Last Updated6 May 2025

Managing Stress explores how stress and anxiety present physically and cognitively. Learning new things often makes people nervous. Understanding how students move through their window of tolerance will help develop an instructor’s ability to connect with their students and keep them safe.

Fight, Flight, Freeze

Understanding the Fight-Flight-Freeze Response

The fight-flight-freeze response is an automatic stress reaction to perceived threats. It has evolved as a survival mechanism, helping individuals react quickly to danger. In skiing, this response can be triggered by factors such as steep terrain, high speeds, or past negative experiences.

Fight – Engaging with the perceived threat (e.g., forcing movements, skiing rigidly, over-controlling turns).

Flight – Avoiding the situation (e.g., stopping, turning away, refusing to continue).

Freeze – Becoming immobilised (e.g., locking up, feeling unable to move, stopping mid-run).

These responses override logical thinking, making it difficult for students to process new information or follow instructions.

What Happens in the Body?

When triggered, the fight-flight-freeze response activates the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which releases adrenaline and cortisol. This results in:

Heart rate increase – Oxygen is delivered to major muscles for action.

Faster breathing – More oxygen is available, but in freezing, breathing may be shallow or held.

Dilated pupils – Vision sharpens to detect threats.

Heightened hearing – Sensitivity to sound increases.

Cold hands and feet – Blood is redirected to larger muscles.

The body typically returns to normal within 20–30 minutes once the perceived threat has passed.

What Happens in the Mind?

The fight-flight-freeze response is a psychological reaction to perceived danger. The amygdala (the brain’s fear centre) signals the hypothalamus, activating the stress response.

The brain perceives the situation as life-threatening, even if it is not.

Once triggered, the prefrontal cortex (thinking brain) shuts down, making logical reasoning difficult.

If a student has past trauma or anxiety, their brain may overreact to certain skiing situations (e.g., steep slopes, icy conditions, past falls).

The stress response can be conditioned—a past negative experience can trigger an exaggerated response in future situations.

Key Takeaway: When students are in fight-flight-freeze, rational conversations won’t work. Instead, help them calm down first before introducing logical solutions.

How to Help Students Cope

Helping students regain control involves calming the nervous system before engaging their thinking brain again.

Techniques to Reduce the Stress Response:

Breathing exercises – Slow, deep abdominal breaths help regulate the nervous system.

Grounding techniques – Encourage students to feel their skis, notice their surroundings, or focus on sensations like the wind.

Breaks & movement – Stopping briefly or engaging in gentle movement (e.g., small hops, side-slipping) can reset the stress response.

Encouraging social support – Providing reassurance, staying close, and using calm communication builds trust.

Gradual exposure – Progressing in small, manageable steps (e.g., starting on easier terrain) builds confidence.

Instructor Tip: Use a bottom-up approach—focus on calming the body first before giving verbal instructions.

Can Skiing Help Manage Stress?

Yes! Skiing itself can help regulate the stress response by:

Releasing endorphins – Natural mood-boosters that reduce stress.

Lowering stress hormones – Physical activity reduces cortisol and adrenaline levels.

Improving confidence – Gradual skill development builds resilience.

Enhancing relaxation – Being outdoors and immersed in nature has calming effects.

Social Support & Stress Reduction

A strong support system helps minimise psychological and physiological stress responses. Feeling safe and supported reduces fear and builds resilience.

Encouraging a Supportive Learning Environment:

Stay calm and reassuring – Avoid harsh criticism or pressure.

Use encouraging language – Acknowledge effort and progress.

Encourage peer support – Group dynamics can help reduce fear.

Key Takeaway: When students feel safe, they are more receptive to learning and less likely to enter fight-flight-freeze mode.

Final Thoughts

The fight-flight-freeze response is a normal survival instinct that can be triggered in skiing.
Physical and psychological factors influence how students react to stress on the mountain.
Before trying to reason with students, help them calm their nervous system through breathing, movement, or reassurance.
Building confidence, managing terrain exposure, and offering social support helps prevent and reduce stress responses.

Instructor Tip: Recognising the signs of fight-flight-freeze allows you to adapt your teaching approach and create a positive, safe learning environment for all students.