What does skiing mean to you?

[SnowGlider]

I would love to hear what skiing means to you beyond good fun. How has it influenced your personality or your life?

I'll start. Hope this won't be too long or too personal for y'all.

Skiing was a lifelong dream for me.

I'm an old timer, age 54. I grew up near a ski area, but in the 1950s only rich kids skied. The rest of us were green with envy. I used to tie literal boards to my feet and try to make them glide.

In those days girls weren't allowed to do much of anything physical. We stopped riding our bikes with puberty.

In adulthood I would sit in my car in the parking lot at ski areas and gaze rapturously up at the skiers, thinking how beautiful they looked, but "I could never do that."

I finally signed up for lessons when I was 49 years old. I have posttraumatic stress disorder and I had become homebound. I was living a very small, contracted life that was mainly fear based. It was very difficult for me to get the courage to leave home and go to a new place with thousands of people.

I fell in love with skiing instantly, as I knew I would. In spite of my age I'm very athletic and I learned quickly. I made it to the top of the mountain in a couple of months and by the end of my first season I had skied many of the black diamonds on that mountain---to my astonishment!!!

However, my PTSD made every aspect of the sport frightening and difficult---the lift, all the people, fear of loss of control. I had damage to my hands and shins from my rigid stance.

That winter there was a huge change in my personality. I became confident, happy, brave, and outgoing. Those changes transferred to every area of my life. Learning to ski made me want more for myself in life, taught me to have higher standards for myself, and gave me the courage to put an end to some things I should not have been enduring in my life.

Skiing gave me the sort of Superwoman courage I was about to need in order to traverse a really hard transitional period in my life. I really don't think I would have made it without skiing---I would not have had the strength of character. I would still be trapped in that tiny life today.

I look back at my 49th year as the year I decided I wanted to really live. Skiing is a metaphor for so many important things in life: courage, exuberance, flight, health, strength, companionship, challenging yourself, healthy competition, always going a bit higher than you were yesterday, moving beyond your fears and doubts, imagination, pleasure.

I really envy women who have grown up skiing. I'm positive that it has contributed to their overall success in life. But better late than never!

I'm wondering if others have had similar experiences. Please tell!!

 

[Gina23]

Actually, I would like to share here as well. I loved your story, by the way... such a feel good tale.

As I somewhat stated in my newbie/welcome thread, I have just recently moved to Colorado. I guess in order to describe the situation as a whole I must share that I come from poverty. We were very poor when I was young, my parents losing job after job and struggling to make ends meet. We didn't have much, so my older brother and I would tag along with the neighborhood kids and play sports. All day long, we would play basketball, soccer, baseball... you name it, we'd love it. Anyway, I grew up a tom-boy for this reason (but I kicked their little butts!) :D We didn't know what vacation was, and I had no idea what skiing was at all. None of my friends (this was in the midwest) had enough money or was lucky enough to try skiing or even travel out of town, so I hadn't even heard anyone talk of it. As I got older I got very good at sports, landing spots on travel softball teams, where fundraisers would take me to places I had never seen. Mostly in the midwest, but in the summer of 1996 my team was good enough to get invited to go to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Colorado was like being inside of a dream to me. I had no idea what to expect. I knew there were mountains here, but I had no idea the scale, size, beauty, and intimidation of a mountain range. When I left, I cried and cried. :( I promised myself that I would live here someday.

My athletic ability was good enough to land me scholarships in college, and I had no choice but to accept them because I had no $$ for college and my parents surely did not either. For 4 years, I travelled, on charter buses, on planes, on trains... playing softball. I didn't particularly enjoy giving up my young college experience for a sport, but I looked at it as my job and decided that this was just how it was for me. It could've been worse I suppose. Anyway, through my travels I probably have seen over 40 states here in the US. But, through all that time I never have in my life seen anything like Colorado. In 2002 I had started my corporate career in St. Louis and was already miserable living the suit and tie life. I took my first earned vacation, of course, to Denver. I came out to visit a friend and cried even harder this time when I left. And so it began... the quest to get here. I was sick of St. Louis and I was miserable in my job and life. I never went to a doctor, but for the most part I would assume that I was severly depressed. I was only 24 years old. Quarter-life crisis? They DO exist

So about last year at this time I quit. I quit everything... my old life, the house I owned, the job I had, and ran for my life... literally. I went back to the only thing that ever felt right... moving here. I got here in June. June 9th, 2006. I woke back up. My whole life has changed... I'm better. I've dropped over 40 pounds. I run 2 miles a day. I sleep at night. I wear jeans to my new job. I walk everyday during lunch and stare at the mountains.

I still didn't know what skiing was, until January. My college friend came out and wanted to ski. So, I was like "okay." So we went... perfect timing. In my old life, I hated a challenge... I had given up on everything and any new challenge was going to put me over the edge. Now, I suddenly realized... I'm competitive again, this is hard... and I like it being hard. I like that this is challenging. I like that I can do this... I'm proud of me again.

So, for me... skiing is reminiscent of how much I've changed and how much I've accomplished in my life. I'm 27 and feel younger than ever. Like skiing, recently I've learned that when there is a problem in life, you have to scrub off some speed, slow down, and get back in control. You have to learn to scrub off the people in your life that are causing you to not know where turn. And most importantly, it let's me be in the moutains at peace letting go of all the things that used to make me so upset. On every lift I turn around and look at the snow covered peaks and I say to myself, "don't take this for granted... you're finally home. You deserve this moment."

 

[SnowGlider]

Thank you so much for this beautiful story!

I loved reading this. I can't identify with it very closely because you're of a different generation than me. Even though you grew up poor, you came of age in a time when there were lots of messages about what women can do with their lives. In my generation, we were permeated with messages about what we couldn't do. It was very hard to set a vision of ourselves in the future that went beyond marriage and secretarial work, or possibly teaching at the most.

I love how things came together for you. I'm sure your softball years gave you those qualities of determination and persistence that you needed in order to get to Colorado by hook or by crook. And now skiing has come to symbolize that achievement of your dream to be in a place and live a life that really satisfies you.

I'll give some thought to how your story can take me to my next step. Your story is all about vision and achieving a life that resonates with our deepest longings. Ski on, Diva, ski on!

 

[Gina23]

By no means do I want to hi-jack this thread, please respond more skiing experiences! - but, I would like to respond to SnowGilder here. I understand your limitations to your generation, and although we are very different in age, I think our stories are very similar. I do realize that because of my age and my elders that I have had many more choices as a young female in my life and am thankful for that. Without women making way in athletics, I may not have even gotten a scholarship to get me where I am at, and admit it was very pivotal. I am definately inspired by your story and am glad that you are living out some of your ski dreams as well!

 

[SnowGlider]

Thank you.

We are all dealt a particular hand in life and then our mission is to figure out how to make the best of that reality. I'm impressed with how you've excelled at that!

You're correct that life is about choices. Sometimes we have to develop a vision for ourselves that goes beyond the choices that are freely offered to us. Perhaps I still have a little time to do that. We'll see. Stay tuned, world! :-)))

 

[Pequenita]

For 4 years, I travelled, on charter buses, on planes, on trains... playing softball. I didn't particularly enjoy giving up my young college experience for a sport, but I looked at it as my job and decided that this was just how it was for me. It could've been worse I suppose.

Interesting perspective on doing an NCAA sport. I did, too, for all 4 years of college, in a sport that had two competitive seasons. The sport was instrumental in getting me into my college and kept me grounded while I was there, even though it meant that I was limited in terms of my extracurriculars. It was a part of my college experience (I'm not saying that there was much else to the experience, though), and I don't feel like I gave up anything I didn't want to give up.

I figure, we all make the best choices for ourselves at the time we face them. Few rational people actively seek to make bad choices.

Skiing isn't as meaningful to me as it is for others. It was, however, at age 7, probably one of my first steps towards independence. It was the first thing I did in my life that I actively sought out to do and no one else in my immediate family did.

 

[SkiMonster]

To me a lot of it is about finally having confidence in myself, and learning to say that I can, instead of that I can't, or that I'm good enough, instead of that I'm not; of learning all the wonderful things my body can do, instead of hating it; of feeling like I can do just as well as any guy, if I put my mind to it and work hard.

I was a very shy awkward kid; and although I was pretty adventurous athletically, I got picked on a lot for various reasons, and eventually started thinking that maybe I just really was that goofy; and I used to be, unfortunately, the type of person to get caught up dwelling on my problems and worrying, and not having the courage to do something about it. I was definately one of those "my own worst enemy" types.

I was always open to trying new things, even things that I was afraid of (I'm afraid of water/drowning/sea creatures; but I learned to surf anyway, for one; I'm afraid of falling too - the first chair lift ride I took was stressful!!) but I'd always get to a point where i'd become so good, and no more, because I didn't believe in myself and was too afraid to push myself and try, because I was already sure I would fail and humiliate myself. I never got very good at anything because I was too busy being afraid.

I wasted so much time, and so many opportunities.

When I learned to ski the year before last, I finally had gotten to a point in life where I had a boyfriend who supported me instead of tearing me down, and had done some work on myself to be a healthier, happier person.

When I put on those skis and, with the help of a patient teacher, caught on from that very first day, and learned so fast that people generally wouldn't believe me I had never done it before - I have neevr felt so proud of myself. Here was that timid, clumsy girl becoming a brave, capable WOMAN who could do it, and knew I could do it. Every time I learn something faster than my (now) husband expects me to, it's the best feeling - it reminds me that I CAN be good at things, and I CAN do it if I just give myself the chance, and maybe, just maybe, I will be even better than ok. It's carried over to giving me reassurance about all of my old insecurities and doubts about myself. It's something i can look back on to know that I'm NOT a failure, and that taking a chance CAN pay off for me.

I would never have believed that year that i'd be doing the things I am now. My biggest hurdle learning has been not to let myself freeze up and start thinking "I can't;" as long as I start in on a trail with authority, and don't stop to doubt myself, I've surprised myself at what I can do (because I used to always tell myself what a horrible klutz I was.) Now instead of crying at the thought of a steep trail, I am starting to seek them out; and yesterday was another 'fear factor' break through for me, in that I went in the woods and actually enjoyed it, and didn't feel like I had to inch my way through in fear. The person I used to be could never have even tried that, much less done it with a smile.

Taking me skiing is probably one of the best things my husband has or will ever do for me; not only do I have this thing I love so much now; but I have something that has taught me the benefit of talking to myself positively, and telling myself I CAN do this - and that if I believe it, good things will happen, not bad ones I'm learning to trust myself, finally, and just give myself a chance.

ETA - I too always wanted to try it as a kid, but my parents didn't have the money to take us. I was so excited when I finally got the chance, even as I was nervous I'd be terrible I'm so glad that I GOT the chance; and know that I actually lived up to one of my childhood 'dreams'!

 

[SnowHot]

Skiing was a huge confidence builder in my life, but most important, it has been the tie that binds my family. Niece, nephew, sisters, husband ..........all ski!

 

[pinto]

Wow, stories are way too good; I have nothing to follow with!

Mainly I'm fascinated by the primal pull that the mountains and/or skiing can have on people -- even when they don't even really know what it is that they are wanting. There are many stories like that.

My own brother was/is like that, even as a young boy. When we hiked, he always ran the whole way up the trail. In high school he would skip lacrosse or tennis practice and drive up a canyon somewhere, secretly, for "his fix." We never knew until he told us that a few years ago.

Someone posted on epic, I think, a few years ago about their young daughter who saw a picture of skiing and immediately said, "I want that." As I remember, the family didn't live near mountains; I think the parents were actually from an island country, had never skied or even seen snow. (Does anyone else from epic remember this?)

Daughter kept bugging parents to ski, so they finally took a trip, put her in a lesson, and she was apparently a freakishly natural skier. I think she was only 5 or 6. I think the parents were asking for advice or something ... they had a child prodigy obsessed with something that she had never even really been introduced to.

I was always blown away by that story. Don't remember any conclusion, though.

 

[Pequenita]

Someone posted on epic, I think, a few years ago about their young daughter who saw a picture of skiing and immediately said, "I want that." As I remember, the family didn't live near mountains; I think the parents were actually from an island country, had never skied or even seen snow. (Does anyone else from epic remember this?)

Daughter kept bugging parents to ski, so they finally took a trip, put her in a lesson, and she was apparently a freakishly natural skier. I think she was only 5 or 6. I think the parents were asking for advice or something ... they had a child prodigy obsessed with something that she had never even really been introduced to.

Other than the child prodigy part, that describes me. Parents weren't exposed to skiing until I came home from school one day when I was 7 with this lunatic idea that I wanted learn how to ski. My friend Jenny's dad was a ski patroller at the local (1 hour away) dinky hill, and he came in for show and tell day or something like that in 2nd grade. I don't think I had even seen skiing on TV at that point! My parents brought me to the same hill, and put me (and my poor little brother!) in a private lesson because there was no such thing as group lessons for kids as young as we were.