Significant Others

[gmcunni]

My wife is a non-skier. When we first started dating she pretended to be interested in learning and tried it once or twice. I made the HUGE mistake of taking her to the top of Mt Snow to go down Deer Run. She was so freaked out that she ended up going down the hill on the back of a snow mobile. Got her back out on the bunny slope later but she was done. We've been married 19 years now (anniversary was yesterday) and she hasn't been back on skis since we were dating.

But she is very supportive of me and my skiing habit. Pre-kids, I'd head north with friends and drop her off @ her sister's in Springfield MA, then just pick her up on the way home. These days she finds things to do on days I/we (kids + me) go skiing. At least once a year we rent a place for a long weekend with friends and she'll go shopping or do scrapbooking while we're at the hill.

 

[RISkier]

We started together and I'm lost without her.

(That's her in my sig)

That's pretty much me. It's a long story. She had skied a little bit while in college and always liked snow. After we moved to RI she nagged me, and nagged, and nagged me some more to try skiing. I finally gave in. It was just before my 49th birthday. She had found a 3-day package at Gunstock. It included lessons, equipment rentals, and lift tickets. As I recall it was $109 each, really a screaming deal. And the multi-day package was a good thing. I actually hated it after the first day and would gladly have never returned, but I promised her I'd give it my best shot for three days. The whole first day experience is daunting, especially for an older guy like me. I dressed to warmly and was cooked by the time we got fitted for boots. Then we're trying to carry ski equipment up slippery steps in boots... She said if I still hated it after 3 days she'd never bug me about again. We ended up skiing almost every weekend the rest of that winter. Now it's become the focul point for many of our vacations. She's pretty much a ski from first chair till they won't let her get on the lift any more kind of girl. I find skiing without her very strange.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

mine is as addicted as me...loves the steep ungroomed stuff..she 'made' me get her a pair of pow skis last season...

 

[krisskis]

My SO only skied once or twice when we met. When we got together, we started skiing all the time and he SEEMED to enjoy. We had the kids and they both started skiing at 2 yrs old. Once they got a bit older and got better we started skiing with them. My son advanced faster than my daughter, so i skied with him as my SO didnt seem to want to go to the steeps, bumps, blacks, etc. So it wqas just me and my son for a while while my daughter skied with him on the blues. Then my daughter wanted to ski more with me and my son, so i started taking her with us more and she did very well. 2 yrs ago, my SO decided to let me know that he hates skiing :-( The last few years, i did notice that it was getting more difficult to get him to go with us and i started taking more trips alone with the kids. His statement was that he hates getting up at the crack of dawn to stand on a cold mountain to do something he hates. I guess he figured he would do it until the kids were good enough to ski with me and then he would quit. It has been over 2 yrs since he skied with us...not our loss IMHO. We <the kids and i> have a great time together and i dont have to worry about finding someone to watch the animals when i go away.

We also ski more with King and Queen Slug now and the kids really like that they can push themselves more with them. I have a tendency to hold back at times because i get scared of getting hurt. I get hurt, i cant work and i dont get paid...im sure you all know that drill. I had a knee injury<Grade 3 tear of my MCL> a few yrs back and then the following year i had to have surgery on same knee and i guess i get nervous sometimes.

So anyway, he can stay home for we care...LOL.

 

[hardline]

if someone i am dating isn't a snowslider i don't really want to put in the time to convert them. if they can get down the hill i will do enough teaching so that we can go desent speed on the groomers. most of the non sliders i date think i am a little strange with my obsession but like ski areas because the good spas and some shoping which is another reason stowe works for me. the city girls like stowe.

 

[mattchuck2]

I met my wife when I started instructing in 2002. She had already been teaching skiing for 5 years (since she was 16). She got her PSIA Level III in '07, so, ummm . . . you could say she's pretty good. Her parents have a condo near Gore, which is pretty convenient. Her dad also teaches (PSIA Level II alpine, Level III Tele).

She also took up Tele last year, with the goal to do a couple of BC trips together in '08-'09.

One time I dated a girl who didn't ski. It didn't work out well at all. I found it kind of hard to get motivated to get out of bed at 6:30 when she was sleeping in (wearing next to nothing).

 

[andyzee]

AndyZee I figured you were a lifelong skier..when did you start?

We started in January 2002.

 

[andyzee]

Andy, you really are awesome. She is so lucky to have you!

First marriage lasted one year, that one was a complete zero, but yet I was miserable after she left. Thank God she did if she didn't, I never would have met this one. I'm the lucky one here.

 

[billski]

hormones....

I’m sensing a theme here. Single women and new wives ski, but when the kids start show up skiing becomes a low priority. However kids are the motivators for moms to get back into skiing. Whatever the reason as long as they come back and enjoy themselves, because as the saying goes “if mama’s not happy, nobodies happy.

The demographics bode badly for women in general. After the age of 40, women's participation in snow sports drops off dramatically. For men, it drops off in the 30's, but picks back up again in the mid 40's. All of this has been attributed to the "family factor", as I can well-attest. It's worse these days due to how over-booked many kids are with sundry activities. By the 60's when the kids are finally gone, people's bodies begin to break down and the drop-off in participation is precipitous.

Many women learn to ski/board when child-less, as do men. I suspect however, without a study to back me up, that many women do this as part of the courtship - to attract and keep their male counterpart.

I would posit that estrogen is a funny thing. Once the kids come, the focus changes entirely. It becomes a life of nurturing and protecting. Safety becomes a huge issue, and the brood becomes priority #1. The mother will sacrifice all to protect and encourage the child's well-being. Skiing become something for the kids; very few moms I know or see on the slopes are "pushing the limits" anymore. They are more concerned with what time lunch is, is Billie cold, or did he get to his lesson on time. Mothers in general absolve themselves of the selfish attitude of self-gratification and take the high road "it's for the children." How many moms will take a run by themselves when everyone else is shot? I am in the process of raising three kids myself and see this dynamic daily.

Granted, there are many exceptions. Some of the best women skiers continue on, regardless of the family circumstance. However, I'd brand these as "fanatics" (this group included) as those who had a passion that cannot be eclipsed. Still these women are a vast minority, and the chances of catching one is a fleeting dream.

As far as advice? You have to figure that out for yourself. It really depends on what life stage you are in.

 

[Trekchick]

Who has been able to introduce their S.O. to skiing and had them actually enjoy it and continue in the sport?

my husband taught me how to ski, when we were dating. Looking back on it, I'm amazed that I ever continued. Spademan rental bindings.
Ugh, the words his buddy used still ring in my ears.
"Skiing is kinda like two trackin'. Ya turn to slow, don't slow ta turn! Keep up, coz we're not waitin at the chair"

Now, I'm the most passionate about skiing in our circle of friends, and his buddies call me to go skiing instead of him.
Whoda thunk it?:wink:

 

[skidbump]

When we started dating ,my wife had skied once. Now she ski's 40 to 50 days a season. Come to think about it our first date was at Catamount.

 

[MichaelJ]

What's wrong with that?

Well, nothing, but it goes back to what someone else said ... I love that she skis with me now, but we don't have to do *everything* together.

 

[tcharron]

Who has been able to introduce their S.O. to skiing and had them actually enjoy it and continue in the sport?

She actually got me BACK into skiing after a 18 year absence. Now she's slowly became a ski widow, and regrets doing it. :-D

I think her not spending as much time skiing WITH me is mostly due to the fact that I spent much more time on the hill that first year or two then she had in years, and the couple of times she did go, she took a couple of pretty hefty falls. I watched (wincing) as they happened, and honestly, it was because she wasn't in the same shape as she was when she skied much more often. So now I'm in a catch-22. She claims it's always too icy, or too cold, or too (etc..etc). I've REALLY tried to encourage her to be more active, but there's only so much I can do without the inevitable counter argument of 'What, do you think I'm too fat!??!'. *shudder* It's also not easy being a stay at home with a two year old AND being out and active.

 

[RichT]

Mine HATES skiing but LOVES ski lodging!! Mostly at the bar! (with John the bartender@ Hunter)

 

[andyzee]

you forgot to say old too..

I am a lonely, lonely man .. where did my sweet buttercup go? Oh there she is all nice and cold ..

I'm sorry Jerry, that wasn't really aimed at you, just general statement.

 

[severine]

At least I have my HDTV to keep me warm ...

Sometimes that's better... no dealing with anyone else's idiosyncrasies.

 

[Philpug]

I did this smart. I set my wife up with private lessons and left them alone. I did the same for her parents, now they are retired to a ski house in Vermont that I have complete access to.

 

[Vortex]

Met my wife in college. She saw my college ski racing shirt and said she was going to be on the girls racing team. I bailed from the team later that year.. too hard to play sports in college and keep up the grades for me. She raced for 4 years. We we married two weeks after her graduation. 20th year anniversay next week.:smile:

 

[Dr Skimeister]

Met my wife in college. She saw my college ski racing shirt and said she was going to be on the girls racing team. I bailed from the team later that year.. too hard to play sports in college and keep up the grades for me. She raced for 4 years. We we married two weeks after her graduation. 20th year anniversay next week.:smile:

Early kudos on the 20.....

 

[Warp Daddy]

Met my wife in college. She saw my college ski racing shirt and said she was going to be on the girls racing team. I bailed from the team later that year.. too hard to play sports in college and keep up the grades for me. She raced for 4 years. We we married two weeks after her graduation. 20th year anniversay next week.:smile:

GOOD fortune on BOTH scores BOB !!!