Wanderlust coach teaches skiers techniques for ‘Finding Balance & Grace on Skis’

Wanderlust, a certified B Corp company that specializes in wellness festivals and summertime yoga-centric activities in mountain

town resorts, brought its namaste vibes to Taos Ski Valley’s Phoenix

this past weekend for those seeking savasana and ski mentoring

from professional skier Amie Engerbretson.

This being their first foray into wintry elements, the three-day

schedule was mostly dominated by yoga and meditation classes. One of those yoga classes comes in the form of a contemporary infusion of live beats produced by Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza, the yogi’s voice amplified by a headset, and sacred geometry

struck by ambient lighting. In another the musical accompaniment is Garth Stevenson’s electric standup bass.

One takeaway from the retreat is the potential use of yoga as a restorative component of ski instruction in general. The movements in skiing or snowboarding are not kind on the body. When your joints act as brake pads, tools extending your mortality on the mountain, they wear down as

such. Among those skiing or snowboarding for the first time, cramps around the quadriceps, or around the shins and calves, are often a sore problem.

One of the yoga instructors, Gina Caputo, appreciated the format: “The skiing is sandwiched in between classes, the yoga class in

the morning serves as a warmup. Its focus is mobility. And it kind of builds some heat for your core. In the afternoon, classes are more slow and deep stretches.”

Amie’s lesson is titled “Finding Balance & Grace on Skis.” The class is set up for beginner and

intermediate trails only. Amie’s very careful about her verbiage: “What I do is a lot more like coaching. I’m a professional skier. I’ve done Warren Miller movies and

stuff like that. I’m not a certified PSIA ski instructor, and I’m not a

certified guide. I’m very careful with the words I use. I’m a coach. I’m gonna coach you.”

She offers a different form of pedagogy than the lessons

sometimes taught by rote, like what you might get from a certified

ski instructor, “It’s that idea of skiing with people that are a little better than you, makes you ski a little better. It’s more than specific mechanics … If you have someone on the bunny slopes. I’m not really your girl. But then taking intermediate skiers and

kind of talking about the mental component of what we do. The

philosophy of skiing is more than just, ‘hands in front’, ‘lean forward’, ‘like we know this.’ “

She would go on to joke, “‘Why else do I not feel confident when I ski?’ And that’s kind of more of what I can offer than like, yeah,

pizza [pointing your tips toward each other creating a wedge

shape], french fries [pointing your tips downhill in a parallel fashion]. I’ll eat pizza and french fries! I like those things.”

On the last day of lessons her class went down a couple of black diamonds, challenging runs for advanced skiers, with a gradient of 40 percent or higher. Reforma and Blitz are not necessarily the

toughest runs on the mountain, but the slope fall line leads toward a thicket of potentially lethal trees. These are runs not without serious

consequences if you don’t know what you’re doing.

While riding Lift 2 Amie sets up a game plan for her pupils, “See

this nice smooth snow here on the right side, we’re gonna come in on

the left to avoid these rocks, and we’re gonna trend to the right on

this lower pitch… when you’re skiing it you will be turning to your skiers left. Do you see that nice smooth snow you want to aim for there windblown between the moguls?”

One of the students did not hesitate to quip, “I see it, but I also saw that outcropping of rock.” After that joke Amie noted how the

skier’s helmet, which had many tiny dents on it, was virtually useless, as it might not be safety rated anymore after all that damage.

To help alleviate the disparity in the skill of the various students, a few “shredder-skier yogis” were

used as part of a work-trade to take the less apt skiers down easier terrain.

Amie stresses commitment as a necessary step to becoming a better skier, as it leads to feeling more secure and stable. Certain people use the lingo “hesitation

leads to devastation.” Technically there is some truth to that, as you

have more control leaning your weight forwards on downhill turns as opposed to leaning back against gravity.

However, fear is only natural. Mike Tyson is known for having

said “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” Coming across steep narrow chutes, cliff drops, tight openings between many trees, and unforgiving icy moguls, is the equivalent of an angry Mike Tyson in front of you

stepping into an uppercut. With enough technique and derring-do, the dangers may not even be considered, but there is a psychological chasm to be accounted for, for those that have yet to master these treacherous obstacles.

Those that went down Reforma and Blitz managed to make it down the run without injury. And survival is a lesson in and of itself.

Amie would stay behind the group at times to offer advice. Some of the students had to pause and approach the runs as a puzzle, but once the group got down

safely, she navigated the moguls as though they were traffic cones on a level plane.