Some people just have “it”, and you know right away.
Skiing is an activity where you can easily tell if someone has it. In the terrain park, it takes one second to know if someone is going to crush it. You know before they go off a jump or touch a rail.
I was waiting at the top of the park at Brighton Resort and watched a few people approach a jump. The vets all took it smooth and kept their speed. They looked calm. Every movement was calculated and purposeful, yet looked effortless.
The less experienced park rats took big turns. They carved hard or “pizza’d” before getting to the jump. They slowed down too much and put in a lot of effort, ultimately falling or hitting the knuckle. They were risk averse, and it ended up making it a more dangerous affair.
From this experience, I realized the best park skiers are the calmest. They have a noticeable swagger to them that you only get once you trust your abilities and judgment.
In the French language, there is a saying similar to the “it” factor. “Je ne sais quoi”, an indefinable quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.
Certain skiers have a je ne sais quoi about them, and so do some people in daily life.
These people are the calmest in any given situation. They know exactly who they are, what they can do, and what they can’t. They know when to ramp it up, and when to sit back and slow it down. They can talk the talk, but they’re too focused on walking the walk to care about talk.
You can walk into a room and tell if someone has the “it “factor just by the way they carry themselves. Sometimes all it takes is one gesture or a few words out of their mouth, and you already know.
Less is more. At least that’s what I’ve noticed in life and on the mountain.