Pretty skiing vs. fast skiing: One racer's thoughts
By Melissa House
Last week, SkiRacing magazine posted an article called "Good Skiing vs. Fast Skiing." The premise is simple: good skiing and fast skiing aren't always the same thing. Sometimes the cleanest, most technically correct approach isn't the fastest one.
This isn't a new idea. I've heard versions of this from Coach Mark Mirviss at Palisades and coaches at other programs (shout out to the Tahoe Donner Masters program) for a while now, but something about reading it last week made it click differently. The idea fits with what I’ve been remembering about my final training day last season.
It was the day after the Far West Masters end-of-season banquet at Palisades. A beautiful, sunny spring day, but the snow wasn't too mushy when we started. We were running GS on Racers (formerly Motts) off of Siberia, and Mirviss had timing set up. Not many people showed up, so the course stayed in great shape. Coach Alby Dean was at the top.
I was super relaxed. No more races that season, no pressure. Just a gorgeous day with the coaches watching. My first run felt pretty good. When I got back to the top, Alby asked, "Do you want coaching?" I said, "I always want coaching!" She gave me one small tip. I incorporated it on that run.
Mark told me I was two seconds faster. That's huge for me.
And I kept doing it for the next couple of runs.
Here's what I've been thinking about all summer: That day, I was relaxed. I wasn't overthinking my technique. I was confident my skills were there and I didn't need to think about them. I was just focused on going fast and having fun.
So when I read that SkiRacing article last week about good skiing versus fast skiing, something clicked. It also called out a comment I’ve heard many times from many coaches "You're a pretty skier, but not a fast skier."
I started ski racing as an adult, and I've always loved drills more than most racers I know. Coming back from a big knee injury in 2023, I spent most of the my 2024 season doing drills on Ramp Run at Palisades. It's a long green run with a predictable slope, and running drills there helped me trust that knee again. I needed that. But I think I also reinforced a habit of skiing well within my abilities, and not pushing that extra bit. Not being unsafe, but feeling like I’m confident when I’m racing.
That last training day showed me what's possible when I stop thinking about technique and just race. When I trust the foundation I've built and let myself go for it. I don't have this figured out yet, but I'm starting to have a better understanding of how to improve my skiing based on what I’ve heard from coaches over the years: Am I skiing this turn aggressively, or am I skiing it safely? Am I holding my line because it's a good line, or because it's comfortable?
The SkiRacing article talks about finding the balance. You need the technical foundation, but you also need to be willing to push past it. I need to figure out how to access that relaxed, confident mindset I had on that spring day more consistently.
If you've struggled with this balance, I'd love to hear how you've worked on it. And if you haven't read that article yet, I'd recommend it. Things might click for you too.