Matt wrote:Nickia, my experience is that the ones that wipe out the most are the ones that develop fastest. It is quite easy to adopt a style where you never wipe out, but you will be eternally stuck in beginner/intermediate state. Keep it up and experiment a lot. Push the boundaries of the comfort zone.
That just isn't correct (though it is one of the great myths of skiing). You need to practice movements slowly, on easy terrain and then gradually increase speed and terrain difficulties as you integrate your movements. There is no need to be pushing yourself to the point where you are constantly wiping out. What you are looking to develop is precision in your skiing. You don't get that by always skiing on the edge. In fact, you
can't get that by skiing on the edge because you will always revert to your old survival movements. At best, you end up with sloppy, unrefined movements that only work when you have speed to use as a crutch. And those skiers are dangerous. You have no business trying to do it fast until you can first do it slow.
It is fine to test yourself on more difficult terrain or at higher speeds, but you need to be able to recognize when you are reverting to old movements. If that is happening, head back down to easier terrain and work some more. You should not be wiping out on a regular basis. It isn't a sign of pending improvement, it's a sign that you don't know what the hell you are doing and you are a danger to others.
Really, the only place you should ever be on the edge is in the race course where you are deliberately taking risks in order to win--knowing that you are on a closed course where you aren't going to endanger others (and there are things like safety netting to mitigate some of the risks you are exposing yourself to).
Trust me, you will develop a
lot faster if you do your work in non-threatening terrain at slow speeds. It's called practice, or paying the price, or work, and it is what good skiers do to get better.