Ask a grown-up: why can little kids ski easily and grown-ups can't?
Kids seem to be better at skiing faster than grown-ups, for four reasons. First, fear. When you're old enough to spell orthopaedic surgery, you're less likely to want to experience it. Grown-ups fear getting hurt, and that can really slow down their learning. Second, size. Adults are taller, so they have a higher centre of gravity – that's a term ski instructors use to sound intelligent, but it just means that the taller you are, the harder it is to stay balanced. Plus, adults are heavier, which means more momentum, so that's more force, more damage and more to be worried about.
Then there's equipment. Kids' skis and boots are soft, light and forgiving. As you get older, it's heavier and stiffer, so you can't get away with the same mistakes; you certainly can't lean back like kids do. Finally, there's après ski, which means grown-ups are sometimes a little tired when it comes to skiing in the morning.
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