Solo Skiing

[SuZieCoyote]

Though I always enjoy skiing with my friends, my most fulfilling ski moments are spent skiing alone. I know this isn't the safest thing (especially in light of some recent fatalities where people were alone).... I don't ski tightly treed areas by myself and, if I do ski in trees, it is on runs that are regularly, if infrequently used, and there is good spacing. I'm not into high-speed solo skiing, either. But, I do tackle expert terrain on my own and prefer the less-traveled spots so that I can be alone as much as possible. I should say that I only solo ski at resorts, and I never go into the back country alone. This is something I never did until last year. I only started because I wanted to ski more frequently than my friends. Once I got hooked, though, I began to crave the experience. Now I need to be solo at least 25% of the time or I get "antsy."

Are there other Divas who enjloy solo skiing? And if so, what is the pull for you?

I am not self-destructive; I just enjoy the quiet and solitude.

[veggielasagna]

Yep, solo skier most of the time. Usually the only time I ski w/ someone is on a weekend, if Mr. VL and I go or for Diva Day!

I go the same places I would normally, don't change up my routine. For better or worse I think I'm a bit more "daring" when I ski alone. I am more apt to push my limits terrain wise. That being said, my home mtn. has many marked well used glades and steeps. Rarely do I go into the woods without seeing at least one other in there. The most challenging open runs are all pretty visible from a lift, the bottom of the trail or both.

Anyways, I don't mind skiing solo at all, but I've always been one to do my own thing. When I ski alone I don't have to worry about keeping up or waiting or giving directions or coordinating a meetup or lunch etc....I guess it's just easier

-veggielasagna

[missyd]

Skiing solo its what I always do! Its ok if my non skier BF comes up for lunch and some time together. But I prefer skiing alone. I can ski weher I want, when I want and do not have to wait for the others. Sounds egoistic but with todays ticket and fuel prices I want to ski the maxiumum in one day.

[marge]

I ski solo when I get the chance. I'm not a risky skier (don't really like trees unless the kiddos are with me) and I find I can really just relax and enjoy when I'm by myself.

[little one]

love to ski solo ... eliminates all the pressure ... keeping up, waiting, talking, yada yada yada ... for me skiing is about floating, sliding, enjoying winter, blood pumping ... save the social stuff for later ... or not!

[whitewater girl]

I almost always ski solo - when I first started skiing it was because I simply couldn't keep up with anyone else I knew who skied, but I've gotten so I simply love the freedom of it...

...x-country (as close as one gets to backcountry in this area) I do with friends...

[2ski2moro]

I prefer skiing with someone, but I would rather go solo than stay home.

Lately, I have been skiing with someone who knows the mountain better than I do and it is a joy to just follow her and explore. I'm timid on new territory, but having a leader makes it much better.

[cwmscm]

I love to ski solo but even more I like skiing with people who know the mountain even if they aren't necessarily my friends.

[abc]

Though I always enjoy skiing with my friends, my most fulfilling ski moments are spent skiing alone. I know this isn't the safest thing (especially in light of some recent fatalities where people were alone)....

While I enjoy skiing with friends, "safety" has nothing to do with it!

I don't even know where that whole concept of "herd safety" comes from! There's also saying that one shouldn't hike alone, or bike alone, etc... Heck, I do all of those alone for the past 20 years!

I enjoy skiing alone as much as skiing with others. They're just different. Not one "better" than the other. When I'm ski/hike/bike alone, I'm more aware of my surroundings because I'm not enveloped in conversations. So in a sense, I think I'm SAFER alone than with others! No false sense of safety in number here. When I lost my arguement with a tree at A-Basin, my "group" just skied on without me...

[num]

I'm another who always skis solo. I've met up with the odd Diva or Bear, but not often (only when I've been on the home turf of one, I haven't known of any who are regulars at my home hill). I only really know skiers through ski forums and skiing, and I haven't found anyone at my hill who regularly skis around the same times as me. I don't keep a strict schedule, but my skiing is pretty much a few weeknights per week for a couple hours after work. 49 times out of 50, if I have a ski buddy, it's actually my instructor while I'm in a lesson.

While I've really enjoyed the times I've skied with others, skiing alone is the skiing I know and fell in love with

Being alone doesn't affect my choice of terrain, as I don't really have much in the way of terrain to choose from anyway. I ski a hill with 180' vertical as my regular hill, and the "big" hill I take occasional trips to is 400'.

I frequently ski with my SO hanging out in the lodge. He's not a skier, but he brings his netbook and works on coding projects while I work on attempting to fly and we catch each other up on our wins and losses over dinner afterwards. I have reception on the hill, so I keep my cell on me whenever I ski, and if he's present, I have the ability to call if something of the "I've fallen and I can't get up" variety happens. I also have the hill's number stored.

Whenever I ski, I keep my season pass, my ID, and a slip of paper that says "in case of emergency, contact _______ at (___)________." in my pants pocket.

[volklgirl]

I'm another one that likes to ski solo. It gives me a chance to explore terrain the rest of my group won't try, practice specific moves, ski as fast or as slow as I want, and even hit up the greens for a change! Plus, I can crank up my tunes as loud as I want and nobody will carp at me for singing out loud . You'll find me alone at least 2-3 nights a week.

I keep my pass on my leg; my ID, insurance cards, and cell phone in my pocket; and my new jacket has a built-in SOS whistle

[frenchgirl]

I usually ski solo, but I sometimes ski with friends and my family. If i am doing drills I prefer being alone, but being with others is also fun.

[Skise]

I enjoy skiing solo when I'm skiing well but when I'm skiing badly the social aspect becomes more important

[lisaski]

I ski alone almost all the time. I'm just anti-social. Haha! Actually, I do enjoy skiing alone most of the time because I can go wherever I want. Like others have stated, when I am alone, I work on my technique more - like trying to ski in a tight fall line and pay more attention to developing good habits. I have a couple ski friends who are very good skiers and I really enjoy skiing with them as well. I think if I had more ski buddies, I would ski more with others. But, I tend to be kind of introverted.

[weasy]

I like both with a slight preference for solo skiing. I like that we ski as a family at the weekend but I tend to push myself harder and work on my scrappy technique when I'm alone. Also, I tend to want to stay out longer than the rest of my family. I ski occasionally with girlfriends now but usually find that a bit restrictive as one of us always wants to do more than the other.

[mountainxtc]

I wish I could ski solo sometimes.... I could definitely use some non teaching, non training, non rat-packing time just to work on some stuff by myself. It's impossible (sigh), not only time-wise, but there's just no being alone when you work on the hill. at the most I will attract a bunch of people who want to ski, and at the least will get some good heckling from the lifts!

[jt5]

I absolutely crave the solo experience. It's ridiculously theraputic for me. I enjoy the scenery, can take in the view, the sounds, the "feel" of the mountain at my own pace. It is my time to ponder what is going on in my life without any distractions. I like to be social on the lift ride up, but secretly want to ski alone!!

[missyd]

Originally Posted by jt5

I absolutely crave the solo experience. It's ridiculously theraputic for me. I enjoy the scenery, can take in the view, the sounds, the "feel" of the mountain at my own pace. It is my time to ponder what is going on in my life without any distractions. I like to be social on the lift ride up, but secretly want to ski alone!!

You wrote exactly why I ski alone!

[jt5]

I knew there would be another diva who "gets it"!!

[EmilieW]

I've never skied alone--but it sounds amazing