As a non-athletic native Floridian who made some adventurous friends, I started skiing at 38 by tagging along when some went on a ski trip (Utah.) Knowing my de

As a non-athletic native Floridian who made some adventurous friends, I started skiing at 38 by tagging along when some went on a ski trip (Utah.) Knowing my deficits, I signed up for lessons all six days of the trip, and could hockey stop by the end of the trip. For the next five years, I made sure to take at least one lesson day on every ski trip. I agree with the notion of staying out of unacceptable failure states. I managed that by having experienced guides with me at all times. My favorite piece of advice came from the instructor on day 1: 'Skiing is like dancing with gravity, and the mountain always leads.'