Video Analysis
What a great weekend of skiing! This was the second year I've done Gordy Peifer's camp at Snowbird. While I have some friends who scoff at "taking lessons" - I believe everyone can benefit from having their form picked apart and doing some video analysis to see what you really look like compared to how it feels and what you think you look like. Not to mention the effect of just following truly elite athletes down the mountain - seeing their line selection, having them tell you what they are thinking about, etc. It's a great experience that I plan to do every year. Which, to many people I talk to seems redundant, a waste of money, et.c. "Didn't they tell you all the same stuff last year?" "Didn't you already know you need to look farther ahead and keep your hands up and all of that?" Yeah, yeah. The problem is that I usually think I'm doing it right. It isn't until you see yourself on video that you really see where you are making mistakes and how much it's holding you back. Really seeing the visual of how my body language changes when I see an obstacle that intimidates me gives me the knowledge I need to change it to an aggressive reaction to keep me out of trouble. After a solid three days of analysis, criticism and advice, I felt better in tough conditions than I ever have before. And there's nothing like that feeling when it finally clicks and you can just focus on where you're going and things just flow.
Anyway, I just got a helmet cam recently, so I'm looking forward to doing some analysis on bikes this spring. I'm sure there's as much to be learned there as there is with skiing!