Is it possible that I just love... snow?

[Fluffy Kitty]

My wife caught me, again, staring at web cams of the Cascades resorts, and I tried to explain to her why this was so important... and how much it makes me feel better to watch the trails fill up with snow... and it seems that I just plain like looking at snow. I get the same feeling I get when I look at deserts, or wide sandy beaches, which is hard to explain, but something like, "I would rather be there." Sure, I love the feeling of the G-force in the middle of a carved turn, the wind blowing past my helmet, the damped springiness under the feet... But I also just love white, open spaces. I used to tag along to the hills as my kids skied, and just stare at the mountain from the lodge; I still do this during breaks.

I was thinking about this also as I reflected on why I have no urge to go into trees. Trees are not white, and they are usually not open-spaced. I also don't really crave knee-deep powder; I don't like the bottomless feeling, much as I don't like swimming in deeper water. I know other Divas don't share these preferences, so maybe we love skiing for different reasons?

Or, is it possible that, in the end, it's not skiing we love, as such, but the snow, in its many manifestations?

 

[surfsnowgirl]

My wife caught me, again, staring at web cams of the Cascades resorts, and I tried to explain to her why this was so important... and how much it makes me feel better to watch the trails fill up with snow... and it seems that I just plain like looking at snow. I get the same feeling I get when I look at deserts, or wide sandy beaches, which is hard to explain, but something like, "I would rather be there." Sure, I love the feeling of the G-force in the middle of a carved turn, the wind blowing past my helmet, the damped springiness under the feet... But I also just love white, open spaces. I used to tag along to the hills as my kids skied, and just stare at the mountain from the lodge; I still do this during breaks.

I was thinking about this also as I reflected on why I have no urge to go into trees. Trees are not white, and they are usually not open-spaced. I also don't really crave knee-deep powder; I don't like the bottomless feeling, much as I don't like swimming in deeper water. I know other Divas don't share these preferences, so maybe we love skiing for different reasons?

Or, is it possible that, in the end, it's not skiing we love, as such, but the snow, in its many manifestations?

Staring at webcams isn't something I have done a lot of in the past but that's probably next for me since I am obsessed with all things snow. One of my favorite things to do when its snowing out when I'm at home is to put the blinds down but keep the slats open so I can watch TV and still see the snow coming down. I can stare at snow the same way I can sit on the sand or stand on the pier and just stare at the waves crashing. I would like to learn to go into trees on a snowy day but wider spaced trees as I think that would be easier.

I think we all love snow and skiing and maybe have different draws or things that put that extra wide smile on our faces.

 

[alicie]

I love snow, a ridiculous amount. The best is when it's dark and you're driving and it's snowing and it's like you're driving through space. I love walking in fresh snow and making snowmen. And if snow is forecast I obsessively keep checking out the window to see if it's snowing.

 

[Mary Tee]

Me too! When I used to commute to NYC to work, I had a one mile walk to the train station and when it snowed I would see the other commuters hunched over scowling and absolutely miserable. Me..I was humming, face up to see the flakes, smiling, and practically dancing my way to the train, mind you this was at 6:30 am!

When I was in college, a friend would come over, no matter the time of day or night to yell "It's Snowing" at the first snowfall...a ritual my roommates did not find endearing. And here we are 40 years past graduation, and whoever sees the first flakes calls the other to yell "It's Snowing!" Since he is in New Hampshire and I on Long Island, he makes most of the calls...probably his wife is grateful for that!!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

DH has a ritual with his sister that upon the first snowfall he knocks on her door and pings her with a snowball. Even though this has been going on for years I just love the look of surprise on her face as if its the first time its ever happened

I am the same way when it snows. People I work with always go oh no and talk about how bad the roads are. I'm dancing all around the office making plans for ski trips and digging driving around in my Jeep.

 

[bounceswoosh]

It's both. I love skiing, but I also love snow. I love that you can still see patches of snow on our mountains throughout the summer, and I get inordinately excited when I see that the peaks are covered in white. I think, on some level, there may be an association with purity and peace ...

 

[alicie]

It's both. I love skiing, but I also love snow. I love that you can still see patches of snow on our mountains throughout the summer, and I get inordinately excited when I see that the peaks are covered in white. I think, on some level, there may be an association with purity and peace ...

Here the ski places keep track of the snow patches and update on Facebook. Usually you get at least one that lasts year round. I think there was a few pictures of ice caves (small ones, a man could fit in the odd one though) a month or so ago(though they could have been from last year I'm not too sure).

 

[segacs]

I love fresh snow.

Unfortunately it doesn't stay fresh for long. I hate brown slushy dirty snow that's been melted and re-frozen a dozen times over, cleared by the ploughs, and frozen solid into brown crud over a layer of ice, sand and gravel on the sidewalk.

But yeah, when the snow first falls? Love it.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

Unfortunately it doesn't stay fresh for long. I hate brown slushy dirty snow that's been melted and re-frozen a dozen times over, cleared by the ploughs, and frozen solid into brown crud over a layer of ice, sand and gravel on the sidewalk.

Hmmm... I'll have to look deep into my soul to be honest about this... but I think I like dirty snow, too... although not always. Maybe only when it's in vast quantity, as opposed to smeared on the sidewalk? I'm not entirely sure. Hmmm...

 

[mustski]

I also love snow! I love skiing in blizzards, driving while it's snowing (as a passenger) and staring out the windows into endless nothingness. I love mounds of fresh drifting snow that is still untouched even by squirrels. There is just such a sense of anticipation!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Going to sleep as the snow is dumping down and then running to the window in the am like a kid at christmas to see the beautiful white stuff.

 

[num]

I'm another in the camp of loving skiing and loving snow as two separate things. I loved snow for two decades before skiing hit my radar and still love it on its own.

As a Chicago area, local small hill/manmade snow skier, ironically, snow doesn't necessarily signal skiing and skiing doesn't necessarily signal much snow. Prolonged cold snaps with nothing but cold for the foreseeable future signal the start of ski season for me, and ski season comes before the real snow season. Both are wonderful, though.

 

[Divegirl]

I have always loved snow - watching the storms especially now that we live on the ocean or just watching it flurry. I even love to shovel (yes, sad but true). Earned money for college shoveling snow for 4 families on my street. I love to stare a fresh snow and it makes me nuts to see footprints.
I don't mind driving in it either - my very 1st driving lesson in high school was in February - I promptly hit a snow bank and was relegated to the back seat.

 

[num]

High five for shoveling, @Divegirl. In my neighborhood, everyone parks on the street and when we get a ton of snow, lots of cars get buried. I can't say I *love* shoveling, but I don't mind it and it can be great exercise. Since lots of people hate it, a couple times each winter I dig out a buried car to do a favor for a random stranger. I make sure to not get all up on the car and just dig out the spot in case the owner would be concerned about someone potentially messing with their car. It's a great substitute for running, since there are always snowed in cars on days when the streets and trails are in no shape for running.

 

[snow addict]

I've always loved snow.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I have to wait until the last resort that's accessible to me closes their doors before I remove the cam that's pinned to my browser. Over the course of the last 2 weeks of the season I watched the bottom 1/3 of the Superstam cam at Killington go from a wide white trail filled with bumps to an S trail with bumps to just patches........... til poof gone. I have a little OCD and I am ok with that.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I love snow. I love being in Breck for the very first snowfall and seeing the mountain cloud up. I squee out loud when the first tiny, barely visible flakes fall in Boulder. I love finding snow patches on hikes in the middle of the summer, and watching my dogs roll in them. I love snowshoeing with the dogs. I do love tree skiing, and a fond memory from this season is stopping for a moment on a powder day and having the snow fall from the branches above me, creating a snowfall.

I love snow in our back yard, even though it's useless.

I don't know which came first. I don't know if I loved snow and so I fell in love with skiing easily, or if skiing has created a pavlovian response whenever I see snow.

 

[tinymoose]

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

:big smile: