Skiing is an amazing sport. It's not very difficult to learn, but it definitely takes a lot of time and effort to keep improving and master it.
Since my seasons are usually short, I always try to make the most of them and whenever possible I have some ski lessons in order to refresh and get new techniques to keep improving myself.
I’ve already skied more than 30 days here at Sun Peaks Resort so far, and I do feel my legs are stronger but even pushing hard every day there are lots of areas of my skiing that I want to improve.
After hearing lots of great things about the Sun Peaks Sports School and its dedicated instructors, I decided to check it out.
They have programs for all ages and ability levels, from first time skiers and snowboarders to experts looking forward to refining their skills.
So last Thursday I met George Terwiel at the bottom of the Sunburst Chairlift at 2:30pm and he invited me to ski with him until the lifts closed.
During our first chairlift ride I found out that George is not just a ski instructor, he's also a ski racer totally passionate about the sport.
He's been teaching here for the last 17 years and is also the owner of two local shops, Lone Wolf Gallery/Willow Tree Gifts and Tree Line Studios, the beautiful art gallery at the Delta Sun Peaks Resort that offers a varied mix of art depicting the beauty of the area.
We made several runs together in different types of terrain and he gave me great tips and information on how to keep a good balance and an athletic position regardless of conditions.
After practicing lots of small radius turn exercises, George video recorded one of my runs. We then watched the video on TV, freezing the image in different parts of the turn. By doing this he was able to show me how all joints must work together to make the lower body lead the turn and the upper body remain quiet.
Of course when I was watching him explaining and demoing, things always looked much easier than they are!
But I'll keep skiing and engraining these new movements into my muscle memory. After all, it's still early February and the ski season goes until mid-April!
Thiago,
the Snow Bum
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