They don't understand but that's ok!

[snowbeach]

Well let me explain.
None of my girlfriends, family or work colleagues really understand my skiing addiction.
They wonder:
Why I spend my holidays in minus temperatures
Why I get excited when I buy new skis, a new jacket, ski boots or just anything ski related
Why I'm prepared to spend days wearing heavy clucky plastic things on my feet
Why I spend many monies on accommodation so I can stay on the snow
Why my partner and I are prepared to get up at 1am and then drive 6 hours to the snow so we get a full day in
Why I post so many ski/snow related stuff on my Facebook page
Why I'm prepared to pay over $100 Australian a day to slide down hills
Why my wardrobe is full of thermals
Why we head to Japan every year
Why I talk about powder

Well that's ok they don't understand.......it's my addiction and I'm sticking with it!

 

[ski diva]

That's why there's TheSkiDiva.com, your friends in skier addiction.

 

[volklgirl]

I think you're in good company here. We TOTALLY understand!

I'd guess most of us share the same feelings about non-skiing friends. I've stopped talking about it because all my friends' and co-workers' eyes just glaze over. They REALLY don't understand why I'm all excited about a new pair of skis that I won't even be able to use for another 7 months!

 

[snowbeach]

Hehehehehe.........I knew fellow SkiDiva's would understand!

 

[MissySki]

We all definitely understand, you are not alone!!

 

[bounceswoosh]

When I was struggling with my Morton's Neuroma and trying to decide whether to have the surgery, a friend said that she would just give up skiing if that's the main reason I would need it. I kind of stared at her.

I got the surgery. I get to ski.

 

[abc]

Well let me explain.
None of my girlfriends, family or work colleagues really understand my skiing addiction.
They wonder:
Why I spend my holidays in minus temperatures
Why I get excited when I buy new skis, a new jacket, ski boots or just anything ski related
Why I'm prepared to spend days wearing heavy clucky plastic things on my feet
Why I spend many monies on accommodation so I can stay on the snow
Why my partner and I are prepared to get up at 1am and then drive 6 hours to the snow so we get a full day in
Why I post so many ski/snow related stuff on my Facebook page
Why I'm prepared to pay over $100 Australian a day to slide down hills
Why my wardrobe is full of thermals
Why we head to Japan every year
Why I talk about powder

Well that's ok they don't understand.......it's my addiction and I'm sticking with it!

Well, you need more tolerant friends.

(you can't change your family and co-worker, but you can certainly change your friends!)

All my friends have hobbies they're addicted, some of which I found hard to fathom. I always ask them why is it that they enjoy it so much. Quite often, I can understand. Sometimes, they found it fun to examine what was it in their favorite past time that truely "make them tick"!

 

[Jilly]

We here understand......I was told many years ago "It must be nice to be able to afford to go skiing!". Well neither DH or I belong to a golf club or a yacht club, a lot of friends do....So we put our money where we want it!

 

[abc]

Well neither DH or I belong to a golf club or a yacht club, a lot of friends do....So we put our money where we want it!

Golf is one hobby that took me a long time to "understand"...

So why everyone is having such a hard time to understand skiing (or biking or kayaking, for that matter) is quite beyond me!

 

[lisamamot]

What is wonderful about all the ladies here, is you totally understand the desire to have fun with the gear too. Even if you don't personally have more than one pair of skis, the concept of more than one doesn't seem frivolous to you. When I peruse here I see there are many others who share my delight in variety, and the right tool for the job. Nice to know there are other women who also love their gear, be it skis, jackets, pants, or gorgeous hats

 

[NZfarmgirl]

My issue is that I have friends who see my skiing as a weird obsession, rather than a sport or hobby. They don't compare it to golf or biking or fishing or hunting which is a huge male obsession here. I think many people see skiing as an expensive occasional holiday activity rather than a regular pastime or serious sport or career choice. So when we do so much of it and spend so much on it, and talk about so much they think we are weird, and really extravagant.
That's why I love it here. I also have a brother who loves it as much as me so I can talk to him and he completely understands all my gear needs and travel plans as he loves to travel overseas to ski too.

 

[Skise]

Well, even my skiing friends think I'm crazy...

 

[snowbeach]

Nothing wrong with being crazy, better than being boring and sane!

My friends, family and co-workers might not understand but they do support my addiction so all is good in my world of skiing!

 

[2ski2moro]

Golf is one hobby that took me a long time to "understand"...

I'm not old enough for golf. I still have sex.

 

[MI-skier]

I'm not old enough for golf. I still have sex.

Just recently told a perplexed fellow traveler who mistakenly took my SKI sportube as a clubs carrier,
"Why golf when you can ski?!!?"

Snowbeach....we get you.

 

[Skivt2]

The worst part is people who think it's frivolous. My own family looks down on me because they think that I'm shallow because I love to ski. It's almost painful. I work tirelessly practicing as much as possible to get closer to mastery of the art of skiing. I am committed to my practice even though I know mastery is an unattainable goal. I work hard to stay in shape in the offseason, training to avoid injury and to pick up my practice where I left off. I'm an expert in staying warm and dry. I push myself to go outside in inhospitable conditions just to get hours in on the hill. I'm part of a community at my home mountain. We all socialize together outside of skiing and are a family of friends that look after each other. Basically it's a lifestyle and I am 100% committed to it. It's really too bad that people don't have any respect for that. I'm sure triathletes and marathon runners Etc have similar comparable aspects to their lifestyle. I'd be surprised if they suffer the same "judgement" that skiers do by non-skiers.

 

[abc]

I'm sure triathletes and marathon runners Etc have similar comparable aspects to their lifestyle. I'd be surprised if they suffer the same "judgement" that skiers do by non-skiers.

Sorry, you're very wrong there.

Besides, what does other athlets gets or does not get respect has any relevent? We're not doing the skiing version of "my suffering is worse than yours"...

 

[Skivt2]

That's not at all what I meant. I am following up on what NZfarmgirl said. And maybe it's a regional thing. Where I live (and I would guess in NYC too since we are so close) there are a lot more people involved in the traditional hardcore sports like tri's and cycling and running. People in CT have a reverence for and some understanding of those as endurance sports that require training and perseverance. At least where I live in the 'burbs of CT, skiing is thought of as a once a year vacation at Xmas time or in February. Its something you do for an hour or two during some of the days that you are in VT if it's not too cold or snowy or raining etc during a vacation that might include shopping and dining and maybe skating/sledding. It's just considered weird to do it all the time and practice it. I don't think it's considered a serious sport like the others. There is no comprehension of the time or effort it would take to be able to (for example) ski big spring bumps for 7+ hours and do it well. It's definitely considered an accomplishment and not a waste of time to finish a tri or a long running race in CT. Skiing on the other hand is just some weird expensive odd activity you might do occasionally but certainly not a serious sport. It certainly could be different in NYC but I can only describe my experience. I thought the point of this thread was "they don't understand". That is the point I am trying to make. People don't understand skiing as a worthy hobby, sport, activity to pursue the way most of us here do.

 

[Jilly]

I have to agree with Skivt2 - because I've seen it. We were in France years ago and a British couple asked us about the Banff area. Well we're too far from that etc...."But you ski every weekend!" We try to....They only skied 2 weeks a year, their holidays.

And to go along with the practice thing - if you don't try and get out and practice, you're not going to make any progress....if that's what you want!

 

[bounceswoosh]

Is it rude at this juncture to say, "Oh, how I love living in Colorado"? Not everyone skis, but everyone is exposed to powder fever. An old boss of mine once complained half-jokingly that on snow days, half his staff is out because they won't drive in the terrible conditions, and the other half is out because they've driven to the mountains.