Do you call yourself a skier?

[MaineSkiLady]

IMHO, anyone who has the enthusiasm to come on board this forum is....a skier.

Levels of enthusiasm - for participating in the sport, or posting on a forum - are just going to wax and wane over the years, as is normal with just about anything in life.

I think we just have to be resigned to the idea that life sometimes....gets in the way...whether that is via injury or illness...or the insidious passage of time that eventually takes its physical toll.

I have the pleasure and honor of skiing with people who have been skiing for many decades - some of them their whole lives since early childhood - so that amounts to 60-65-70 seasons for some. At 46 seasons, I’m a relative “newbie!” DH is well-seasoned at 56. Despite injuries and heart surgery, skiing is still what he MUST do, whenever he can.

The need/desire/inclination to ski is just...there...for all of them.

So sit back and enjoy the ride. Many of you have decades to do so. Sometimes life will get in the way, put skiing in the back seat for a time. If you are lucky, you will get to resume. Try to focus on what’s enjoyable - and meaningful - for you, at this particular stage of your life and your skiing history.

“There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.”
(Points for id’ing the quote.)

 

[altagirl]

I thought it was interesting that he asked, but I wasn't fazed by his question. More amused than anything.

But it speaks to this thread. It's not just some here who think "skier" connotes something more than one who skis.

I'm in the I ski camp more than the I am a skier (though I did say "Yes" to his question). I also paint, but am not a painter. I landscape, but am not a landscaper. To me, it's ok either way, saying we are skiers or that we ski.

Yeah - I fully support anyone who wants to call themselves a skier to do so, and think all of you should feel the "right" to do so (I like MSL's answer!). There are certainly people who act like it's a title that you get for being part of a card-carrying club that "they" determine the membership rights to. It's not. And I would simply ignore people who look down on anyone for that. If you want to qualify your answer to avoid those folks, there's nothing wrong with that, but I certainly don't think you have to.

 

[RachelV]

IMHO, anyone who has the enthusiasm to come on board this forum is....a skier. ...

I think about this is a lot and it's 100% my favorite thing about this forum. No matter who you meet, you know they will just absolutely love skiing. It's so NICE.

... We were going around the room introducing ourselves and I said I was a mountain biker and skier and the teacher said no. No you're not. Those are things you like to do they are not who you are. And at the time I was like NO THOSE THINGS ARE WHO I AM! I was so wrapped up in making those things my whole identity that I couldn't fathom who I was if they weren't at the center of my life. And it was really good therapy for me to realize that she was right. ...

If it's not too personal, can you give an example of how you might introduce yourself now, @altagirl? I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around how I would even introduce myself without including what I do professionally or what I do recreationally, without resorting to generalities that are kind of meaningless. Maybe things like "I'm a person who loves to be in the mountains"?

 

[Iwannaski]

Obvi I am not @altagirl ... but the way I describe myself without talking about WHAT I DO is to say, “I’m a get-it-done cat herder... and a lifelong learner”

Those are characteristics that seem to follow me in work and life throughout. They are very much who I am. The other things are more a result of it.

For you, @RachelV ... what you said about loving to be in the mountains... that seems to be it. That’s the universal, and you’ve organized your life around it, right?

 

[MaineSkiLady]

@vickie - I had the privilege of meeting and skiing with you some years ago (oh my - too long ago to count!). What fun!
FYI: You.Are.A.Skier. Period. You are now, you were then.

 

[floatingyardsale]

@floatingyardsale - I get it!

Since when did going to a ski area, going up the lift, and skiing down a trail become not-enough-to-be-a-skier? The backcountry is risky and requires exceptional fitness, but many of us are skiers without buying a new set of equipment, taking avalanche awareness courses, and trekking into the wild. Grumble.

You’re a skier. I’m a skier.

To be clear, I don't have all that much ego bound up with whether I'm a skier or not, and I don't think one has to earn the moniker. I just don't typically identify too much with my hobbies, probably because I tend to pick them up and drop them, and I think I don't identify with activities until I'm very proficient with them.

I think I better start to accept being a skier though, given that according to Google's totally-not-creepy-tracker in the winter of 2020-2021 I went to work, church, the grocery store, and the ski resort. Granted, pandemic year...but still.

 

[altagirl]

I think about this is a lot and it's 100% my favorite thing about this forum. No matter who you meet, you know they will just absolutely love skiing. It's so NICE.

If it's not too personal, can you give an example of how you might introduce yourself now, @altagirl? I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around how I would even introduce myself without including what I do professionally or what I do recreationally, without resorting to generalities that are kind of meaningless. Maybe things like "I'm a person who loves to be in the mountains"?

That totally works, and even just saying "I love skiing" instead of just essentially saying "this stereotype is me". I default to my love of the mountains and nature and love of learning for my general self descriptors these days and have a pile of current hobbies that go on the list. Or "my job is..." vs. "I am a ..."

To be clear, I don't see it as some vital rule to follow with the terminology. I'm sure I still say it the other way sometimes. It's more noticing if I'm so wrapped up in any one thing that my life is out of balance.

 

[Knitjenious]

As the original questioner of this question, I think the context where this question matters is if you're considering holding yourself back from doing something you're interested in doing or keeping yourself from a beneficial experience because of self-doubt.

The golf example that made me post originially -- women can miss out on networking and advancement opportunities because they don't think they're enough of a golfer to play in a workplace tournament, when the reality is that many men would jump in if they golf even a little.

Or even the poll thread about how often do you ski -- there was a minute where I was like, oh, maybe I don't ski enough to belong here. And then I decided I belonged here if I wanted to belong here.

I'm certainly far from calling myself an expert skier! LOL.

Edited to add: I really appreciate this thoughtful conversation with all of you, so thank you to everyone who has chimed in!

 

[marzNC]

I never gave much thought to the term "skier" as a descriptor. I liked to ski from the first day I got on skis as a young teen. But I also liked to ride horses, play soccer, and other sports that I learned in high school. Skiing wasn't much different. At least most people have heard of skiing. As opposed to table tennis, which was what I played pretty intensely for a decade starting in college. Until table tennis got into the Olympics, I would often have to explain that tournament play and basement ping-pong isn't really the same game.

What I decided after being actively involved in more than one online ski forums for a few years is that I'd become a "ski nut." Had nothing to do with my ski ability, which was essentially adventurous intermediate at the time. It had to do with the effort that I was willing to expend in order to take ski trips given that the nearest slope is about 3 hours away driving and skiing big mountains requires dealing with airports and planes all day. Plus the required shopping. Never thought I'd have more than one ski jacket.

 

[marzNC]

Any thoughts for 2022? See Post #1 for the OP's original musing about the concept of what it means to call oneself "a skier."

After the 2021-22 season, it's even clearer that I'm a "ski nut." Even drove 2000 miles from North Carolina to Colorado for an early season trip in Dec 2021. Started planning to do that again by March 2022 because the skiing was so much fun at Wolf Creek and much less stressful without having to deal with airports.

 

[skibum4ever]

I will still think of myself as a "skier" even if I can never ski again. Which is looking extremely likely right now due not to my osteoperosis but to the type of knee I received.

Sometimes life isn't fair.

 

[ilovepugs]

I will still think of myself as a "skier" even if I can never ski again. Which is looking extremely likely right now due not to my osteoperosis but to the type of knee I received.

Sometimes life isn't fair.

Welp, time to take up snowboarding.

No but seriously, I’m rooting for you and hoping you’ll find a way.

 

[MissySki]

Any thoughts for 2022? See Post #1 for the OP's original musing about the concept of what it means to call oneself "a skier."

After the 2021-22 season, it's even clearer that I'm a "ski nut." Even drove 2000 miles from North Carolina to Colorado for an early season trip in Dec 2021. Started planning to do that again by March 2022 because the skiing was so much fun at Wolf Creek and much less stressful without having to deal with airports.

Wow, how long of a drive was that, and did you at least have company? I can get really sleepy driving long distances, so I’m not sure how great I’d be at a cross country trek.

 

[Jenny]

I will still think of myself as a "skier" even if I can never ski again. Which is looking extremely likely right now due not to my osteoperosis but to the type of knee I received.

Sometimes life isn't fair.

Ooh, that’s a bummer. Was it because it was the second knee replacement and did they have to use a special kind for that?

 

[skibum4ever]

Ooh, that’s a bummer. Was it because it was the second knee replacement and did they have to use a special kind for that?

Yes, the surgeon believes that the first knee collapsed causing my fall and a lot of collateral damage. He gave me a "distal femoral replacement" which is hinged and cannot be twisted. This definitely leaves out skiing.

I will see him in a couple of weeks and try to determine if there are any winter sports which are safe - possibly cross country skiing or snowshoeing.

 

[marzNC]

Wow, how long of a drive was that, and did you at least have company? I can get really sleepy driving long distances, so I’m not sure how great I’d be at a cross country trek.

As I mentioned, it was 2000 miles. That's one way. As it turned out, I did have a driving buddy starting in Nashville, TN. That was my first stop along I-40. Jason took the early morning non-stop flight from Cleveland and I picked him up at 7:30am. We opted to drive 800 miles that day to Elk City, OK. The incentive was to be able to reach South Fork the next day because of a snowstorm that meant snow conditions were going to be quite good. That allowed for a bonus ski day on Saturday before we checked into the cabin that was rented for the week.

Here's the trip report:

TR Wolf Creek, CO - Dec. 11-18, 2021

For an early season trip out west, I decided during the summer that Wolf Creek was a better bet than destination resorts on Ikon. The overall trip for me spanned Dec. 8-21 because I opted to drive from North Carolina to Colorado. Wolf Creek Ski Area (WCSA) has the advantage over many...

www.theskidiva.com

I can drive 800 miles solo in a day if necessary. Had reasons to do that during the summer going between NC and Lake Placid starting in the 1980s. But that's along an major highway route I know well. I've driven often 500-600 miles in a day solo in the last decade. Ironically, the work on core strength for skiing also means I don't get particularly tired physically during a long day of driving.

 

[marzNC]

Occurred to me that if anyone asked if I was a "table tennis" player I would probably still say "yes" even though I haven't played in a tournament or even recreationally in several decades. I played a lot of TT for almost 20 years. Same for soccer, which I stopped playing when I was a young adult.

 

[skibum4ever]

Occurred to me that if anyone asked if I was a "table tennis" player I would probably still say "yes" even though I haven't played in a tournament or even recreationally in several decades. I played a lot of TT for almost 20 years. Same for soccer, which I stopped playing when I was a young adult.

I met my DH playing table tennis in the Student Center at college.