You know, I took that approach last year with my skiing since I was in school - I didn't know how much time I would have to ski so I didn't want to set myself any goals. I skied purely for fun, and it was one of the best years I remember.
I didn't feel guilty about not skiing when conditions weren't good (or when I just wanted to sleep in), and I skied and toured at my own pace. But I not only slowed down when I felt like it, I ripped on the days I wanted to rip as well. Taking that approach really made me fall in love with skiing again to a deeper level than before. It puts it all into perspective. I was happier on the days that I did ski, and I enjoyed my time with friends even more, because I wasn't putting any pressure on myself.
AG - I think now that you have speed skating, taking a relaxed approach to skiing shouldn't be too hard. I know you - and I know you need something to drive you competitively - and that's what skating is for. Ski on the powder days that are worth it, those days that you dream about in the summer, and forget the crappy tracked out days. Forget about counting days, how fast you hike and ski, what chair you were on, how big your skis are, and all that crap. I think you have been much more honest with yourself the last few years when it comes to your knees, etc, and this could be an excellent chance for you to figure out what it is about skiing that you still love (or don't love anymore).
Yeah - unfortunately, last year wasn't a good ski season for me overall. I felt really stressed, with a long list of things in my head that I SHOULD be doing, or doing better, or... whatever. So even though I had another outlet for the competitive side of my nature, where I could push and improve steadily... I had a really hard time letting go of that with skiing. One of those easier said than done things, I suppose. And I think last year I was still struggling with trying to find some sort of realistic goal with skiing and that just wasn't working. But I think I have a lot more awareness of it at this point, so hopefully this year will be better.