Ever missed years of skiing?

[frapcap]

It's better being involved with a non skier than one at a vastly different ability level.

I rather enjoy that my wife doesn't ski. Gives me "me" time to go hang with the guys.

This. I like that its my time to do my own thing. Plus, she like to play video games in my absence and sitting still that long just isn't in the cards for my brain.


As for missing a season- you guys are lucky, I didn't even see snow until age 22. I didn't ski the first year I lived in New England, but haven't missed a season for 7-8 years now! Without skiing, I'd probably end up depressed every winter.

 

[cdskier]

It's better being involved with a non skier than one at a vastly different ability level.

I really don't see how I could make it work with either a non-skier or one at a vastly different ability level (unless they had a serious interest in advancing). I don't think a non-skiing gf would understand me wanting to drive 5 hours to VT most weekends in the winter...

 

[rocks860]

Didn't ski much when I went to college in PA (skied camelback once but it didn't feel worth it). May have not skied at all a couple years during college.

 

[rocks860]

I really don't see how I could make it work with either a non-skier or one at a vastly different ability level (unless they had a serious interest in advancing). I don't think a non-skiing gf would understand me wanting to drive 5 hours to VT most weekends in the winter...

My gf just started snowboarding a couple years ago after we started dating. She's gotten a lot better but it's still tough sticking with her, especially when conditions are great. She gets it though and let's me do my own thing or go some days without her

 

[drjeff]

I really don't see how I could make it work with either a non-skier or one at a vastly different ability level (unless they had a serious interest in advancing). I don't think a non-skiing gf would understand me wanting to drive 5 hours to VT most weekends in the winter...

How I learned to enjoy the ability difference between my skill set and my wife's skill set, is that after a while it has morphed into the situation for me where it's way more about enjoying being on the hill and spending some time with her enjoying a sport that we both love to do, and far less about "I just skied this crazy line through the trees" type of mentality.

Do I take off for a few runs when the opportunity exists that she has no real desire to ski whatsoever? Yup, I sure do when I get the urge and the conditions permit. However, I often find that being able to enjoy the experience with someone who is also enjoying the experience is becoming more more satisfying than trying to push my own limits all the time I'm on the hill

 

[cdskier]

How I learned to enjoy the ability difference between my skill set and my wife's skill set, is that after a while it has morphed into the situation for me where it's way more about enjoying being on the hill and spending some time with her enjoying a sport that we both love to do, and far less about "I just skied this crazy line through the trees" type of mentality.

Do I take off for a few runs when the opportunity exists that she has no real desire to ski whatsoever? Yup, I sure do when I get the urge and the conditions permit. However, I often find that being able to enjoy the experience with someone who is also enjoying the experience is becoming more more satisfying than trying to push my own limits all the time I'm on the hill

I get how skiing with someone else that enjoys it even at a different skill level can certainly be fun. There's just a point where the difference is too big though. Case in point, I was talking with one lady maybe a year or so ago that said she liked to ski. She considered herself "not great, but can hold my own". A bit later she goes on to say "yea, I really like skiing the greens but the blues usually intimidate me". When I first heard "can hold my own" I was thinking she was a intermediate blue skier that would once in a while ski a groomed diamond under the right conditions. Clearly we had way different definitions of "can hold my own". :smile:

 

[deadheadskier]

I really don't see how I could make it work with either a non-skier or one at a vastly different ability level (unless they had a serious interest in advancing). I don't think a non-skiing gf would understand me wanting to drive 5 hours to VT most weekends in the winter...

Depends on their interests. As long as they don't mind the car ride. They may enjoy going to VT for other activities. Hang out by the fire and read, go for a snowshoe, hit up a brewery or two.

If we had a ski house (and someday I hope to), my wife would have no problem driving up to the mountains on the weekends. She can do everything up there that she normally would do at our main home. She'd see a lot more of me too!! Heck, she could meet me in the lodge for lunch or apres ski.

Every girl I've ever dated I've made it abundantly clear that I'm not someone who likes to lounge around the house no matter what the season, but especially ski season. Plenty of things I'm flexible on, but not skiing at least 20 days a winter isn't one of them. My wife jokingly refers to herself as the ski widow during the winter months.

 

[Smellytele]

Never really missed a year but my first 7 years of skiing (14-20) I only skied a handful of times a year. At 21 I started skiing 20 or more times a year. Even years when our kids were born I would ski around 20 times. When my wife was pregnant with our first we went skiing in Chamonix when she was 3 months pregnant. She is now more of a fair weather skier. Well maybe not fair weather but she doesn't ski before thanksgiving and has usually had enough by the beginning to the middle of March (last year made it to the end of March). Hates spring skiing.

 

[Pez]

Relationships are a trade off in most everything.

Anyway to get back on topic. My most recent layoff of skis was between 2006-2010. Tore my ACL out in UT had surgery back in MA but never fully rehabbed the knee and leg do to a number of reasons. Finally got back on the surfboard in 2009 and late in the 2010 season got back on skis. Been going full bore ever since.

There have been times in my life where I haven't skied much, maybe 4 times a season. In college no one I hung around with was a skier so I spent time seeing bands and doing other music related stuff. Also there was a girl on the picture who hated skiing. Haha

Now, time on the mountain is a priority. An obsession really.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[cdskier]

Every girl I've ever dated I've made it abundantly clear that I'm not someone who likes to lounge around the house no matter what the season, but especially ski season. Plenty of things I'm flexible on, but not skiing at least 20 days a winter isn't one of them.

My brother's fiance doesn't understand this concept. She's repeatedly told me I need to be more flexible (meanwhile she is one of the least willing to compromise people I've ever met...but that's another story). She'll say things like "what if she wants to do other things together on the weekends in the winter with you?" My response is always "then she's not the right girl for me". I can compromise in many areas, but if I have to ski substantially less, then it simply will not work.

Back on topic...my answer to this question would be that I missed all the years prior to learning to ski in HS. Once I started skiing, I never looked back.

 

[Pez]

oh 2 more times due to injury:

87/88 - due to a broken hip
02/03 - Right shoulder / rotator cuff repair.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

My girlfriend has been a hell of a sport about it. Before we were together she went skiing once for a week during college. Last year she skied 10 days, this year 6 (will get her 8) and only because of the poor conditions. She knows I will go out west 2-3x a year and to New England every weekend thanksgiving to Easter. She's happy to come with 4-5 weekends. She knows that she's only getting me to ski with her from 9-1030 and from 230-4, and that the morning hour and a half disappears on a powder day. She's mostly happy to ski at her own pace, or take a lesson and make friends with other rising intermediates. From a basically never skied to a solid blue groomer skier in 2 seasons is pretty great. She knows that this is what makes me happy and is where I find my peace, and she hasn't fucked with it

 

[steamboat1]

I never entirely missed a season but had a few with limited days. 1980 only skied 5 days with 2 of them after I tore my rotatorcuff. Had a 5 day pass & was damned if I was going to waste the days. Only skied 3 days in 1989, the year my daughter was born. Not so bad but 2013 only had 14 days before I broke my ankle & tore my ACL.

 

[bdfreetuna]

It's better being involved with a non skier than one at a vastly different ability level.

I rather enjoy that my wife doesn't ski. Gives me "me" time to go hang with the guys.

Maybe so, maybe not. As some know I spent the last couple years teaching my girlfriend, now wife to ski. Obviously it's an investment and you have to sacrifice skiing all woods and steep trails in the beginning.

Interestingly though, she's not only learned quickly, but she's learning to ski *like me*. So, she could parallel turn and carve better, we'll get there. But for the last year she's been happy skiing stuff like Goat Woods, Everglade, Devil's Playground. She likes bump runs better than steep groomers (same here). Narrow little rabbit holes in the woods she cruises right along in even if she still uses the snowplow to slow down.

As for guys, it's like breaking balls to get any of my friends to ski or ride with me as everyone's got a different work schedule and none of them are as motivated as myself. Stuff I like to ski it's almost better to be a solo explorer anyway. I like to decide exactly what run we're taking and determine the course of a day of skiing.

My wife considers me an excellent guide for woods and slackcountry, so it works out really nice. Occasionally she'll veto a trail but 9 times out of 10 it's because it looks legitimately sketchy and I have to agree.

Going to get her some lessons to improve the parallel turns and carving next season. I think in another year or two she'll be able to keep pace with me just about all the time unless I'm trying to set a TunaSpeed record.

 

[bdfreetuna]

whatever Kusty said

You and me got too much in common. Regret our prior bickering. You're all good in my book.

 

[deadheadskier]

Maybe so, maybe not. As some know I spent the last couple years teaching my girlfriend, now wife to ski. Obviously it's an investment and you have to sacrifice skiing all woods and steep trails in the beginning.

Interestingly though, she's not only learned quickly, but she's learning to ski *like me*. So, she could parallel turn and carve better, we'll get there. But for the last year she's been happy skiing stuff like Goat Woods, Everglade, Devil's Playground. She likes bump runs better than steep groomers (same here). Narrow little rabbit holes in the woods she cruises right along in even if she still uses the snowplow to slow down.
.

That's one thing.

But, not all girls are like that. (or guys for that matter). Some will only ever want to ski on sunny, warmer winter days and stick to low angle blues with frequent stops for hot chocolate after already arriving to the mountain very late in the morning.

That was my college girlfriend. After 8 years of dating on and off, we finally broke up for the final time on a powder day at Vail. I literally said, "It's puking snow, I'm not sitting in the lodge with you any longer." "If you leave me here, we're through." Off I skied into the White Room.....

Our difference in skiing ability wasn't the primary reason for our break up. I'm just illustrating that I much prefer my current situation with my non-skiing wife, than my former situation.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Sounds like a timely ultimatum.

One of my ex's I tried to take skiing one time. She ended up getting a sled ride down a green circle. Never wanted to take her out again after that.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

You and me got too much in common. Regret our prior bickering. You're all good in my book.

cheers

 

[Madroch]

Avid skier from age 4 to around 21- after college stopped completely until about age 38- took my two kids skiing once and was instantly re-hooked---so like 17 years off... No idea why other than got distracted by life-

 

[steamboat1]

My wife never skied before we met. She skied with me for over 30 years. I have a lot of interesting stories that happened during that time especially when she was first learning. Don't want to get into them here. She became a pretty good skier but was always overly cautious. We had a lot of great ski days together both in the east & out west. She gave up skiing about 6 years ago now. I often miss skiing with her & I'm extremely jealous when I see another couple who ski well skiing together. I am happy that I get to ski with my daughter on occasion who has become an even better skier than I ever was. One good thing about having an ex-skier wife is that she completely understands my passion for the sport & lets me go as often as I like.