Has your marriage helped or hurt your skiing?

[Shellski]

In line with the other thread...

My skiing has improved since I have been married, there is no way I would have done the amount of skiing I have without someone to share it with, however...

A lot of women would complain about their husbands pushing them beyond their comfort zone, but I wish mine would. He babies me a lot and lets me get away with not challenging myself.

He is a very sweet, kind man, which is wonderful, but not great for improving my skiing when I really need someone to say 'stop whining and just ski it like we both know you can!!!'

Has anyone else anything similar - or different - to share?

 

[Grace Elventhing]

Helped!

An interesting flip-side question. My SO and I did go through that nasty 'stop whining and just ski it like we both know you can!!!' phase (well said, Shellski!), which was extremely frustrating for me. I think that we were lucky in that both of us got a big case of the Ski Bug independently. Each of us kept at it the best we could. We were eventually able to balance the fear/aggression stuff with improved skills on the mountain. That made us more compatible. All that said, there is no way I could be skiing as much as I do if the hubby wasn't equally into it. Not to mention that he brings in the $$$ for us to afford it!

 

[abc]

Hehehe!

That question doesn't get asked because the answers are probably kind of known.

I'm not merried presently. But my skiing wouldn't been at my current level had I not met my one boyfriend who's a better skier, and better yet, a great teacher! He has a way of explaining thing in easy to understand ways. He took me out of that dreaded "intermediate plateur" and I continued on my own.

He's no longer my boy friend but someone I remembered fondly nonetheless.

 

[pinto]

... Not to mention that he brings in the $$$ for us to afford it!

That's pretty much where I am, too. I guess it's crass, but I'm thankful. I don't have to work, so I don't. He works out of the house now, so I am free on many days to get the kids off to school, and head to the hill. I try to get back by the time the kids get home, but if I don't (traffic or weather), it's okay.

And we ski together, too! ;)

 

[ski now work later]

The first season on snow together was also our first year of marriage. Let's just say it had it's challenges! My husband grew up on a farm in Ohio and had never done any alpine sports before we married. I had skied a bit as a kid in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, though I never really moved beyond a snowplow. He took up snowboarding when I took up skiing in 04/05, and it was such a hard season for him! His first lesson was with this egotistical Eastern european instructor at Killington who mocked the students in the group as the group watched each person take their first runs. This made Mr. SNWL very self-conscious, and he fell hard that first lesson on the early season hardpack and dislocated or broke a rib or two.

The whole season was harrowing for him. He had a few true gaper moments on the lift and frankly was a safety hazard for a time! I stopped riding the chair lift with him. LOL He took forever after we got off the lift (adjusting his equipment and repacking his parka) and he took about 10 times longer going down the trail. He would tire easily and injured himself a number of times. He never lasted more than 2 hours out on the hill. So I began skiing separately and the following Winter, I went mid-week skiing by myself.

Last Winter, he improved dramatically and we had a lot more fun together. When we were at Big Sky, I had trouble with my skis (they were too stiff and too long for the conditions) and I skied horribly. He and his board meandered down steeps, bumps, and powder with ease and I watched in awe. The steep learning curve of the snowboarder had passed and it was amazing to watch him. He's 6'1" so those early falls were hard (it's a long way down) and once he started to move confidently, he relaxed and looked awesome.

He has new boots and custom footbeds this year, together with a new board with "magnatraction" (there are 3 riders in my family so I confess to be a bit of a snowboard gearhead). Also, his new job has him working 1 day each weekend, so he has a weekday off each week, and will head to VT to ride with me on may of those days. We are in our 4th year of marriage, 7th year as a couple, and 14th year of friendship and we've learned a lot about how to support each other and have fun. Skiing and snowboarding have been symbols of learning to cope with ever changing conditions (try raising 5 kids who have 4 homes in 3 states, 3 moms and 2 dads) and it's been a great addition to our family life.

 

[Pequenita]

Skiing and snowboarding have been symbols of learning to cope with ever changing conditions (try raising 5 kids who have 4 homes in 3 states, 3 moms and 2 dads) and it's been a great addition to our family life.

Gah. I have one mom, and she tends to drive me nuts.....

 

[ski now work later]

Each of our kids has a Mom, a stepdad, a Dad, and a stepmom. Our kids are pretty fond of us, and I think the fact that none of them live with us full-time has something to do with that!:D

 

[volklgirl]

together with a new board with "magnatraction" (there are 3 riders in my family so I confess to be a bit of a snowboard gearhead).

He got a Lib-Tech???? (another gear-head)

But my skiing wouldn't been at my current level had I not met my one boyfriend who's a better skier, and better yet, a great teacher! He has a way of explaining thing in easy to understand ways. He took me out of that dreaded "intermediate plateur" and I continued on my own.

He's no longer my boy friend but someone I remembered fondly nonetheless.

Me too (although I DO NOT remember him fondly ). His mother taught all 12 of her kids. I was a beginner when I met him and she helped me along. I finally had to either keep up or get ditched by the family for the entire day, so I learned to keep up . He was the one that encouraged me to become an instructor.....it was the best thing I ever did for my skiing!

 

[ski now work later]

Yup, he bought a Lib-Tech magnatraction board and mounted it with some new Burton bindings. He's psyched! I recently bought my 14 year old a '08 Burton troop board with '07 Lexa bindings and she's got new boots as well (Burton Emerald I think). Thankfully my son didn't need a new board or boots, just long underwear and a pair of thinner gloves for milder days.