Yeah, I remember during my ski bum years in the 90’s skiing with some folks who were truly world class, i.e. pros, had done some movies and such. We’d go to some pretty hairy terrain, the mortals would pick our lines and feel super badass doing some big drops and whipping through the trees. Then we’d look back and watch these guys pick lines that never even occurred to us, fly completely over the stuff we were turning through like a bunch of suckers, then casually zip on through some very tight trees at great speed.
You couldn’t even feel bad about it. They were in a completely different league and barely even competing in the same sport as the rest of us. Mostly it just felt pretty cool even being a tangential part of it.
Back on topic … it really was an amazing combination of the right genetics, hard work, and just as importantly the mental game: their ability to judge risk, skill, and the environment at insane speeds and confidently make the right decision every time. Even while very, very baked in many cases.