Don’t Hibernate- Stay Active in Cold Weather!
The wind is howling and snow is blowing! While some might want to escape the furiously cold season, others say it is what excites them the most. Many people enjoy the cold weather because they look forward to the variety of winter sports. The colder the wind feels, the more excited they get to go out and have fun. I spoke with a Vatech employee who enjoys many winter sports including skiing, snowboarding, and sledding.
- Please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Yeji Yang and I work in Vatech’s Global Marketing Team. I am an avid skier who is looking for someone to go skiing with me! It’s getting colder and I can definitely tell that the ski/board season is fast approaching. To think that I only have a couple dozen years left to ski, until I hit 50, makes me want to get out of the house and dance in the snow before it is too late.
- I heard that you go skiing every winter and you’re good enough to ski on blue/black trails with confidence. What’s your background?
My father is a fervent snow and mountain lover. Ever since I was in elementary school, I have been going to a ski resort at Deogyu Mountain, in Muju, with my dad once every one or two years. I wasn’t a morning person at all and used to sleep a lot as a kid, but I was always the first one to wake up, out of my family of four, on the morning of our ski trip.
- I really want to be better at skiing but I have had a lot of difficulties controlling my direction, speed, etc. What can I do to improve my skiing skills?
For first-time skiers, it is very important to get rid of any fear. In the beginning, it is natural for anyone to be afraid of fast speed but you must learn how to overcome that fear. Once you start to feel more comfortable with the acceleration, you should practice how to make an A-shape with your ski poles and make large S-turns as you go down. As you become more experienced, you will be able to gradually reduce the size of your turns.
The next important thing to practice is falling. It is safer to practice falling on purpose, so you are ready if there is ever a time that you are accelerating so much that you cannot control your speed and cannot avoid obstacles. When you fall, you need to stretch your hands out, keep the poles off your hands and fall from your hips to your sides If you fall forward, just lay your stomach down and slide down as if you’re diving, until you stop on your own.
Even though it may seem embarrassing and painful, it is safer to fall on purpose than continuously skiing at a dangerously accelerated pace. In December 2017, a novice skier was skiing on an advanced course, crashed into a 40-year-old snowboarder, and killed him. On a snowy slope, there is nothing more dangerous than a beginner going down without any sort of assistance. That is reckless behavior that can injure/kill yourself and those around you.
- Lastly, what is the beauty of skiing? Please share your thoughts with those who are afraid of the cold winter yet want to enjoy it.
The most fascinating part is that you can freely navigate the snowy plains. We usually walk on already cleared roads when snow covers the streets, but it is pleasing to step on new, untouched snow. Particularly for night skiing, there are fewer people and no UV rays, which allows you to ski in much better conditions than daytime skiing.
What makes me want to go back to the ski resort every year is the fish cake soup and udon that defrosts your cold body. The Muju ski resort was where I had my first veggie udon and it has become my obsession ever since.
There is a very tall and rough mountain peak called Matterhorn, in Zermatt, Switzerland. You might have seen it in the Paramount Pictures logo, the most iconic landmark in the Alps. This mountain has been a bucket list destination for many travelers, including myself, and my goal is to visit Zermatt in my 30’s and capture an Insta-worthy picture with Mother Nature.
While it may be easy to hibernate on your couch during the winter, think of it as your chance to get creative with your sport of choice! Staying active throughout the winter months will help you feel better in the spring and summer.
How do YOU stay active in the winter?
