With the 2026/27 ski season approaching and Val d’Isère set to open for winter on 28th November, skiers are being warned that one of the biggest obstacles to enjoying their time on the slopes may have nothing to do with their technical ability.
Certified mindset coach Kate Casali is encouraging skiers to add confidence-building to their pre-season preparation, whether they’re heading to the slopes for the first time or returning after a fall, a difficult trip or time away.
Pre-ski workouts and lessons can help skiers prepare physically and technically, but feeling capable doesn’t always mean feeling confident. Nerves can affect experienced skiers as well as beginners, especially when there’s pressure to keep up with friends or family.
Ahead of the winter 2026/27 season, VIP SKI has teamed up with Kate Casali, founder of The Ski Mindset Coach®, to share five practical ways to build confidence before a trip and manage nerves on the slopes.
Kate explains:
“Confidence isn’t fixed. A near miss, a fall, changing weather or difficult snow conditions can completely change someone’s mindset, regardless of how technically capable they are.”
Interest in ski preparation is already building: searches for ‘ski lessons’ are up 49% over the past year, while VIP SKI reports a 23% year-on-year increase in adult ski lesson bookings. YouTube searches for ‘ski exercises’ also rise in autumn, averaging 17,000 in November before reaching 31,000 in January.
With lessons and fitness attracting growing interest, Kate is encouraging beginners and experienced skiers alike to make confidence-building part of their pre-season preparation.
Five expert tips for building ski confidence
1. Stop measuring your skiing against your group
Skiing with friends or family of different abilities can create pressure to keep up, particularly among groups who travel together regularly.
Instead of judging the day’s success by whether you’ve completed the same runs as everyone else, Kate recommends making decisions based on what will make the experience enjoyable for you.
“Confidence isn’t about keeping up with everyone else. Sometimes the most confident decision you can make is deciding not to ski every run.”
2. Identify what’s actually making you nervous
Before you travel, write down the specific situations you’re worried about. It could be falling, skiing steeper runs, poor visibility, getting on and off lifts, keeping up with friends or returning after an injury.
Kate says, “Start by noticing what happens when you think about skiing. Is there a particular situation you keep coming back to? What do you notice in your thoughts or your body? Try to approach that with curiosity. You don’t need to give yourself a hard time for feeling apprehensive.”
Understanding the trigger gives you the opportunity to address it before travelling rather than waiting until you’re on the mountain.
3. Treat confidence like something you can rebuild
After an injury or frightening experience, skiers may understandably focus on physical rehabilitation. Kate recommends giving yourself time to rebuild confidence rather than expecting to feel exactly as you did before.
“After an injury or setback, most people accept that rehabilitation takes time. I believe confidence deserves the same approach,” says Kate.
This could mean easing yourself back on familiar runs, booking a refresher lesson or setting smaller goals rather than expecting to immediately return to your previous level.
4. Practice mental preparation before you travel
Mental preparation can start well before your holiday. Kate suggests practising simple techniques at home so they feel familiar when you’re on the mountain.
“Breathing exercises and visualisation are two of the tools I use with clients,” says Kate.
“You could think about a time when you enjoyed skiing. What helped you feel comfortable? What would you like to bring from that experience into your next holiday? It’s easy to spend so much time thinking about what might go wrong that we overlook what has gone well.”
When I’m under pressure or feeling stressed, remembering how many counts I’m supposed to breathe in, hold or breathe out for can feel like one more thing to think about. Counting techniques can be helpful, but in the moment, I like to keep things simple.
One exercise I use is heart-centred breathing. While standing somewhere safe and out of the way, place a hand over your heart and take a few gentle, unhurried breaths. There’s no particular number to aim for and no need to force a deep breath. Simply notice the contact of your hand and the movement of your breath.
For me, that physical touch gives me something to bring my attention back to when my thoughts are getting busy. Try it at home first and notice how it feels for you.
5. Have a plan for when your confidence dips
Conditions, tiredness or a difficult moment can all affect how you feel about your skiing. Think ahead about what might help if your confidence dips, whether that’s choosing familiar terrain, taking a break, asking an instructor for support or finishing a little earlier.
“It’s easy to judge your skiing by the colour of the runs you’ve done, but that tells you very little about how the day actually felt,” says Kate.
“Give yourself permission to change your plans. You’re allowed to take a break or choose somewhere you enjoy skiing without seeing it as a step backwards.”
Nici Hardy, Associate Marketing Director at VIP SKI, adds:
“People put a lot of thought into preparing physically and practically for a ski holiday, but we don’t always think about the mental side.
“At VIP SKI, we want people to enjoy the mountains at their own pace. Confidence doesn’t always match ability, and sometimes taking the pressure off is the best way to rediscover the enjoyment of skiing.”
