How is skiing enjoyable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Custom fit boots and proper skis and private lessons and beautiful Alps scenery and outstanding apres ski and heated dry gloves each morning, etc etc, all help.

I love it when we’re at a beautiful lodge in the Alps and DH and the kids head off to ski.

🤢

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Skiing is for two kinds of people:

1) People who grow up in snowy areas where skiing is really common and the barriers to entry for the sport basically don't exist. If you grow up in Vermont or Canada or certain places out West, you learn to ski as a kid on used equipment that was free or very cheap, on some little hill near town where all the kids learn. You get good quickly and by the time you're buying season passes and your own equipment, you know what you're doing and the investment is worth it because you will be able to go frequently and make the most of it. And you can do it even more cheaply if you want -- take a part time job at a resort for free passes, get your gear through friends for free or on the cheap.

2) Rich people who have the time and money to become competent at a hobby that requires them to spend thousands of dollars literally every time they go.

That's it! If you live in the DMV and don't already know how to ski, it will never make sense to learn because it will just take so much time and effort, and for what? Unless the bragging rights of your weekends at Breckenridge or whatever are worth it to you, there are lots of other really fun hobbies you could take up that make more sense for someone living in this area. Hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. You are under no obligation to become a skier around here, so don't!

I’m #1 but grew up in Milwaukee and learned to ski at a ski hill that was literally a former landfill, supplemented by a couple of long weekends to the UP every year.

I am also from WI, and everyone but me knew how to ski from a young age. There are actually some pretty decent places to ski.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skiing is for two kinds of people:

1) People who grow up in snowy areas where skiing is really common and the barriers to entry for the sport basically don't exist. If you grow up in Vermont or Canada or certain places out West, you learn to ski as a kid on used equipment that was free or very cheap, on some little hill near town where all the kids learn. You get good quickly and by the time you're buying season passes and your own equipment, you know what you're doing and the investment is worth it because you will be able to go frequently and make the most of it. And you can do it even more cheaply if you want -- take a part time job at a resort for free passes, get your gear through friends for free or on the cheap.

2) Rich people who have the time and money to become competent at a hobby that requires them to spend thousands of dollars literally every time they go.

That's it! If you live in the DMV and don't already know how to ski, it will never make sense to learn because it will just take so much time and effort, and for what? Unless the bragging rights of your weekends at Breckenridge or whatever are worth it to you, there are lots of other really fun hobbies you could take up that make more sense for someone living in this area. Hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. You are under no obligation to become a skier around here, so don't!

lac
#1 for me, and downhill skiied enough as a kid to know I don't like it! I have learned to like cross country skiing as an adult though, which I hated as a child. Getting outside and learning to enjoy winter weather is important in cold weather climates, but there are other ways to do it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skiing is for two kinds of people:

1) People who grow up in snowy areas where skiing is really common and the barriers to entry for the sport basically don't exist. If you grow up in Vermont or Canada or certain places out West, you learn to ski as a kid on used equipment that was free or very cheap, on some little hill near town where all the kids learn. You get good quickly and by the time you're buying season passes and your own equipment, you know what you're doing and the investment is worth it because you will be able to go frequently and make the most of it. And you can do it even more cheaply if you want -- take a part time job at a resort for free passes, get your gear through friends for free or on the cheap.

2) Rich people who have the time and money to become competent at a hobby that requires them to spend thousands of dollars literally every time they go.

That's it! If you live in the DMV and don't already know how to ski, it will never make sense to learn because it will just take so much time and effort, and for what? Unless the bragging rights of your weekends at Breckenridge or whatever are worth it to you, there are lots of other really fun hobbies you could take up that make more sense for someone living in this area. Hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. You are under no obligation to become a skier around here, so don't!

Flag this post for consideration for post of the year.

Nailed it.

[Anonymous]

I ski every weekend, 30+ days/year. We have a house in the mountains (out west) and everything to make it as easy as possible. My boots fit great, I have skis for any snow conditions, and I’m a naturally warm person. I can ski anything in North America that’s inbounds with the exception of 2 runs that I refuse to touch ever.

And I will confess here and nowhere else: I do not find skiing enjoyable.

I go along with it because I’m good at it and it’s something I did with family, and then friends, and now family again. But the whole thing is an ordeal and kind of pointless. I’m secretly happy when the power goes out and the lifts can’t run or when the road closes because of avalanche danger and we have to stay in town. Shhhh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skiing is for two kinds of people:

1) People who grow up in snowy areas where skiing is really common and the barriers to entry for the sport basically don't exist. If you grow up in Vermont or Canada or certain places out West, you learn to ski as a kid on used equipment that was free or very cheap, on some little hill near town where all the kids learn. You get good quickly and by the time you're buying season passes and your own equipment, you know what you're doing and the investment is worth it because you will be able to go frequently and make the most of it. And you can do it even more cheaply if you want -- take a part time job at a resort for free passes, get your gear through friends for free or on the cheap.

2) Rich people who have the time and money to become competent at a hobby that requires them to spend thousands of dollars literally every time they go.

That's it! If you live in the DMV and don't already know how to ski, it will never make sense to learn because it will just take so much time and effort, and for what? Unless the bragging rights of your weekends at Breckenridge or whatever are worth it to you, there are lots of other really fun hobbies you could take up that make more sense for someone living in this area. Hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. You are under no obligation to become a skier around here, so don't!

Yep. Grew up in Canada. Started skiing at the age of 5 at a hill with a tow lift and three runs - the easy side one, the fat middle one, and the mogul run. Think lift tickets were 10 bucks. Boots were always second hand. Because we outgrew them every year. The dude would always adjust the bindings for nothing for little ski rats. Skied every weekend. We became the 12 year old terrors on the hill. Building jumps. Testing who could do what.

It was great.

That's not a thing in this area.

It's a rich man's leisure activity.

Very different vibe from the happy imbeciles who eventually became lift operators

[Anonymous]

I skied once in my 20s and hated it. I was terrified and it hurt. Neither my husband nor I grew up skiing so we don’t take our kids. It’s crazy expensive and we don’t really have it in our budget.

[Anonymous]

Use short skis and snow plow down the beginners slopes to start to learn. Carefully get that side to side on ski edges movement.
Ignore the ski snobs. You are there to have fun, not to impress anyone especially those attention jerks.
Stiff drinks in ski lodge next to raging fireplace afterwards!

[Anonymous]

I love skiing. It is one of my favorite activities. My husband loves it even more and we put our kid in ski school out west when he was 2.5. He is now almost 7 and cannot get enough. He is good enough now that he can ski most of the runs that we do. (Black diamond mogul runs)We take 2 trips out west every year and spend many weekends at Timberline. We have Ikon passes and Timberline passes.

We are people who like the cold. I love being active in the winter. I’m an outdoor exerciser year round. I prefer 25F to 90+F.

All that said, skiing isn’t for everyone. It is expensive and prices keep rising. If you have trouble with the cold, it can be really unpleasant.

[Anonymous]

Skiing is hard and dangerous. Frankly, a lot of people I see on the mountain have no business being there, and a lot of them look miserable and scared.

I recently watched someone completely out of control crash in to the ski racks outside of a lodge. They were lucky they didn’t hurt themselves or someone else. They should have had their lift ticket taken away.

It’s also shocking how many people think doing an extreme sport while high or drunk is a smart thing to do.

Skiing is fun if you’re in control. If you’re not, you shouldn’t be skiing.

[Anonymous]

It coats me about $75 each time I go for a day pass. I have my own skies which I've had for 30 plus years. It's not that expensive.

[Anonymous]

I learn to ski in college in PA. I like ski vacations.
In college, and later, living in Europe, it was a fun thing to do group of friends. The scenery is beautiful, we get some exercise, and have fun with friends and loved the apres ski environment.
We take the kids on a ski vacation every year out west. Some people enjoy beach vacations, I get bored at the beach.

[Anonymous]

I like cross country skiing. It helps that where I'm from, you just get out of the house and start skiing. There's always snow in the winter. It's not a production, it's a way of life.
The CC equipment is light and no helmet. Imagine being in the forest with all the snow and peace and quiet. You can go with friends and your dogs. There's usually classical and freestyle options.
It's like hiking with friends. Good whole body exercise too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I skied once as a teen and hated it. Went again this past break and just the boots and skis alone felt like torture: my feet hurt so bad in them, the skis were so long my balance was off. I ended up crying and giving up. Why are boots so heavy and the skis that ridiculously awkward or is there an issue with me for finding this all so incredibly hard to manage?

I think the ski industry has it wrong - they need to make rental fleets of those old rear entry boots or a new inexpensive and comfortable boot for beginners. I ski 30-50 days a year and I refuse to spend a day in uncomfortable boots.

The ski industry is fixated on the “performance” quality of a tight fitting boot when the average skier who skis less than a week a year doesn’t need to be slaloming down the run like Lindsay vonn. They need a comfortable, easy entry and exit, lighter weight boot that is not torture to walk or stand in. And if it’s too flexible and loose for advanced skiers, who cares.

Here’s a clip of my favorite learning how to ski documentary - bbc 80’s glory. Called “on the piste” if you want to look it up yourself.

https://youtu.be/i97boGmsrPQ?si=TN4Q0tDaEepxmGMr

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I skied once as a teen and hated it. Went again this past break and just the boots and skis alone felt like torture: my feet hurt so bad in them, the skis were so long my balance was off. I ended up crying and giving up. Why are boots so heavy and the skis that ridiculously awkward or is there an issue with me for finding this all so incredibly hard to manage?

This is a dumb question. You could also say: why do people like running? Why do people like biking? Different strokes for different folks.