Skiing: Hardware or Brain?

Depending on who you listen to, there is always “one most important element” in the sport of skiing. It can be your skis or your ski boots or even your physical preparation. One could call this “hardware issues”, but in my opinion, “software issues” like technique, concentration, speed and mileage are even more likely to make a lasting difference in one person's experience over the long run.
 Technique is the foundation of sound skiing, but it takes times, it's boring and most skiers don't enjoy the drill of learning it. Yet, it's the live ammunition that is used on a daily basis to lessen efforts and fatigue.

• Concentration is a huge perquisite, because skiing is essentially counter-intuitive as a sport and demand constant attention, especially as terrain challenges increase. Absent concentration, the skier reverts to the instinctive “bad moves” that spell trouble.
• Speed could be associated with courage or audacity. Since skiing is a sport of gravity, the faster one goes the easier it gets, but paradoxically, a certain level of speed or momentum demands gut and that often turns into a vicious instead of virtuous cycle! 
• Mileage, finally, is the secret ingredient that fine-tunes technique and also turn certain counter-intuitive moves into life-long habits while providing skiers with a treasure trove of experience that will come in handy the next time the going gets tougher. 

When all of these conditions are fully satisfied, it might be a good idea to worry about the “hardware”...