Last year I had a skiing accident, how can I get over this?

Question

Last year I went skiing for the third time and managed to fall over going over some bumps in the snow resulting in a cut in my knee from my ski's which I had 30 stitches for. I was very nervous before I had the accident (first time I went skiing I was left at the top of a black run with no ski's etc) and I don't think I'm a natural at skiing. I've always been very cautious of skiing because of accidents but I would like to ski again. However I am worried that I will fall and hurt myself again. Has anybody got any advice on how to get over this?

Answer 1

Just take it easy, but do have some professional instruction.

Answer 2

I suggest having someone that you know come with you (who knows how to ski) for support. Then, make sure you're making BIG s's across the hill. Basically don't go any faster then you are comfortable with. Skiing takes a lot of practice. Don't loose hope I'm sure that you can do it!

Answer 3

I have been skiing for 12 years and what I have discovered is that practice really does make perfect! If you practice falling than you won't be so afraid if it does happen

Answer 4

As someone who has skied for many years and who's boyfriend teaches,  I also highly recommend a private lesson if you can afford it.  This will allow the instructor to spend as much time as is needed with you to get over those first few hurdles.  It is also worth explaining to the school your experiences so that they can better suit an instructor to your specific needs.  The most important thing with skiing is to enjoy it and there are so many things to enjoy - the mountains, the sunlight (hopefully) and the excellent food!  Also I highly recommend a big smile when skiing - it helps enormously!

I really hope that you find your confidence again, it took me a while after my accident.  But I took it in my own time and didn't let anyone push me too fast and now I feel really confident with my skiing and I love it.  Although its always good to be aware of those around you.   Good luck, don't give up.

Answer 5

If you really enjoy the sport, time will help ease your fear.  Try lessons again, and consider asking for lessons for the intermediate skier--I know this sounds like a big jump, but instructors tend to vary progressively from skill level.  Make the ski school aware of your problem and request a veteran instructor.  You might learn a lot more than being a clumsy intermediate than taking the beginner course for the fourth time.  Good luck and have fun!

Answer 6

I'm sorry to hear you had such an awful experience with what sounds like an irresponsible coach.  I teach skiing and have been dismayed by the lack of fundemental skills being taught by instructors.  It  can speak volumes to the mountain's approach to training its coaches or to that coach's dedication to teaching.  It's also possible te coach didn't know that trail was so skied up (I had that happen to me once.  We don't often have the chance to check out a trail before a lesson...conditions can change rapidly)

I've been through the injury comeback a few times:  broken wrist and a sprained knee.  Each time I had flashbacks to the fall (the knee injury was worse, took me longer to recover and regain my confidence).  That took time to get through.  As my sking and confidence improved, the flashbacks lessened.

Like some of the other posters above, I highly recommend taking a private lesson with a certified instructor.  PSIA (Professional Ski Instructos of America) has a certification program, levels 1, 2 and 3 (Master coach is equivalent teaching wise to a Level 3).  Levels 2 and 3 require passing a 2 part exam:  pt 1=skiing , pt 2= teaching.   Now there are good and bad coaches at all levels, however, the higher the level, the more experienced and tested the coach.

I recomend a 2 hr private if you can afford it.  If I gave you the lesson, I'd talk to to you about your experience and your fears.  We'd take a warm-up run on very easy terrain, so that I could see how you ski.  Chances are you need some help with balance.  I would see how parallel you are and work on making your turns easier.  All this would occur on very easy terrain.  I beleive that skiing for most people is 10% technique, 90% confidence.  For some the ratio is 5% to 95%.  Once your confidence is built up a bit, we'd progressively move to trails that are more challenging.    Lastly, I'd teach you the side slip...this is your "emergency brake".  It allows you to get down terrain that is too difficult to turn in...until you reach a point where you feel confident to turn again.  However, I can only teach you this if you can use our edges, something we'd build up to.  Never take your skis off...it's too dangerous.

I'm glad to see you still have a passion for skiing...don't let that slip away.  Ask around your fav mountain for suggestions for a coach.  Best bet is to find the local watering hole the coaches hang out in.  Otherwise, when you book the lesson (call ahead), ask for a PSIA certified coach.

Good luck.  Time and coaching are the biggest help to getting over your fear.

Answer 7

i crash all the time going on black diamonds with my friends. ive only had one actually damaging crash. its really rare to get seriously hurt, like needing 30 stitches, so that shouldnt slow you down.

my advice, if that was your 3rd time skiing, is to stay off moguls for a while till you become better.

have fun!! you might want to stay off the moguls!

Answer 8

Start with a series of lessons from a qualified professional instructor. Explain your experiences, the instructor is able to relate to most skiers, and teach them how to do it safely.  Did a "friend" leave you at the top of the black run?  Is that still a friend?  No skiis?

Sorry about your stitches, that must have been some cut through the ski pants.   I've been teaching for 40 years and I do not let my students get in those situations, until they have a certain level of competency.  Take lessons and stay on the runs the instructor takes you on until you can make rational decisions yourself.

Answer 9

I have been instructing for three years and I get a lot of people who are nervous because of painful or embarrassing falls.  There's really no general solution...different things work for different people.  You pretty much just have to understand that if you ski, you will fall, and most of the time you won't get hurt.  A lot of students I have are so nervous and tense that they panic and lose control on fairly easy terrain and fall, which makes the situation even worse.  My advice would be to get a private instructor.  You have to understand that everyone else in your group is paying for a lesson to, and they don't want to have to waste time waiting for one person.  A private lesson will give you personal attention and you can feel free to go at your own pace as opposed to being rushed onto more challenging terrian.

Answer 10

well i am a ski instructor at Winterplace Ski Resort in West Virginia and i would love to know what kind of instructor would try to get their students to go faster. For a beginner you need to learn to control you speed. Not increase your speed. Try starting out on some easier green trails. Stay on those until ur confortable. Maybe start at the "bunny hill" and if needed take another lesson. Once you get confortable with these trails again try some of the easier blues. Don't go down the trail you were hurt on until you are confortable on blues again. Then tackle the tuffy that you were injured on. Don't ski above your ability though. If you have trouble on the greens then don't go to the blues and blacks or if you have them double blacks. Go out and get to know your skis again and try not to think about your injury and think about your tecnique.

Hopes this helps,

Nick Ellis

p.s. if your ever in West Virginia in the winter spot by Winterplace and I'll teach you the proper way to ski.

Answer 11

I'd like to say get back in those ski's and just do it again however it is never that easy is it?

Is there anyway you can practice on a very small slope first and try to make it fun again.

When you've challenged and ENJOYED that, then maybe you could move on to something steeper.

'Baby steps' and 'fun' are the key words you should be remembering.

Good luck and more importantly HAVE FUN!

Answer 12

The main reason people fall is because of fear. They stiffen up and don't turn right. get into decent shape and try to feel confident. Wear an ipod if it helps you. Im not saying just go on a black diamond, but what I am saying is to be loose. Also getting a helmet might help you feel a little safer. Just don't get stuck in your own lack of confidence. It will only hold you back

Answer 13

Keep trying, get back out there and have fun at the same time.

I wasn't a natural at skiing i used to hate it for fear of falling or crashing. Luckily for me my mum was a ski instructor and kept forcing me up the mountain every weekend, now skiing is my life and im so glad i kept going :)

Good luck

Answer 14

You got a bad instructor.  There's no way you should have been on black runs, or on moguls, anywhere NEAR that early in your skiing career.

I'm no instructor, but I think a good rule of thumb is that the best 10% of first-dayers should maybe consider doing an easy blue as the last run of the first day.  My wife has skied 4 days in her life, and is not ready to move up from the greens, although I think she's getting close.  But, making the move from blue to black is a much bigger deal than making the move from green to blue.

As far as getting back into it, one factor is time.  I broke my arm in 2000 (because I was being stupid), and was scared to go back for like 3 years.  Wait until you're ready.

Secondly, just take it easy.  The goal isn't to become an expert overnight.  Aim for slow and steady progress.  It's better to find people at your comfort level than to try to keep up with friends who are better than you (I learned that lesson the hard and painful way, too)  If you feel out of control, get yourself out of the situation.  Usually the way to do this is to fall on purpose.  If you're just starting to get out of control, falling now won't hurt, but waiting until you've built up more speed and are closer to the trees might hurt.  For that matter, when you're in control, on a green slope, fall on purpose several times, just to get used to the feeling.

Any time you want to try a new motion (like, edging, for instance) try it out on greens, and then move up as you get comfortable (or even bored!) with it.

Skiing is a sport that takes YEARS to master!  You wouldn't go play against the Yankees the first week you ever held a baseball bat, would you?  They'd kick your butt.  And as we both found out the hard way, if you take on too good of a ski run too early, it'll kick your butt too.  So just start out on the flat and easy stuff, and work your way up very slowly.

Oh, and one last thing - please be aware that green, blue, and black are just to compare runs at one resort to other runs AT THAT SAME RESORT.  So for instance a blue in Colorado is likely to be more difficult than a black in Michigan.

Okay, I lied, one more last thing - when renting your equipment, be honest about your weight and skill level.  They take that into account when setting your bindings for how much pressure it will take to release them.  As a beginner, you want that to be not much pressure at all.  Skis staying on longer than they should in a fall can cause leg/knee injuries.  I'm not trying to scare you or anything, just saying that it's not worth it to try to look cool to the ski rental counter guy by checking the "expert" box on your rental form, if that could make you mess up your leg again.

Answer 15

It's natural to feel worried after having a serious accident, but don't let that keep you from skiing.    

You said this accident happened when you went skiing for the third time and that you were going over some bumps.  You also mentioned that you were left at the top of a black run the first time you went skiing.  Please don't take this wrong, but a beginner should not even think about going on a black run, particularly not when it's your first time on skis.  When you were injured, were those "bumps" moguls?  If so, you should not have been on a mogul field.  Moguls and black runs are for more experienced skiers, not beginners.

The next time you go skiing, sign up for a private lesson and tell the ski instructor about your accident.  He or she can help you to be more confident by teaching you correct technique on slopes that are more suitable for your level.  The best thing you can do for yourself as a beginning skier is to take lessons from a qualified professional.  They have the proper training for teaching people and are up to date on the latest methods.  

Skis have evolved a lot in the last 10 years and your friends or family members may not be aware of changes in technique if they are still skiing on older equipment.  The person who left you at the top of a black run was totally irresponsible in bringing you up there in the first place.  You or somebody else could have been seriously injured or killed.

Skiing is fun but accidents and injuries are not.  With proper instruction you will be much less nervous about skiing and far less likely to have an accident.

Answer 16

I am lucky enough to have never hurt myself skiing but i have had some pretty big falls.

i have seen lots of people hurt themself with small falls and i think the difference is i am more relaxed, and i know how to fall, It sounds stupid i know but try something like judo, its great for flexability and teaches you how to fall, and being more relaxed helps your body take the impact