As an Aging Ski Bum, one of my core beliefs and guiding principles that I practice is to avoid getting hurt. Whether I decide to download instead of ski down (When the light is really flat or the snow will totally suck) or backing off a line because it didn’t feel right, I am not afraid to raise the white flag. Over the course of my 4,000+ ski days, I have sustained a few injuries (Thankfully nothing catastrophic or season ending). As I reflect back, in every instance, the injury was self-inflected, aka pilot error. So now I run off-piste decision making through a filter I call “Higher Risk, Lower Reward.” If it tests positive, I look for a plan B.
Without further ado, here is a 74 second instructional video that may keep you in the starting lineup and off the injured reserve list.