So what do you want out of skiing?

[ski diva]

Everyone looks for different things in skiing. For some people, it's cruising down gentle groomers, stopping to enjoy the scenery and leaving the rest of the world behind. For others, it's crushing it on the gnarliest terrain possible. Or it could be pursuing the perfect technique, making a study of the perfect turn.

What do you think? What do you want out of skiing?

 

[MaineSkiLady]

It can vary from day to day, from season to season, from decade to decade. All have the same common denominator:
ENJOYMENT

 

[Lmk92]

For me, it changes!

I definitely love the thrill of a good, windy groomer. But now, I find myself thinking about the trees more and more. It's a different thrill, I guess. I'd love to crush gnarly terrain. Gotta ski more than 10 days/year for that.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I often ask the very same thing of my guests. I helps me tailor their lesson a little. This is why I love this forum. I get to share a little as well.

I am a very sensory person. I want to feel the wind in my hair, the fresh air in my lungs, see the mountain vistas and trees and nature. I also want to feel the forces build up under my feet as the skis take me from one turn into the next. For a few seconds per run, I have no money worries, no end of life concerns, not shopping list stress. I am truly in the moment and the moment is bliss.

I also love the camaraderie at the end of the day with colleagues or friends, dissecting the skiing, the conditions, the stoke and how to best share the technical and physical understanding of the sport.

Most days I just really want another day like the one I just had. That is what I hope for every time I go out.

 

[diymom]

For me, it changes!

I definitely love the thrill of a good, windy groomer. But now, I find myself thinking about the trees more and more. It's a different thrill, I guess. I'd love to crush gnarly terrain. Gotta ski more than 10 days/year for that.

I sure hope you mean winding and not blowing around ! ;)

 

[Lmk92]

I sure hope you mean winding and not blowing around ! ;)

Yes, I better double-check my autocorrects before posting!

 

[shadoj]

I sure hope you mean winding and not blowing around ! ;)

I blew uphill backwards on a catwalk when I was a wee one!
Now to figure out how to condense my response about what I want out of skiing into something less than novel-length... too much bouncing in the brain right now.

 

[shadoj]

Right now, it's a combo of getting an endorphin rush & socialization in an otherwise dull, cold, pandemic-riddled time of year. My goal is to ski in a way that will keep allowing me to ski for as long as possible. Taking relaxed warm-up runs, trying to perfect my technique, trying to be more efficient in my movements. I don't need to be fast, nor do the gnarliest runs; nothing to prove. If I'm feeling good and the crowds & conditions allow, I'll push myself a bit. Gets me moving & out of the house.

@snoWYmonkey I really like to feel the snow & terrain under my feet, too. Plus, just stopping to take in the trees and ice-crystal air helps me be present in the moment, forgetting all the stressors that don't matter on the hill. Watching beginners & kids suddenly "get" a technique gives me such joy and reminds me we're all always learning, all on our own paths. No one ever skis the same exact hill; just enjoy the ride you're on (and don't scrape all the snow off for the skiers behind you)!

 

[Knitjenious]

For me, skiing is one of the few times I just don't think about anything else (work, household tasks, family stress, etc.) Probably because if I am distracted I will get hurt! LOL. So I guess what I want most from skiing is the restoration of being completely in the moment.

 

[WaterGirl]

I sure hope you mean winding and not blowing around ! ;)

Yes, windy! I love wind pin at the top of the mountain - it keeps you floating as you drop in - the steeper the better - a truly amazing sensation....

 

[Amie H]

Adrenaline, inspiration, exploration, adventure, exercise, bliss

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Life.

 

[Amie H]

To answer the prompt less abstractly, I used to be all over the mountain, but an accident/surgery has me staying in "safer" terrain (plus the fact that I mostly ski alone.)
I like long, meandering trails, love swooping turns, and wide open bowls. Mogul hills are fun sometimes, too, if I'm not too spent for the day. I just tried (easier - with people around) glades in January and that was fun, too.
Generally speaking, I love being at the top of a mountain. It might sound corny, but it's a spiritual/emotional connection for me. That's part of the elation. I met a guy from Lubbock who said as much to me on a Taos chairlift. He said that one of the things that’s most important to him about skiing is the time it allows for contemplation, whether at the peak, drinking in the awe of God’s creation, or just on the scenic roads to the destination. I absolutely agree with him.

The other part is feeling my body connecting, moving, flowing. I feel the same way when I'm swimming, doing aquacize, dancing, biking, hiking, boulder scrambling, etc.

 

[marzNC]

Adrenaline, inspiration, exploration, adventure, exercise, bliss

Agree. It's all about fun whether I'm at small mountains skiing groomers only or huge destination resorts on powder days. The more I learn about how to work on improving technique, there is even less likelihood that I get bored no matter how small the ski hill is or how yucky the snow conditions happen to be when skiing fits in my schedule.

At this stage I would also add "time with friends and family" While I enjoy skiing solo at times, I much prefer doing ski trips with at least one ski/travel buddy. Trips with my daughter at any age were/are priceless. Semi-private lessons with friends are the best way for me to be relaxed and more likely to absorb the most from an instructor.

 

[Amie H]

Agree. It's all about fun whether I'm at small mountains skiing groomers only or huge destination resorts on powder days. The more I learn about how to work on improving technique, there is even less likelihood that I get bored no matter how small the ski hill is or how yucky the snow conditions happen to be when skiing fits in my schedule.

At this stage I would also add "time with friends and family" While I enjoy skiing solo at times, I much prefer doing ski trips with at least one ski/travel buddy. Trips with my daughter at any age were/are priceless. Semi-private lessons with friends are the best way for me to be relaxed and more likely to absorb the most from an instructor.

I'm hoping my daughter takes to it after more lessons in Tahoe. Would love to be able to do ski travel with her!

 

[Iwannaski]

Presence. I’m not a terrific meditator, but I can be completely mindfully present most of the time when I’m skiing and I love it.

 

[newboots]

I also appreciate the spiritual side of skiing. I saw a man at Stratton with words and pictures of fir trees on the back of his jacket. I couldn’t make it out while he was skiing, but I saw him in the lodge. It said something like “this is my church” and it was beautiful. And so right.

 

[DebbieSue]

Being mindfully present in nature, with a rush (and I'm generally not a thrill-seeker).

 

[shadoj]

I also appreciate the spiritual side of skiing.

A sport of contrasts. I can feel so big, confident after tackling a slope -- then realize how small and insignificant I am looking up at the mountain -- nature has power over us all, sometimes scaring us -- yet draws us together in shared experience, working as best we can with things we can't fully control.
I'm not even sure what it all means, but it makes me want to give back. I want others to know the experience of skiing, to get lost in it all...

 

[Lmk92]

Yes, windy! I love wind pin at the top of the mountain - it keeps you floating as you drop in - the steeper the better - a truly amazing sensation....

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