Skiing - do you love it, loath it or simply not interested?

Skiing - where do you stand?


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sazzaa

Guest
Never really done skiing but I've been on boarding holidays every winter for about the past five years and go up the local hills when they have snow. Before i tried boarding i hated snow, and cold weather, with a passion.. Now i love it. It's not just about spending the day wrecking yourself on a hill, it's about spending time with your mates surrounded by spectacular views, stopping at pubs along the way, ending up shitfaced on local booze dancing on tables to some old dude with a dog and an accordion..
 

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
Never really done skiing but I've been on boarding holidays every winter for about the past five years and go up the local hills when they have snow. Before i tried boarding i hated snow, and cold weather, with a passion.. Now i love it. It's not just about spending the day wrecking yourself on a hill, it's about spending time with your mates surrounded by spectacular views, stopping at pubs along the way, ending up s***faced on local booze dancing on tables to some old dude with a dog and an accordion..
How's the snow now? I lived in Dundee for a year and, whilst i met a great bunch of climbing folk, they hated anything to do with sliding down 'out of control' on snow/ice.
 

sazzaa

Guest
How's the snow now? I lived in Dundee for a year and, whilst i met a great bunch of climbing folk, they hated anything to do with sliding down 'out of control' on snow/ice.
Not good enough snow to warrant the journey at the moment, a shame as we've had a great few winters.. Fingers crossed for the next few months being good..
 

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
I hope it'll be good too. For you and me, and those that like it too. Three hours drive from here/Oslo it's 90/120cm thick. I've got free acco! You up for it!!
Edit: You'd have to be cool with baby-sitting in the evening, i'm told
 
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sazzaa

Guest
I hope it'll be good too. For you and me, and those that like it too. Three hours drive from here/Oslo it's 90/120cm thick. I've got free acco! You up for it!!
Norway is on my list of places to visit but the beer prices put me off a bit! Heading to Tignes in a few weeks though, can't wait :-)
 

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
Sounds cool. I've only been to the Alps during the summer for a bit of climbing. And the ski-lifts come in handy.

Yep, Norway is expensive. But, it's low key and not as busy as the Alps. There are ways round the high prices. It doesn't take much alcohol to get wasted after an afternoon on the slopes.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Really? I can think of a few indoor sports that are much more fun.

Wrong! Youth, sunshine, fantastic snow and Kim Wilde on my Sony WalkMan cassette player and an empty Col de Mines. Beats sex. No contest.

I had snooker and darts in mind......

:dry:
 

swansonj

Guru
In trying to explain to my skiing wife why I love cycling but dislike skiing, I have developed the following theory. Cycling is about connectedness to the planet. We cover the ground under our own efforts, connected to it through each uphill and downhill, each change from headwind to tailwind. We see the scenery changing around us as, through our own efforts, we move ourselves through it, and because we are directly within the environment, uncuckooned by glass and unsupported by the mental cushion of a fallback of recourse to motive power, we savour it all the more. We see the horizons, and we know that, even if we're just doing our boring commute to work, in principle we could decide to head for any one of those horizons with nothing to limit what we might discover there. Where we go is our choice both for the next hundred yards and thirty miles down the road. We are (reasonably) self sufficient in a natural world, not dependent on any mechanical aids other than what we carry with us, but not so invulnerable as to be immune from an awareness of what's around us, needing to adapt our behaviours to weather, ground conditions, potholes, etc; synergy with the environment, not imposing ourselves on the environment. We will meet up hills and downhills and we'll adapt ourselves naturally to both under our own resources and take pleasure in both. When we are greeted by the view at the top we know in our bones we are not just looking at it, we have earned ourselves an authentic part of the viewing experience. We have an acute sense of perspective of the world and our place in it because we know exactly what personal effort it takes to experience that world. We know that, even if we have lashed out silly money on upmarket kit, we would get the same essential pleasure from a cheapo BSO and a pair of tattered trainers, and even if we've paid to cycle in exotic foreign parts, we'd get the same essential pleasure starting from our front door. And when we eat cake, we know we've earned it.

Skiing, as practised as a holiday pursuit, is, in pretty well every respect, the exact opposite.

Qualifications: cross-country skiing is closer to cycling than downhill. And if your cycling pleasure is built round sportifs, carbon bling, GPS, team-branded Lycra, strava and PBs, sag wagons, and throw-away inner tubes, your cycling will be more akin to skiing than mine is!
 
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