I don't understand skiing as a leisure activity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Skiing is great. It gets you to beautiful locations, is one of a very few opportunities to be outdoors in the winter, and yes, is physically tiring, which I see as a bonus. As PP mentioned, it's thrilling and invigorating in a way few others things I do as an adult are. It feels so great to come in after a long day and soak those tired muscles in a hot tub! It's also very much a family activity - one of the few things me, my teens, and DH all enjoy.

My experience is that it is a very social activity. We rent ski houses with friends, cozy up with drinks at the end of the day, and half your time is on the lift, so lots of time to talk.

Spot on. I started skiing at 40, and love it. I love the exercise, the concentration it takes, the locations, the scenery. It's very social - lunch, breaks, on the lift, apre ski, dinner. That I can't talk to anyone on a run is a bonus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Water skiing is superior to snow skiing in every metric.

Mountains and hills can vary. Snow can vary. Water is always flat. There are ramps but snow skiing still offers far more variety.

Water is not always flat - there are waves. There are white caps. There are days when the water is as still as a mill pond. When you are water skiing, you go from side to side and you can jump the wake. You can ski on two skis or you can go slalom. You can go barefoot. The boat driver can vary the speed.

I don't think you've ever been water skiing.

Nothing like breathing boat exhaust all day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At some point in your 40s/50s/60s you are probably going to find that taking a 3-4 runs up and down the mountain is all you have the appetite for, and for those 3-4 runs, you spent unjustifiable dollars.

This is the dumbest thing I've ever read. What kind of crap shape are you in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At some point in your 40s/50s/60s you are probably going to find that taking a 3-4 runs up and down the mountain is all you have the appetite for, and for those 3-4 runs, you spent unjustifiable dollars.

Speak for yourself. I am early 60's and still ski all day - aim for at least 20k vertical at a real mountain, maybe 10k feet at a local mountain. I'm sure I will slow down at some point but I'm enjoying it until then. Once we retire we plan to spend a month of winter at a ski resort - probably a different one each year. We might not ski every day, or all day, but I look forward to the experience. DH will definitely ski less than me, but it will be nice to have the flexibility. We've looked at buying a place in VT but decided we'd prefer to go to different places. Plus we already have a 2nd home so don't want to add a 3rd to the mix.

I know skiing isn't for everyone and that's fine. But it's great for our family. Our adult kids are happy to join us on ski vacations, and we go with friends as well. I find it to be a very social sport - the only time you aren't engaging with people is skiing downhill.

[Anonymous]

This is the whitest post I’ve read on DCUM and that’s saying a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people go out to eat when you can have unsalted unsweetened cold oatmeal at home? Who can know these things

Lololol

[Anonymous]

My uncle, a retired ER doctor in his 70's, moved to Colorado and still skis double blacks and moguls multiple times a week. He also works (volunteers?) as medical ski patrol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the whitest post I’ve read on DCUM and that’s saying a lot.

Too funny…because it’s too true

[Anonymous]

1. It’s not actually that physically taxing - you spend more time on a chairlift than actually skiing
2. It certainly is $$$!
3. It is cold. Which I like! I grew up in a hot humid area, and I love being outside in the snow
4. It is not convenient for most, but I happen to live in a ski town and I am one mile from the gondola.
5. You can socialize on the chairlift and when you eat. In a way, it’s much better for extended family socializing than golf - you can spend the day together but not have to talk to each other for 5 hours in a row
6. You can still ski when you are old, as evidenced by the many septuagenarians I see all the time
7. It is dangerous, probably less so than mountain biking and definitely less so than golf
8. It’s not for everyone, but we love it and it is the lifeblood of our town in terms of revenue and character.

[Anonymous]

Golf is f’ing stupid while skiing is amazing. That’s the difference.

[Anonymous]

Ugh it’s such a production. The skis, different kinds. You gotta transport them. You gotta maintain them. Then the boots and the ski wear. Then the lift tickets and the people. Not worth it at all IMO. I’m with you OP.

[Anonymous]

DH and I both grew up in NE and have differing views on skiing. I love it. I love the speed and exhilaration of speeding down a mountain. I love that crisp air and the view. I love chatting on the lift on the way up. I enjoy sitting around the fireplace in the lodge afterwards. DH just enjoys the lodge part.


Alternatively, DH loves golf. I find it horribly boring. I enjoy meeting him at the clubhouse.

Luckily we have friends they fit our interests and we do weekends away with them or weekends away all together and then just meet up later. We still live in New England so golfing and skiing is easily accessible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the whitest post I’ve read on DCUM and that’s saying a lot.

Too funny…because it’s too true

Not really, you need to get out more. ~ non white person

[Anonymous]

I grew up skiing and still love the idea of it, but what I find discouraging these days is that lessons for kids have become should much more intense and involved. When I was skiing as a kid we simply went to mountain and my parents would put both me and my brother in the ski school for a day. No advanced reservations were needed. Now, you have to sign up for six weekends of lessons in January and February for two hours at a time at so many mountains. I hate the thought of having our winter weekends all occupied by the same activity. The same goes for people who rent houses for the winter in ski country and drive the two hours there and back every weekend for two straight months. Doesn't they want to do any other activities during the winter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in New England, where a big part of the culture was going skiing on weekends/vacations. I skiied a few times throughout middle school/high school, and I didn't really enjoy it; it always felt very physically tiring, lots of exposure to the cold weather, etc, so I never really pursued it after that.

Thinking back on it as a adult, I understand the appeal as a lesiure activity even less. Coupled with the drawbacks I mentioned earlier, it's expensive (something I didn't have an appreciation for as a kid obviously), inconvenient (you have to drive several hours to get to get to a resort, depending on where you live), doesn't really lend itself that well to socializing as you can't really chat with someone while you're skiing down a mountain, and the safety/physical danger aspect.

Compare with golf (which I don't, but DH does), golfing:

- Has a lower barrier to entry (many more golf courses around vs ski mountains)
- Lends itself well to socalizing
- Less physically taxing (my guess is that many more 70 year olds are able to golf vs go skiing)

One of the strangest posts I've read here in a long time--and that's saying something!
I love to golf--warm weather, lots of options, lots of friends groups
Skiing--being cold. Nope