You've been practicing the basics and think you have the fundamentals down, but how do you know you're ready to try the intermediate blue trails?
When you're a new skier, everything seems daunting and the prospect of hitting more advanced terrain can be downright scary at times. The fear of failure, getting hurt, or just looking like a fool keeps a lot of skiers from trying new trails.
Green circle trails are beginner friendly and offer wide open spaces to learn a foundation for later. It's easy to feel like you should remain there to keep things safe.
Certainly black diamond trails are out of the question as an option, but when does it make sense to try a blue square trails?
Here are some questions to ask yourself to know you're ready to graduate to the blues.
You're always in control
Everyone falls and makes mistakes, but one way to know you're ready for intermediate trails is you're pretty much in control when skiing.
When you first start out skiing, it can feel like stilt walking might be easier. Every move is difficult and falling over is more common than actually skiing.
But as you ski more often and get the basics down, you'll find yourself upright more often and feeling like you're controlling the skis (instead of gravity).
Because green trails are wide open, with evenly groomed terrain, it's the ideal location to learn to ski. Once you feel like you can handle the green trails and don't have apprehension about heading downhill, that can be a great sign you're ready.
You don't need as many breaks
You don't realize how many muscles you have until you start skiing.
Skiing takes a lot of energy, and it moves muscles you didn't know you had. So when you start out, it can feel like your energy level is depleted pretty quickly.
There's nothing wrong with taking breaks, but you'll need more endurance for the more difficult trails.
Everyone takes a breather, but if you can easily ski down the green trails without any major breaks, that can be another sign you're ready.
You have friends to ski with
Ideally when you try out a blue trail, you'll have someone with you.
Friends or family members that are more advanced skiers than you can be a great asset trying a new ski trail. Whether for confidence boosting or to have someone to help you up if you fall, I'd recommend having someone with you when you feel ready for a blue trail.
