Thanks to all of you who expressed positive response to the newsletters. I appreciate your feedback.

Today we continue our journey toward progress, gradually turning you into 'a struggle free skier'. As you recall from the last newsletter, we explained in detail what creates imbalances affecting our skiing. Let's move on…

The setting is on the Face de Bellevarde at 4.45PM, you are a quarter of the way down the slope. I suspect that many of you have actually had this experience and you can recall the vision of hundreds of skiers struggling their way down, ending their skiing day this way. I don't recall seeing many of them prancing down this run like gazelles either.

Imagine for a moment that you are out there with me conducting an on slope survey, asking skiers what is their purpose for being on this world renowned-black runat 4.45PM. You see our purpose governs our actions. Insecure skiing actions are the result of using a wrong purpose. When you change your purpose you change your actions.

Question to first skier that we see: What are you doing here?

• Answer: I'm trying to get down mate.

• Answer: Trying to get down in one piece.

• Just trying to survive down this mountain.

Our survey clearly shows that the main purpose of skiers on Bellevarde is: To get down the mountain. For these skiers, 'Getting down' becomes the point of focus of their brain, which in turn commands their muscles to do the action of 'getting down'. If getting down is all you want this is fine with me but wouldn't you rather be skiing down instead of just getting down?

Getting down is not something that you have to do; it is a natural phenomenon that happens.

Take a beach ball, put it on the ground at the top of slope where you are standing and watch what happens? The beach ball rolls down…in the most natural and effortless fashion carried by… gravity.

Understanding this key point is absolutely necessary to access the ethos of skiing. If this point about the purpose of gravity is not fully accepted and understood than no real progress will ever be available to you. Are we clear on that?

Once you accept that gravity will take you down without you having to do its job, you become free to adopt the right purpose in your skiing. The best way to find out what the right purpose is, is by asking yourself the following question related to your skiing:

• Are my present actions providing me with support under the soles of my feet?

• Are my present actions contributing to losing support under the soles of by feet?

If you can ski answering 'yes' to question 1 and 'never' to question 2, you win. Any other combination you lose. You lose everything, especially your balance.

How many times have you found yourself leaning back and skidding your turns when skiing?

• Leaning back equals to answering 'no' to question 1.
• Skidding turns equals to answering 'always' to question 2.

So if you ask me what is my purpose whilst skiing down Bellervarde at 4.45 PM, I will tell you that I place purposeful attention under the soles of my feet in order to monitor and refine my balance at all times. Getting down is not my concern, I let gravity take care of that, my concern is obtaining a sense of security under the soles of my feet whilst in motion. Skiing is 'balance in motion', remember?

We are human biped animals living on the earth's surface. Our natural way to connect with our earth environment is through our feet. Human beings as species, need to feel solid ground contact through the soles of their feet. If this contact is diminished or lost our confidence evaporates and we shift into hectic survival mode. Example Face de Bellevarde 4.45PM.

This leads me to two favourite lesson requests from ski clients:

1. I want to ski in control.
2. I would like to have more confidence.

Recap for today:

We understand how purpose and actions are related.

We understand that in order to progress, we need to change the purpose of what we are doing by focusing on our balance instead of being content with 'getting down'. We have demystified the role of gravity.

We know that we need to respect our human need for ground contact or else our confidence is lost.

What is useful for you to do:

• Remove mechanical imbalance from the body with alignment.
• Listen to the Ski Wizdom ski motivation programme. This (4 tapes) audiocassette programme is designed to get you to think and act like experts skiers (change of purpose).
• Ski with me for on mountain solutions to the points explained.

It is already October and the season is just around the corner, booking tuition with Bernard Chesneau is best done now.

• Have you had your alignment checked? Do you know what alignment is? Would you like to find out more?
• Do you have the Ski Wizdom audio tape programme? Would you like to order a set?
• Choosing ski equipment that will work harmoniously with you is a real science; I can help, so feel free to share your thoughts before buying. I will share my knowledge.

Until then, Ski With Passion.

Bernard Chesneau
Alignment Technology Ltd/ Mountain Masters/Ski Wizdom.