ore likely to achieve your goals is you think about them in advance and tell your teacher what they are. If there's something you want to do on skis, then say so. Whether it's technical ("I want to improve my hip angulation") oHave a goal. Once, in an instructor's office, the examiner gave us an exercise. He would ski down with a specific task in mind, but he wouldn't tell us what it was. We were to watch him very carefully and decide what his task was. He skied and we all watched with rapt attention. One skier said "I think you were working on your balance". Someone else suggested, "You were focusing on keeping your turn shape consistent". A third said, "The rhythm of your pole touch".

Then came the punch line. What was his focus? "I was trying to keep the tassel on my hat flying straight back", he joked. In short, he was just skiing. And each of us had inadvertently revealed what we were thinking about in our own skiing. Be if he had asked us what we wanted to work on, we would have mumbled something entirely different.

So goals are good. Everyone has them, whether they realize it or not. You're much more likely to achieve your goals is you think about them in advance and tell your teacher what they are. If there's something you want to do on skis, then say so. Whether it's technical ("I want to improve my hip angulation") or

was. He skied and we all watched with rapt attention. One skier said "I think you were working on your balance". Someone else suggested, "You were focusing on keeping your turn shape consistent". A third said, "The rhythm of your pole touch".

Then came the punch line. What was his focus? "I was trying to keep the tassel on my hat flying straight back", he joked. In short, he was just skiing. And each of us had inadvertently revealed what we were thinking about in our own skiing. Be if he had asked us what we wanted to work on, we would have mumbled something entirely different.

So goals are good. Everyone has them, whether they realize it or not. You're much more likely to achieve your goals is you think about them in advance and tell your teacher what they are. If there's something you want to do on skis, then say so. Whether it's technical ("I want to improve my hip angulation") o

r pole touch".

Then came the punch line. What was his focus? "I was trying to keep the tassel on my hat flying straight back", he joked. In short, he was just skiing. And each of us had inadvertently revealed what we were thinking about in our own skiing. Be if he had asked us what we wanted to work on, we would have mumbled something entirely different.

So goals are good. Everyone has them, whether they realize it or not. You're much more likely to achieve your goals is you think about them in advance and tell your teacher what they are. If there's something you want to do on skis, then say so. Whether it's technical ("I want to improve my hip angulation") o

re thinking about in our own skiing. Be if he had asked us what we wanted to work on, we would have mumbled something entirely different.

So goals are good. Everyone has them, whether they realize it or not. You're much more likely to achieve your goals is you think about them in advance and tell your teacher what they are. If there's something you want to do on skis, then say so. Whether it's technical ("I want to improve my hip angulation") o

ore likely to achieve your goals is you think about them in advance and tell your teacher what they are. If there's something you want to do on skis, then say so. Whether it's technical ("I want to improve my hip angulation") or situation-oriented ("I want to ski that expert trail on the other side of the mountain"), let your instructor know. If your instructor knows what you want to accomplish, he can design drills and exercises that help to do just that.

Be flexible. In skiing, as in life, you have to walk before you can run. You may want to ski that gnarly bump trail. But before you can ski that trail, you're going to have to improve your balance and your short turns. It's best to work on those skills on the groomed slopes. So give your pro the benefit of the doubt. Mastering the basics isn't always sexy, but it pays big rewards down the road.

Really listen. Those breaks between drills aren't just for catching your breath. Your instructor may not talk much, but when he does speak up, it's usually to offer an important explanation or helpful tip. And even if you can't use it right away, a tip often click