Skiing Under The Influence

[SnowHot]

I'm not Stooooopid!
I know its out there.
I know many are not of the same mind as I am. But this isn't about them, its about my choice.
I choose to live and ski without smokin' or drinkin'

 

[Shellski]

Anyone who is paranoid about this, don't ever ski in Europe. It is an accepted part of the ski day over there, you would get a lot of raised eyebrows from the locals if you didn't wash down your three-course lunch with a considerable amount of wine.

 

[Quiver Queen]

Tried a mulled wine once during lunch ---> couldn't stand how it made me feel not in complete control. The next year tried a coffee with some sort of liquor in it ---> again hated it. Guess I won't be doing the drink-alcohol-then-try-to-ski thing again, but I won't give up my ski-then-drink-wine-in-the-hot-tub routine for anything!

 

[SnowHot]

Anyone who is paranoid about this,........

I don't think anyone is paranoid, otherwise we'd never do anything in life and stay home "for fear of.......";)

I do, however think it is good to be aware of our surroundings and make our own choices based on our gut feeling.

All in all, I think we can all agree that a social drink, is far different than "being under the influence"


Side note story:
One of my friends found that a "spirited drink" helped him learn to ski because he was the "white knuckle" kinda guy with the killer grip on the ski poles. The drink relaxed him and he was able to get past the panic attacks, and thus is happily skiing with his friends and family today.

Me: I had a coffee drink with some significant alcohol in it last winter when skiing and though it tasted good, I didn't like how mellow it made me feel. It was almost like I was skiing through a haze and that was uncomfortable for me.

I guess what mellowed me too much and made me uncomfortable is the mellow that someone else is seeking.

 

[Native Vail Gal]

Three Words....

Not Very Smart!

My understanding now is that the laws here are changing where you can get a DUI while skiing impaired! I like that idea!

 

[ski now work later]

I'm not a drinker, especially apres ski as it makes me too tired, but once I had a swig of vodka from a friend's flask on the lift and it warmed me up and relaxed my muscles a bit. Not enough to get me buzzed, so it felt good. Kind of like what I imagine it would be if you were stranded out of doors in the winter and a St. Bernard came up with a small wooden barrel of brandy underneath its neck.:D

However, the thought of skiers and riders drinking alcohol in more significant amounts and being on the hill anywhere near me or my kids makes me very anxious. I was a public defender for 6 years and I have been a divorce lawyer for almost 20, so I've seen my fair share of crime, violence, unrest, and poor parenting as a result of alcohol abuse....

 

[Jilly]

The province of Ontario has some new alcohol laws. I don't know about skiing, but if you are found under the influence while driving a boat or pedaling a bike, you lose your driver's license. So now its any motorized vehicle, ski-doo, boat, motorbike, even a riding lawnmower (on the street) you lose your right to drive anything.

 

[Ski Spirit]

A cold beer apres ski is great but I never drink while skiing. I'm not much of a drinker to begin with, so it just doesn't occur to me....although if a little drink helps you relax, I could see the merit..

 

[altagirl]

The province of Ontario has some new alcohol laws. I don't know about skiing, but if you are found under the influence while driving a boat or pedaling a bike, you lose your driver's license. So now its any motorized vehicle, ski-doo, boat, motorbike, even a riding lawnmower (on the street) you lose your right to drive anything.

That's been the law everywhere I've lived for as long as I can remember.

I'd think riding a pedal bike drunk is mostly just self-endangerment, but... I know it's the law around here that you can get a DUI for doing it. I suppose you could weave out into traffic and cause a larger accident though - I guess it makes sense.

Heh, and my husband and I were in rural Ohio recently for a funeral, and sure enough, when we stopped for gas, there was a guy picking up more beer on his riding lawnmower.

 

[tradygirl]

That can certainly get you into trouble if you go overboard with it, but I understand it. And I know when I race DH mountain bikes, the girls I race against almost ALL chug a beer or two before they race. I'm the only one who doesn't. And I'm in a near panic beforehand. I've often wondered if it'd help... but I don't want to risk it, so I haven't.

I just have this image of bunch of girls in the parking lot in full armor chugging beer through their helmets. :D

I can't drink anything if I'm going to be doing an activity that requires any sort of coordination. For me, it's just a recipe for injury. The last time I tried it mountain biking I ended up with some nasty road rash on my leg. And I can just hear my ACL popping thinking about skiing drunk. Plus, it just takes all the wind out of my lungs and I'm reduced to zero lung capacity.

 

[Jilly]

The one that gets me is that alot of older guys that lose their license to drive, buy handicap scooters. These things are a menace on the road or sidewalk. They zip around town with their scooters and orange flags and don't stop for stop signs, walk signals etc. They expect you to know where they're going and just what they want to do. Anyways back to skiing, I've a friend who was skiing New Years Day hung over and now he skis with a sit-ski. So even the day after isn't great either. (And boy can he keep up in that thing!!)

 

[Pequenita]

Of course, I worry about people who do that sort of thing, too: get up really early, ski all day, then drive home -- it's got to be exhausting. And that can make them a real hazard on the roads (and on the slopes, too!). I only hope they're trading off drivers......

Hmm. I used to do this all the time when I lived in Boston -- would go to bed at 9:30, wake up at 4:30, be out the door by 5 and drive up to the mountains and catch first tracks and last lift, drive to a diner, eat, drive home and arrive around 8 and go to bed. I drove wicked fast back then. The time I did Sunday River as a day trip was, in retrospect, a little crazy.

 

[altagirl]

Hmm. I used to do this all the time when I lived in Boston -- would go to bed at 9:30, wake up at 4:30, be out the door by 5 and drive up to the mountains and catch first tracks and last lift, drive to a diner, eat, drive home and arrive around 8 and go to bed. I drove wicked fast back then. The time I did Sunday River as a day trip was, in retrospect, a little crazy.

I once did a trip from Wuerzburg, Germany to Desenzano, Italy on a two day weekend to go visit my BF (now husband). It ended up being something like a 12-14 hour drive each way, solo. I don't know what in the hell I was thinking, honestly, but it was fun. Well, much of the driving wasn't fun, but it was fun while I was there...