Can Music Training Make You a Better Skier?
A comment on social media recently caught my attention. Someone shared that while snowshoeing around Lake Mountain, they came across a couple having a skiing lesson. The instructor asked, “Do you play a musical instrument?” When they said no, he replied, “Ah, that explains it, musicians always learn to ski easily.”
I found that idea so intriguing that I couldn’t let it go. As someone passionate about science-based music education, I dove into the research to explore possible connections between musical training and movement-based learning, like skiing.
Spatial awareness could help explain part of it. Musically trained people spend years coordinating fine movements and judging space, like a guitarist finding notes without looking or a conductor shaping sound through gesture. On skis, that same awareness might help the body read the slope, adjust balance, and stay centred through turns.
Rhythm might also contribute. People with musical training feel timing in their bodies, sensing the natural rise and fall of phrasing and the pulse that keeps music moving. Skiing depends on rhythm too, as the push, glide, and carve flow best when movement follows an inner beat.
Another factor could be problem-solving under pressure. Performing music teaches people to recover quickly when something goes off track. Skiers might draw on that same adaptability when snow conditions change or a turn doesn’t go as planned.
Finally, sensory integration, or how we combine what we see, hear, and feel, could make a difference. Music learning strengthens this whole-body awareness, which might help a skier stay balanced and responsive on the mountain.
It makes me wonder, are there other sports that music training might improve?
Want more stories like this?
We share weekly insights that connect music learning with brain science, movement, education, and more.
Join our mailing list to get practical, research-backed ideas delivered straight to your inbox.
We also love hearing stories like this from our community, they often spark the ideas we dive into.