fearful, a better learner — and joyfully surrendered to my own ups and downs.

"The pleasures of skiing lie in being totally involved in the way we feel when the body is in motion ... the sense of our own natural rhythm and flow," I have highlighted in yellow in my beloved copy of "Inner Skiing," by W. Timothy Gallwey and Robert Kriegel. "The goal is a feeling of harmony both with ourselves and the environment."

When harmony lives, fear lets go, according to the ancients who were the healthy lifestyle coaches of their time. Their advice still stands for skiers, boarders and snowshoers: Pack light, go with the flow, and never step over the edge.

My upcoming week of downhill skiing in the Colorado Rockies will no doubt take me to my edge, but I've learned it's all worth it. The liberation that comes from playing with, not resisting, the force of gravity. The ecstasy of carving an effortless turn. The relaxing adult beverages that await you at the end of the day.

No matter your sport, going to your edge is part of a healthy lifestyle. Nothing adventured, nothing gained. What I've gained from my seven years of learning to love my Inner Skier is that it's not about executing The Perfect Turn, it's about enjoying the process.

"Without appreciating the path, reaching the goal is often meaningless," Gallwey writes, and I believe him. That's why I sign up for ski school whenever I go to Snowmass — my appreciation of the path deepens as my limiting self doubts melt away. The name of this stellar program? Women's Edge. Let me share some notes (just as helpful for men):

BE PREPARED. Skiing is considered a risky sport.

It's a controlled fall down a mountain, and keeping that control requires strength, agility and balance. If you want to reduce your risk of injury and maximize your good time, show up at the mountain having prepared.

If you can start training six weeks ahead, congratulations, your gold star is in the overnight mail. If it's just one or two weeks of training, so be it. Start where you are, and schedule yourself for workouts that juice your joints, awaken your muscles and prepare you for what's coming.

And what is coming? Trees! Ice! Crazy snowboarders! The more agility you have, the more strength and endurance you've acquired, the better your warmup, the better your chances of ending your day on your skis, not your bum.

PREPARE MENTALLY, TOO. Skiing is a head sport, just like every other sport you've ever done. The mental game is huge, which is why all the Women's Edge instructors deserve master's degrees in counseling.

"I can't ... I won't ... I don't want to" are self-limiting concepts that get in the way of learning and enjoyment. Come to the mountain with a beginner's mind, no matter how many times you've skied before. Take a lesson or two to renew your confidence and remind you of everything you forgot since the last time you skied.

AWAKEN YOUR INNER SKIER. And keep her positive. Skiing while under the influence of constant self-criticism will get you nowhere fast. Don't compare yourself to other skiers, because envy and tension invite injury. Ski in control, but at the same time, ski in a relaxed manner, listening to the sound and rhythm of your own breath, or singing your favorite tune. When you find your rhythm, you will feel joy, and from that place of fluidity and grace, you've reached the mountaintop no matter what run you're on.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! THE INNER SKIER UNMASKED

"The premise of this approach is that primarily it is neither external conditions nor lack of technical expertise that prevents us from experiencing skiing at its best, but the doubts, fears and thoughts within our own heads." — Gallwey and Kriegel

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, well being coach and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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