"Why Skiing Is Cool" a personal perspective...can't wait to read yours...

[WakeboardMom]

So...I started skiing when I was 18. My then-boyfriend bought me a used set-up for Christmas. His aunt's never-used stuff...leather boots, beartrap bindings. Got me set up in lesson the first week in January. Lifty told me he'd let me on that day, but never come back with those bindings! On the way home from Loon we stopped and bought boots and bindings. My "boyfriend" loaned me the money...I remember the boots were $65.

Anyway...we got married...never stopped skiing. My first baby was born January 8, 1981. 6 weeks later that baby was in the nursery at Loon and I was back on the mountain. "Nursery" is a bit of an exaggeration. A big room with some cribs and a rocking chair. : - ) Baby number 2 came along less than a year later, and then we were dragging two to the nursery. By the time number 3 came along, the first two were in morning lessons and skiing with us in the afternoon. Number 4 went to the nursery when she was really little. After that, we would take turns sitting in the lodge (mostly Cannon at that time). We'd buy 3 tickets for the 4 oldest of us and swap it around. Now Bretton Woods has a program specifically for that.

Coolest thing ever....they all still ski with me. "Mom, you can do it." Double black. "I can't do it." "Mom, just ski." At the bottom, "Please, Mom. No drama next time, okay?"
: - )

What made me think of this is the nice poster here, BushMogulMaster. I have watched in awe as number 2 son maneuvers through moguls. His style is fluid and graceful. Number 3 is a freestyle fanatic, but his park rat friends are amazed when they follow him all over the mountain. Both of those guys raced in high school. Number one son can't wait to get back to NH in the winter to ski with his bros. My baby girl is in college now and wouldn't leave NE. She has to ski.

Man, oh, man, but I love this sport.

 

[Rambo]

So many things are out of reach. Can't afford thourghobred race horses, airplanes, high performance street cars (like the Ford GT40), speedboats... etc. BUT for about $700 to $800 can buy some high performance all-mountain ski equipment and speed down mountains and feel almost like I am flying.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Cool story, WakeboardMom!

In an effort to help redirect the AZ atmosphere, I shall chime in as well!

My dad has been in the ski business since 1977, so I have been well-exposed to every aspect of the sport and the industry since birth! I grew up in Pennsylvania, and learned to ski on some small but fun hills there (Denton, Sawmill, etc.). When we lived in PA, we always took an annual trip to VT, or to the Catskills. In 2005, after a brief hiatus from the ski industry, my dad decided to get back in the business. I found a job posting at Sugarbush for Mt. Ellen GM, he applied, and, as they say, the rest is history.

My mom has never been a big skier, and my younger siblings were too young to get into it when we were in PA. My older brother and I were basically 8-15 day/season recreational skiers. But I really took to the sport when we moved up here to the real mountains. I started following the old man around the mountain, learning about lifts, snowmaking, grooming, patrolling, and skiing moguls! Since '05, I've been skiing 75-110 days a season.

Prior to moving to VT, I was 100% set on studying music performance (specifically, jazz piano or classical organ) at a conservatory. But after seeing up-close-and-personal how things work at real ski resorts, I was hooked. As many here know, I ended up going to Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, CO to study ski area operations. I spent 2 fantastic years out there, and learned a ton from 3 of the industry's greats (Paul Rauschke, Curt Bender, & Jim Moss). I skied most of the CO areas (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breck, Steamboat, Winter Park, A-Basin, Loveland, Monarch, Copper, Cooper, etc.). I graduated this past May, and returned to Mt. Ellen to spend some time in a snowcat by night, and ripping the bumps by day! My goal is to work toward mountain management, perhaps here in New England, or if the right thing came up in the Rockies (down the road a few years).

I've definitely made a lifetime commitment to the industry, and the sport. And I continue to pursue my musical interests semi-professionally all the while.

I, too, love this sport!

 

[snoseek]

Hmmmm this will take some thought

 

[krisskis]

Been skiing since i was 5...started at Belleayre every weekend. The only time i took off was when i was preggers with my 2 kids. Skied with the husband for years until he decided a few years ago that he hates it...LOL...so now he just deals with me and the kids being away all winter. Kids started at 2 yrs old in Killington. I love, now that they are 12 and 16 that we all ski together and have a blast!!


Quoted by WakeBoardMom:
"Coolest thing ever....they all still ski with me. "Mom, you can do it." Double black. "I can't do it." "Mom, just ski." At the bottom, "Please, Mom. No drama next time, okay?"
: - )"

I get the same stuff from my kids!! they are all alike...hahaha.

 

[JD]

Frictionless flight.

 

[jaywbigred]

Multifaceted question which boils down to the definition of "cool"...I'm going to try to avoid translating "cool" into "fun" or "enjoyable," because I think it has a slightly different meaning.

I think skiing is cool because it combines athletic ability with the outdoors during the winter. Add in the ability for each skier to customize his or her experience, adding personal flavor to the sport, and you see how it has become cool. To a certain extent, there is a sexiness to it, something to do with in-shape people exercising their muscles in the cold outdoors and then retiring to warm, cozy places in close proximity to each other to warm-up, usually with some alcohol involved. Plus, I think there is an added element of cool/sexiness that stems from skiings dual history: 1) As the mode of transportation of a hardy people (northern europeans) that lent itself to navigating not only their home country but also broad stretches of the New World; and 2) the sport's evolution as a leisure time activity, that became associated with the rich.

Some folks might lament 2), but I think it does add to the perception and the reality that skiing is "cool." It helps sex it up, even if skiing is now accessible to more than the just the rich....

And I hate to say it, but there may have been a few years in there where skiing was NOT "cool"...so if you made the question "why is skiing cool again ?" I think the answer would be simple: snowboarding.

 

[dmc]

WakeboardMom has some serious soul... Getting to know people like her makes skiing cool...

 

[WakeboardMom]

Multifaceted question which boils down to the definition of "cool"...I'm going to try to avoid translating "cool" into "fun" or "enjoyable," because I think it has a slightly different meaning.

I think skiing is cool because it combines athletic ability with the outdoors during the winter. Add in the ability for each skier to customize his or her experience, adding personal flavor to the sport, and you see how it has become cool. To a certain extent, there is a sexiness to it, something to do with in-shape people exercising their muscles in the cold outdoors and then retiring to warm, cozy places in close proximity to each other to warm-up, usually with some alcohol involved. Plus, I think there is an added element of cool/sexiness that stems from skiings dual history: 1) As the mode of transportation of a hardy people (northern europeans) that lent itself to navigating not only their home country but also broad stretches of the New World; and 2) the sport's evolution as a leisure time activity, that became associated with the rich.

Some folks might lament 2), but I think it does add to the perception and the reality that skiing is "cool." It helps sex it up, even if skiing is now accessible to more than the just the rich....

And I hate to say it, but there may have been a few years in there where skiing was NOT "cool"...so if you made the question "why is skiing cool again ?" I think the answer would be simple: snowboarding.

THIS is a great response. I love the idea of juxtaposing the act of braving the cold with the rewards that come with the aftermath of warmth. Very, very interesting; and yeah, there really is a certain sexiness to it. I agree that the fact that not everyone can do it, or understand why one would do it, certainly adds to the cache.

"Snowboarding" for sure!! I owe my Burnin' Luvs and the fact that they have helped me enjoy the sport immensely these past couple of years to the technical advances given to us from snowboarding. And that doesn't even touch the youthful, "cool" image that snowboarding has brought to the sport which gives credence to the "again." Skiing got a nice kick in the pants from the emergence of snowboarding.

I love that post!! Thank you!!

 

[jaywbigred]

THIS is a great response. I love the idea of juxtaposing the act of braving the cold with the rewards that come with the aftermath of warmth. Very, very interesting; and yeah, there really is a certain sexiness to it. I agree that the fact that not everyone can do it, or understand why one would do it, certainly adds to the cache.

"Snowboarding" for sure!! I owe my Burnin' Luvs and the fact that they have helped me enjoy the sport immensely these past couple of years to the technical advances given to us from snowboarding. And that doesn't even touch the youthful, "cool" image that snowboarding has brought to the sport which gives credence to the "again." Skiing got a nice kick in the pants from the emergence of snowboarding.

I love that post!! Thank you!!

Thanks for reading. And great thread, btw! Fun to think about and put into words.

 

[bigbog]

Frictionless flight.

...with great scenery at the ground-floor.

 

[skidmarks]

Yes, it's cool

Skiing is cool! I can kick glide and travel, lifts or no-lifts, up down and around.
Skiing is freedom on snow!

 

[billski]

I have always loved the mountains. I grew up in mountains, played in the mountains, watched my Dad work in the mountains. When I left the rural lands to aspire to the most inorganic career possible - High Tech, I found myself being pulled back. I have to get into the mountains, it is a spiritual re-connection.

I love the mountains in all their seasons, in all their moods. From a windy frigid mountaintop to a cool stream on a hot summer's day.

Skiing is a vehicle that helps me reattach to the mountains. X-C skiing in a park just doesn't cut it. Being quite incompetent at team sports, it was a suprise to find an athletic venue that I learned readily and enjoyed.

I gravitate towards quiet sports and activities. Every skier skis a different line, has a different agenda. That's cool. As fast as I may ski, I'm not an adrenylin junkie. I ski slow, fast, I stop and gomer, take pics and explore. Sometimes I just sit and suck it all in.

It ain't checkers. It gets you up and out, when others grumble about being "locked inside." I see a forest, a mountain, a village, that very few people get a chance to see or experience.

At a point, about 10 years ago, skiing got "boring." That really scared me. The one leisure activity that I was passionate about was flickering. Since skiing for me is much more than strapping on boards, I needed to fix that. Like a good marriage counselor, I stepped out and began stretching to new venues - racing, touring, exploring smaller areas, trifectas, chasing storms, put a stop-limit order on skiing the same area, same trails.

As long as the good Lord lets me keep my body in ship-shape, I intend ski the remaining days of my life.

 

[SIKSKIER]

This is a COOL thread

Skiing is cool cuz I ski and I say it is.Great post WBM.I'm sure I know who you are from your years at Cannon.

And I love this statement from Billski which hits home with this Bill-ski:

"Every skier skis a different line, has a different agenda. That's cool. As fast as I may ski, I'm not an adrenylin junkie. I ski slow, fast, I stop and gomer, take pics and explore. Sometimes I just sit and suck it all in."

Boy does that sound like me!

 

[marcski]

Skiing has been very very good to me. (of course you must say that in Garret Morris' version of Pele!).

To be honest, I cannot remember being alive without skiing. My Dad was born and raised in Europe. He learned there and then came here in the late 40's. He skied all over New England back then, before the Interstate Highways were around. He started my brother, who is 4 years my senior, when I was probably just about born. He started me even earlier at about 3. My mom never really took to skiing, so my Dad ended up taking my bro and myself without her most of the time.

We skied at Magic back in the early 70's and then we had passes at Berkshire East in the late 70's-early 80's. Then by the mid-80's I was off to college, not too far from Southern Vermont. Then for the about the 10 years following college a group of 7 of us rented a place between Mt. Snow and Stratton. Now those were the years. Wow. I spent a few of them in grad school...skiing a lot...student season's passes at Mt. Snow..back in the ASC years was a joke. We'd ski all over too...K-mart, the Bush, MRG, Magic, Stratton, Bromley. Crazy fun, single after college years...

Then, that house slowly morphed into a few years of renting a condo with a few other couples....me with my now wife and some other friends. I started to ski more with the wife, less with my buddies...and had to wait a lot on the snow for the wife, who enjoys skiing, but is more of a fair-weather skier and doesn't really like to ski challenging terrain with me. I also had some old cynderblock race boots at the time which were killing my feet....so I took up snowboard for about 3 years. Caught on quite quickly...as I was getting in a good number of days. By the end of the first year, I was already boarding faster than the wife. I pretty much boarded exclusively for the next 2 years. Then I splurged and bought a pair of nice Nordica's with custom footbeds and haven't been on the board again since.

Then....we started to have my girls, who are now 7 and 3.5. So, we stopped renting up in Vt. as the drivetime to skitime ratio would be hard to deal with esp when so young. So, I got a season's pass at Catamount for a year or two as its pretty close to me, an easy day trip and the pass is quite economical.

Then Mt. Peter for myself and my oldest...where I started her skiing at 3. This is now her 4th season in total and our 2nd season back at Catamount with passes. She has only taken a couple of lessons and been in "snowcamps" a few times. Otherwise, she skis with me. I cannot tell you, how much fun I have skiing and spending time with my girls' on the mountain teaching them. I still get away for a week and then some days alone and with the guys, but there is nothing that beats skiing and riding the lifts with my girls. She is quite good but there are and of course always will better skiers her age out there. But what I can tell you that makes me so happy, is that she totally has the ski bug. She loves it like myself! She knows the trails better than I do at Catamount. Like when I was a kid, This season is the baby's first on real skis...I have her with a harness and leash. It takes work..but she is really enjoying it and totally wants to go again. She's going to like it because she wants to do whatever her big sister does!

Taking the time to ski with and teach my girls how to ski has been some of the best things I remember in life! I am looking forward to skiing with my 2 ski bunny's for years and yeard to come..I can only wish when they are in their 20's and beyond I am healthy enough that they will still want to ski with me, like some of your children. My Dad also got ill when I was in my later years in HS and has since died. So, skiing with my girls...also has brought back a lot of warm and great memories of me at their ages with my Dad.

That's my ski story and I'm sticking to it! (sorry for the ramble!)

 

[Marc]

Skiing is definitely not about family for me. No one else in my family skis.

I started in college about ten years ago, bought my own gear, taught myself, earned my own way. Eventually I even made my own ski friends. Well, a couple of them.

I felt a little bit of the pioneering spirit branching off from the activities others in my family pursued. It's the same spirit and interest that lead to the natural progression of touring and backcountry.

Since then I have begun to understand how skiing is an activity that is a borderline art form in that it combines skill that needs development with some natural ability and chance to express ones self.

Aggressive skiers tend to be aggressive in other areas in life. Laid back people go with the flow, ski the mountain and find good lines. Crazy people huck cliffs. The antelopes go long distances and the mountain goats like going up under their own power. The more adventerous of us go exploring beyond where others have been. Often a single person is a combination of some or all of the above.

Skiing your line down (or up) a given slope is very much akin to a painter dragging his brush across a canvas, an actor expressing his character's emotion, or a musician interpreting a carefully crafted sonata. When I watch another skier, it's like observing a watercolor... or listening to a guitar solo- I can tell right away if I can relate to this person and can infer other things about who he is.

The social among us seek ski areas in which they can recreate in the company of strangers. The less social strike out into the backcountry alone or in small groups with tight bonds, and are probably like minded.

Skiing is an extension and application of our personalities. I like it in that regard because once you're practiced and have chosen your 'canvas,' you perform in real time, adapt as you must, and is therefore very honest and very hard to hide your true colors.







... and I also like the ski bunnies. And beer.

 

[campgottagopee]

Why cool???

View attachment 3203

 

[Trekchick]

This is a great thread....
I like jaywbigred's reply but will make a lame attempt at adding my own two cents.

I've typed a long response a couple times but each time it seems sappy and stupid.
I'll simplify by saying, I'm great friends with Severine because we shared a ski trip together.
We first met at the Airport on our Journey to Abasin, stayed together, skied together and shared a lot of our deepest passions and fears in one short weekend.

I've shared this sport with family, friends and most importantly, my soul mate.

Skiing feeds my heart and soul while it challenges my thinking.

Skiing is mosdef the coolest thing going!

 

[2knees]

So...I started skiing when I was 18. My then-boyfriend bought me a used set-up for Christmas. His aunt's never-used stuff...leather boots, beartrap bindings. Got me set up in lesson the first week in January. Lifty told me he'd let me on that day, but never come back with those bindings! On the way home from Loon we stopped and bought boots and bindings. My "boyfriend" loaned me the money...I remember the boots were $65.

Anyway...we got married...never stopped skiing. My first baby was born January 8, 1981. 6 weeks later that baby was in the nursery at Loon and I was back on the mountain. "Nursery" is a bit of an exaggeration. A big room with some cribs and a rocking chair. : - ) Baby number 2 came along less than a year later, and then we were dragging two to the nursery. By the time number 3 came along, the first two were in morning lessons and skiing with us in the afternoon. Number 4 went to the nursery when she was really little. After that, we would take turns sitting in the lodge (mostly Cannon at that time). We'd buy 3 tickets for the 4 oldest of us and swap it around. Now Bretton Woods has a program specifically for that.

Coolest thing ever....they all still ski with me. "Mom, you can do it." Double black. "I can't do it." "Mom, just ski." At the bottom, "Please, Mom. No drama next time, okay?"
: - )

What made me think of this is the nice poster here, BushMogulMaster. I have watched in awe as number 2 son maneuvers through moguls. His style is fluid and graceful. Number 3 is a freestyle fanatic, but his park rat friends are amazed when they follow him all over the mountain. Both of those guys raced in high school. Number one son can't wait to get back to NH in the winter to ski with his bros. My baby girl is in college now and wouldn't leave NE. She has to ski.

Man, oh, man, but I love this sport.

lol, tell us who all the posers over here are. you know, like you posted on andyzone. come on, be an adult and post that here. :lol:

fakeboardmom.

 

[jrmagic]

Even when you ski mostly one mountain as I do, every day is a different experience, different conditions, different lines. Skiing fast, sking slow, moguls, trees, ducking ropes.... Am I skiing with the kids,family, friends alone etc. Every day out there I still find something new to learn and that is what keeps my coming back.