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Skiing Alone ...

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TyWebb

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Thoughts on it?

Short story ... scheduled a 3 day ski trip with my son for Wed, Thurs and Fri and was waiting on conditions to decide Sth Vt or Killington. He messed up his finger and hand while playing B-ball so he will not be skiing. I've golfed and fished alone for a few hours to a day but have never skied alone b4. Strongly thinking of heading up to ski Thurs and Friday.

Anyone ski alone, took a small (or large) road trip alone to ski, etc, etc?
 

urungus

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Skiing alone can be fun. You can hit the slopes at the time of your choosing, ski only the trails you want to ski, can take a break whenever you want, take advantage of the singles line, etc. If you want to head into the woods, you would need to find a companion or two at the resort for safety’s sake.
 

JimG.

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Thoughts on it?

Short story ... scheduled a 3 day ski trip with my son for Wed, Thurs and Fri and was waiting on conditions to decide Sth Vt or Killington. He messed up his finger and hand while playing B-ball so he will not be skiing. I've golfed and fished alone for a few hours to a day but have never skied alone b4. Strongly thinking of heading up to ski Thurs and Friday.

Anyone ski alone, took a small (or large) road trip alone to ski, etc, etc?

I love to ski solo. When I retired and started skiing mostly weekdays I thought I would dislike it; thought I'd be lonely and bored. My kids are mostly grown up and busy with careers and college. My wife isn't a skier, certainly not a 50 day a season crazy like me. Bless her she has no issues with me going when I want. But going alone sounded unappealing.

But I found that skiing alone means the only ski agenda for the day is mine. No rushing here or there to meet someone who wants to ski early/late. No waiting for slower skiers and no keeping up with folks who want to destroy the mountain and leave no doubt they are king of the hill. No more answering "which run should we ski next?". Listening to entire albums on my chips and never having to turn my tunes off. And meeting new folks on lift/mountain that I might otherwise not talk to because I'm with others. Some days I stay solo, other days I meet new ski buddies and ski a few runs with them.

It's all up to me and I'm loving it right now.
 

podunk77

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Ditto the above, I like skiing alone... no waiting for slower companions, no taking breaks when you don't want to, etc.

Try it and, if you don't like it, don't do it again....BUT, you might just find you like it, and it might increase your numbers of ski days in the future.
 

Not Sure

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Weekends are a good time to ski alone with lots of other people . :razz: You can have the relative safety of having others around if you crash yet rip the singles line and get some good vert . Sugarloaf AZ Summit I left my group for a good bit of the day. I did wander off in the glades but had my cell phone with a backup battery .

A bunch of years ago I skied Tuckerman alone but stayed close to other people . Long drive from Pa. though, my group came up the next day but I had looked at the weather and the day before was going to be better . It was !
 

Smellytele

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I ski alone quite a bit. As others have said no bending to others wants and needs. Just lost my ski buddy( 16 yo son) to a concussion for a few weeks and my wife is sick. I have other friends I’ll try skiing with over the next few weeks and my 18 yo college son will be around this week. If none what to ski I’ll go it alone.


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Edd

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I used to ski alone more often but I still do it a handful of times a year, usually when I ski close to home like Gunstock or Crotched. I prefer skiing with a few friends. A group of 4 is about right.


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cdskier

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I ski alone quite a bit. I pretty much agree with much of what others have said. I like having sole discretion over what run to ski, when to start, when to stop, when to take a break, etc. Woods are the one exception where I like having people with me. Otherwise if I'm skiing on trails, I have no problems skiing alone.
 

JimG.

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Yeah trees are a bit of an issue alone but I'll just stick to inbounds trees in those cases. Plenty to keep me happy there.

And if I were to go to a place with a lot of backcountry stuff I'd hire a guide with or without having others with me.
 

TyWebb

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Welp you gents convinced me ... thank for the input

I'm going to do the two nights alone. Coming from the Philly burbs so I'm thinking no more north of Killington. Prefer driving to Sth Vt but it look like a high probability of sleet/freezing rain on Thurs for those Mts
 

Griswold

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Why don’t all you people on here who ski alone ski with each other instead? Novel idea, I know. Imagine having these conversations in person and not as an anonymous name on a computer screen??


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Edd

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Why don’t all you people on here who ski alone ski with each other instead? Novel idea, I know. Imagine having these conversations in person and not as an anonymous name on a computer screen??


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People here do get together and ski. I’ve met and skied with a handful of folks on this board over the years. But several in this thread say they enjoy skiing alone and explained why.
 

ss20

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I'm also for skiing alone. I have my dedicated ski buddy who skis/tackles the mountain like I do. It's a great time but lots of little nuances occur that I don't have to deal with solo (picture taking, lodge breaks, coming/going, waiting at the bottom, etc). I also ski with a big group of 4-6 people for a big trip each year and maybe a day trip or two as well. It's tough getting to the hill on-time, coordinating lift tickets and driving, etc.

Skiing alone (and "journeying" alone) is an adventure on your schedule. And I've met plenty of people at hostels around the Northeast. I've gotten to ski some incredible terrain at the perfect time because I'm not committing anything in advance with other people, just piecing things together last-minute on my days off.
 

JimG.

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Why don’t all you people on here who ski alone ski with each other instead? Novel idea, I know. Imagine having these conversations in person and not as an anonymous name on a computer screen??


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I like skiing with others as well, just go solo more.

Skiing with other people is a skill in and of itself. When I ski alone I concentrate on my skiing and usually ski better than average.
 

deadheadskier

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Love both skiing alone and with others. It's a different mindset with each.

Skiing alone is somewhat like doing a Yoga routine alone. I take my time, focus on being precise with my technique, each turn becomes very granular and life slows down as I focus on the next movement.

Skiing with others, especially high level skiers, is more like a team sport. It's a more aggresive day on the hill. You see others push the limits of their ability and find yourself doing the same. It gets you out of your comfort zone which is equally as important in maximizing your skill development in this sport.

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gmcunni

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i dislike sking alone but i'm doing it more and more. worst part for me is day tripping (the drive).
 

ERJ-145CA

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I have a lot of weekdays off and almost always ski alone. Usually there only time I ski with others is with my family on weekends. I love skiing alone because I get to do whatever I want and don't have to wait for anybody. It also frees me up to speak to strangers on the lift, sometimes the conversations are interesting.

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kingslug

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I like skiing in groups of 4 or 5 when we go to Europe or out West but mostly ski alone in VT..I meet my wife at the lift though.
 
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