Sensory memory is the ability to retain impressions of sensory information. It is a type of short memory that allows us to retain sensory impressions after the stimulus is captured. It is considered to be the first phase of the memory involved in recording information from the environment.
When skiing, our senses constantly pick up information and, because it is not possible for us to remember all the information, the sensory memory generates an instant ‘snapshot’ of the environment allowing us to focus our attention on the most relevant details. It consents retaining brief impressions of large amounts of information coming from our senses and is fundamental in the processes of attention and memory.
The explanation from neuroscience is that the memory of events is dispersed in the sensory areas and organized in the hippocampus, one of the brain structures responsible for memory. The sense of smell is the closest to the hippocampus and connected to the emotional system, so it is the one that lasts the longest in our memory.
If a sense is stimulated by evoking memory, other memories of other senses are triggered. A sound, a vision, or a tactile sensation opens up a world of skiing memories that bring us pleasant or unpleasant emotions. For example, the perfume of a certain sunscreen reminds us of a sunny day on the slopes, the soft texture of the snow or the splendid view of the mountains; all this triggers the memory of a memorable skiing day we spent.
A visual stimulus of a slope can cause pleasurable haptic memory, such as the memory of sliding on fresh snow or displeasing if the evocation is based on having descended an icy path. In addition, the image of a place can bring us memories that allow experiencing a feeling of having seen it or been there; this is known as ‘déja vu’.
The types of sensory memory that are applied when skiing are echoic memory or auditory sensory memory, dedicated to auditory information in which certain sounds have the power to evoke past scenes. Haptic memory, or tactile memory, represents the sense of touch for tactile information. The haptic memory of a descent in deep snow allow us remembering the pleasurable feeling of the snow friction or, on the contrary, an unpleasant sensory memory if it was skied on pure ice. The iconic memory, also known as visual sensory memory, consists of capturing the environment by means of brief images that leave visual traces.
Verbalized Sensations
Sensations, specifically in our feet, are the most reliable criterion in skiing. To verbalize is our ability to define those sensations in words and memorize them. It is a detailed description of the physical symptoms we experience by defining sensations that our movements create to associate them with words and concepts. Language influences skiing in real-time, employing particular words that indicate specific sensations, movements, and actions.
Verbalizing sensations facilitates their perception and collaborates in our mental action simulation, but previously we need to find personal references. Not verbalizing sensations tends to hinder the interpretation of our own skiing and for that, the use of words not only facilitates the access of sensations to our mind’s perception; it is also the way to be transmitted and understood by others.
Some skiers tend to verbalize constantly what they sense instead of only sensing it. This leaves them without real sensory contact with what they are currently experiencing. Attention should also be focused on our skis-snow connection, instead of just permanently thinking about what it is sensed with our body.
There are scientific studies that demonstrate a close connection between language and somatosensory processes. Words set the sensation by creating in our mind the image of the skiing we intend to reach. Using appropriate words is to be conscious of the correspondence between words and sensations. This word-sensation association raises the level of body consciousness and facilitates movements flow.
On-Slope Examples of Skiing Sensory Memory
| Concept Name | Academic Core | “On-Slope” Example |
| Sensory Memory | The initial phase of memory that retains ultra-brief impressions of vast environmental data immediately after the stimulus is captured, creating an instant snapshot. | • As a skier drops over a blind knoll at high speed, their brain captures a massive, split-second snapshot of trees, a patch of ice, two slow skiers, and a trail sign all at once. |
| Hippocampal Organization | The neurological process where memory traces scattered across the brain’s sensory areas are structured, coordinated, and filed away by the hippocampus. | • A skier steps out of the lodge, breathes in the distinct scent of mountain pine and cold air, and their brain instantly pieces together a complex memory of a great ski trip from five years ago. |
| Cross-Sensory Evocation | The neurological phenomenon where stimulating one specific sense completely triggers a flood of associated memories across all other senses. | • The visual sight of a steep, bumpy mogul field instantly triggers a full-body memory of the physical leg-burning fatigue and the loud, slapping sound of skis hitting the bumps. |
| Pleasurable vs. Displeasing Haptic Memory | The tactile memory store of touch and friction that evokes deep emotional responses based on past experiences of sliding on favorable or punishing snow surfaces. | • A skier looks at an icy headwall and feels an instant wave of anxiety as their brain recalls the horrible, teeth-chattering vibration of a past fall on boilerplate ice. |
| Echoic Memory (Auditory Sensory Memory) | The ultra-short sensory memory store dedicated exclusively to retaining brief impressions of auditory information and sounds. | • A skier turns past a hidden rock and catches the brief, one-second trailing echo of a sharp metallic scratch (screeech) beneath their ski. |
| Haptic Memory (Tactile Memory) | The sensory memory store dedicated to touch, pressure, and physical friction, which allows a skier to remember how different snow textures feel. | • A skier enters a deep powder field and their body instantly relaxes because their brain recognizes the soft, pillow-like resistance of the snow from past powder days. |
| Iconic Memory | The fleeting visual sensory memory store that captures brief images of the environment, leaving short-lived visual traces in the mind. | • A skier flashes past a bright orange safety net at the edge of the trail, retaining a sharp visual image of the net in their mind’s eye for a split second after passing it. |
| Verbalized Sensations | The cognitive ability to define raw physical feelings into clear words and concepts to memorize and cement them. | • A skier stops at the bottom of a run and carefully describes their turns as feeling a “heavy, deep squish against the outside big toe” at the turn initiation. |
| Mental Action Simulation | The neurological process of mentally practicing and visualizing a movement pattern, which is heavily enhanced by using precise, verbalized sensation words. | • While riding up the chairlift, a racer closes their eyes and mentally simulates their next run, imagining the exact physical pressure they will feel under their feet at each gate. |
| Verbalization Hyper-Focus Block | A cognitive error where a skier constantly talks or thinks about what they are sensing while skiing, which disconnects them from real-time sensory data. | • An over-analytical skier runs down the trail rigidly muttering to themselves (“Now I’m flexing, now I’m pressure-loading, now I’m stepping…”), looking stiff and missing an icy patch right in front of them. |
| Skis-Snow Connection Focus | The critical shifting of attention away from internal body parts (knees, hips) and permanently onto the direct, external interaction between the ski base/edge and the snow. | • An advanced carver stops worrying about their knee angles and concentrates entirely on feeling the continuous friction of the edges slicing through the snow pack. |
| Word-Sensation Association | The scientifically proven connection between language and somatosensory processes, where using correct words raises body consciousness and flows movement. | • A skier uses the internal trigger word “Bite” to instantly flash a vivid mental image of their edges hooking up, causing their body to execute a smooth, clean carve. |
| Word Association: Edge Management | The execution of specific verbal cues (“scraping,” “cutting,” “releasing,” “rolling to little toe”) to instantly direct mental attention to technical edge adjustments. | • A skier shifts from rigidly pushing their knees sideways to subtly rolling their inside foot toward the little toe, executing a micro-precise edge change on an icy path. |
| Word Association: Pressure & Weight Distribution | The utilization of targeted linguistic anchors (“pushing,” “squeezing the arch,” “releasing the arch,” “easing the inside heel”) to dynamically manage forces underfoot. | • A skier enters a high-speed turn and consciously squeezes the arch of their outside foot, sending immense, stable pressure directly into the dominant outside ski. |
| Word Association: Turn Initiation & Execution | The neural activation of structural movement sequences through precise action-phrases (“pressing the tip,” “pointing the knee,” “pedaling”). | • A skier stands at the top of a steep run, visualizes pressing the tip of the outside ski forward, and uses that phrase to trigger an immediate, aggressive downhill movement. |
| Word Association: Flow & Terrain Adaptation | The cognitive implementation of fluidity cues (“floating,” “guiding,” “sinking,” “flowing”) to remove body tension and allow the gear to work with the terrain. | • A skier transitions from a hard-packed groomer into deep powder, immediately letting go of physical tension as they internalize the word “floating.” |
| Word Association: Body Posture & Biomechanics | The architectural stabilization of centripetal forces through postural reference words (“retaining hips,” “freeing hips”). | • A racer carves a hard turn, retaining their hips inside the arc to maintain a powerful, strong posture against the building mountain forces. |
| Word Association: Breathing & Muscle Tension | The direct regulation of neuromuscular contractions and structural joint absorption using respiration-phrases (“inhaling,” “exhaling”). | • A skier crests a massive mogul, exhaling deeply at the end of the turn to induce conscious leg relaxation and seamlessly absorb the transition. |
According to these considerations, you can apply the following recommendations in your own skiing:
- Remember that when you are skiing, your senses are constantly picking up information.
- As there are lots of stimuli, it is advisable to focus your attention just to the most relevant details, avoiding sensory memory overloading.
- Every time you detect a specific sensation, define it with a name.
- As words incorporate bodily sensations in your skiing mental schema, try to create in your mind the image of the skiing you intend to reach by employing a specific sensations’ vocabulary.
