How Skiers Find The 'Flow State' and Why It's Essential for Progression

Skiing has this rare ability to quiet the mind in a way that exists only in motion. For a fleeting moment, attention narrows, and the body takes over. 

“We live in a busy, complicated world, and skiing offers an opportunity to separate oneself from the noise, if only for a brief moment,” says professional skier Xander Guldman.

This escape from the noise is called flow state. It’s intuitive action, organic creativity, and movement without boundaries. People will spend their entire lives chasing it, whether they call it flow or not.

When talking to any high-level athlete, artist, or master of their craft, this concept of flow will undeniably come up. It’s not just a feeling, it’s a level of consciousness we reach when an activity becomes completely instinctive—a fluid mind, body, soul connection.

The ego dissolves, and we become one with what we’re doing. In skiing, that state is inseparable from the mountains themselves. Without full presence and awareness of the terrain around us, skiing at the highest level does not exist. 

Flow state has been a longtime fascination—not just the experience of it, but the science behind it, how it differs from person to person, and why risk, focus, and mindfulness all seem to play a role.

The Simplified Science of Flow State

To reach flow state, a human has to be fully absorbed in the task at hand, to the point where it becomes entirely intuitive.

When someone is carrying out a highly critical task—skiing a big line, soloing a steep rock face, performing heart surgery—the flow state will be more intense and euphoric. High-stakes environments are more likely to push the mind into this unique space. 

The intrinsic rewards of flow experiences are closely linked to learning efficiency. The more often someone accesses flow, the more they seek it out, and the faster they improve their skill level.

Neurologically, flow is associated with a process called transient hypofrontality. That’s essentially when the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain that’s in charge of self-monitoring, quiets down. That temporary silence allows for effortless action without conscious interference. The voice in our head that’s always questioning and critiquing goes silent for a second.

A psychologist named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi did some critical research on flow. In his flow state theory, he found an association between skill and difficulty. When skill and a task’s challenge level are both high and equally matched, the highest level of flow state can be accessed.

In other words, if a beginner attempts to ski expert terrain, they won’t be able to reach flow because they’re out of equilibrium. At its core, accessing flow is all about balance. If you ski terrain that matches your skill level, you’re much more likely to reach that state.

Flow experiences are often accompanied by time distortion, feelings of transcendence, a sense of unity with the activity at hand, the removal of self-consciousness, and an organic sense of creativity. It’s an elusive moment when action and awareness merge. 

Research has shown that mindfulness and meditation can support flow by strengthening single-pointed focus, making it easier to access this state while skiing.

How Professional Skiers Experience Flow State

To ground the science in lived experience, I had the pleasure of talking with a few professional skiers from Lake Tahoe who embody the nature of flow in more ways than one.

Xander Guldman, Michelle Parker, Ross Tester, and Molly Armanino give some insight:

How do you experience flow?

Xander: Flow state is both fleeting and abstract, which makes it a difficult feeling to describe. For me, it’s the result of intense focus giving way to a feeling of calm. In these experiences, the plans and preparation that led to the moment fade out of consciousness, and I act on instinct and intuition. More than anything, flow state is about being present, in touch with my body, and connected to the surrounding environment. It is a brief moment to clear my mind and trust myself.

Molly: Flow state feels like an unconscious melody or a rhythmic presence. I personally feel it most when there is no time to think about the lines I’m skiing or airs I’m hitting. I have to rely solely on instincts. Usually, it’s when I’m barely getting away with something.

Ross: It’s when everything seems to connect and come naturally in whatever activity I’m doing. I feel in touch with all my necessary senses specific to the environment. All external thoughts and stresses completely disappear in these moments.

Is there a specific experience you can recall where you entered a high level of flow?

Michelle: I skied a line called Caffeine Ridge in Haines, Alaska a few years back. I had tried to ski it when I was in my early 20s, and the slough got the best of me. I lost a ski, and thought I was in an avalanche while falling. Years later, when we flew to the base of the line, those memories felt fresh, and I was a far more experienced skier with better awareness. On this day, I opted to ski the line more fall line and direct. It was a huge face with an air out the bottom. Slough would be moving, but I knew that I could control where it went based on how I skied the line. As I was studying the line, it was so clear to me that I was capable. When I was at the top, I was super nervous. The drone was taking forever to get some glory shots, and I was slightly annoyed having to wait and live through those nerves for longer than necessary, but that's what we do, so you deal with it. Lexi (Dupont) skied a line to my right, and it went well. That always gives you more confidence in what is about to go down. When the cameras were finally ready, I dropped in a steep headwall and immediately started to push my slough to the right of a huge spine.

There was a ton of exposure below me until I crossed over that spine and pushed the slough to my left. I tried to lose elevation fast and keep an eye on the exit air. When the air came up, I pointed it, stomped, and skied as fast as I could away from the face. I could hear my slough barreling down on either side of me. It's funny because I can re-ski that line in my head like I was there yesterday. I remember all of the turns and the way I felt at the top and the bottom. Hyper-focused, skiing full throttle, yet everything slowed down. It was, for sure, one of the best lines of my career, and it will always hold a special place in my heart after getting redemption and skiing it well.

Ross: One of my recent experiences with flow state was a competition run for the Freeride World Tour in Spain last winter. The top of the face was steep, exposed, and had variable snow conditions that demanded my maximum attention. Before each run, I spend some time trying my best to prime my mind for reaching the flow state by breathing and picturing my perfect run. Luckily for this run, I was pretty successful in preparing my mind. Right out the start gate, I had a trip up in the variable snow, but was able to re-engage back into flow and throw a backflip into the top of the steep face seconds after. From then on, everything clicked for my run, and I ended up winning the event.

Xander: The most vivid experiences that I have had with flow state were in Freeride competitions as a junior. Before every run, I would run through the same breathing and visualization routine until my upcoming run felt comfortable and familiar. This allowed me to tap into an instinctual and improvisational style of skiing when I dropped in. 

There was a competition at Alpine Meadows in 2016. I had my run planned out, but I wasn’t entirely sure what trick I wanted to do off of a windlip at the bottom. I remember approaching the lip, and without even thinking about it, dipping into a cork 7. Letting go of my body and being able to act without thinking is the most freeing thing that I have experienced.

Why do you think chasing “flow state” is so important to who we are as skiers?

Xander: Flow state is one of the most alluring parts of skiing. It represents a chance to clear the mind and to feel like the most stripped-down version of ourselves.

Ross: Chasing flow is important for enjoying our sport to the max, but also for staying safe. In my opinion, there’s no better feeling than being totally connected to my environment, no matter what I am doing. When I am in this state, my decision-making is much smoother, which helps prevent injury or worse.

Molly: It’s a way to be completely present—something that’s rare to find in day-to-day life. I used to think of it as a distraction, but my friend McKenna Peterson told me that those moments are when we are actually most aware of our surroundings. It’s truly healing. 

Michelle: I think it's quite difficult to tap into that mindset on the day-to-day, but it feels easy when skiing. Even if it's a run that I've skied a hundred times, I try to ski it a little bit faster because I know it so well, and that state of mind turns on real quick. To me, though, it is the ultimate presence. It's a carefree place to be. It charges your batteries, which feels like the ultimate gift of life force energy.

Watch: Britta Winans “Flow State”