Happy new year!

I’m writing from Canada this week (on a skiing holiday with the family). Really enjoying being able to travel again. Definitely not taking it for granted.

The mountain we’re on, Panorama, has some really steep runs. Like really, really steep. Like there is absolutely no way I’m going down that. Runs that from the top look more like a cliff than a slope.

Luckily, I’ve had a couple of really good instructors here. I’ve learned that the key to skiing down the steep stuff is a bit counter-intuitive. The key is to actually lean down the hill. Yep, exactly the last thing you want to do.

The biomechanics of it is that when your upper body leans down the slope, your hips naturally move into the mountain and the edges of your skis dig into the slope. So you’re actually safer.

For me leaning down the hill feels like committing 100%. I take a deep breath, commit, and go. Committing fully feels riskier, but it’s actually the safest way to get down.

And of course, this is a metaphor for just about anything that matters.