Skiing is my most favorite winter-time activity. I consider myself more of a beach goer and summer person rather than snow and winter person; however, when each winter rolls around and I find myself flanked by cold I immediately see a silver lining when a ski trip has been planned. Turns out, I embarked on such a trip this past weekend.
Skiing is quite different now that I live on the East Coast. Growing up out West I was accustomed to traveling to Lake Tahoe or Park City Utah or even the local LA mountains of Big Bear and Arrowhead in California. The climate is dry, the mountains are large with expansive ski resorts and usually the snow there is bountiful. I know I seem bias, and that's because I am, but out East the options are more limited with some of the best East Coast skiing featured in Vermont where it is usually colder and much wetter resulting in icier conditions.
In search of the slopes, we made the trek from South Carolina up to Vermont, passing through no fewer than 5 states in 4 days to make the journey. But it was all worth it. That said, I thought it would be a relevant time to go through some of the things I love most about skiing as well as a few points I find utterly perplexing about the cold weathered sport.
1. The Attire:
Ski boots are uncomfortable. I think most people would agree. What surprises me is why hasn't someone come up with a better option? Snowboarders practically get to wear tennis shoes while skiers are doomed to wear boots that look like they belong part of a Star Wars Storm Troopers costume. And how about all those layers? I usually feel like some rendition of the Michelin Man when fully equipped for the sport.
2. The Ski Lifts:
First let me say I'm glad there is such an invention so I don't have to shimmy up the hill on foot with all that heavy gear in tow. That said, some lifts are much better than others. This weekend I was nearly knocked flat on my face as I was waiting for a lift. It swung around so fast I was lucky to have quick reflexes to grab the bar and hoist myself up before the chair continued up the mountain. It was going with or without me on it.
Then there was the time when I was young and was on a ski lift with my Mother. Her fanny pack (it was a functional piece at the time) got stuck on the lift and to my horror I watched as she failed to exit the lift, instead swinging around, clinging to the bar and trying to get the fanny pack unstuck, at which point she had no choice but to ride the chair back down. (Dont worry, she wasn't hurt which made this for a fantastically hillarious story for years to come).
3. The Lodge:
This past weekend we were skiing with a group of 12. This group was at all levels so naturally we would split up and go on our separate runs to meet back at the summit Lodge at a given time. Each time I entered the lodge it was impossibly crowded with no seats open. Of course this meant retorting to "lodge manners" where we would promptly stare at a table that looked like it was almost finished, only to pounce once they started grabbing their gloves and hats in preparation to return to the mountain. It seems that all dining norms change when you're on a ski slope and what's more is I think everyone feels like a different person since you can't really tell who people are and what they normally look like with so much gear on.
4. Moguls:
Maybe it's because the Winter Olympics are currently taking place, or maybe it's just my inner desire to be an expert skier, or maybe it's that I think I'm a much better skier than I am... I'll go with the latter. We went on several runs this trip that were markedly more difficult with the addition of moguls. Moguls are those treacherous mounds of snow that undoubtedly will give you a great skiing workout with the result being a sore back, tight knees and sore legs immediately following. Naturally, this is appealing to me so we went on a few of those runs. I tried my hardest to picture how Lindsey Vonn takes on the slopes... come on, Rachel, try to do it like she does. Needless to say I have no idea what I looked like but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Lindsey Vonn - especially when I happened to loose my footing resulting in a rapid slide down the mountain turtle shell style for a few hundred yards...
5. The Beautiful Scenery:
Now that I've laid out my qualms, which I'd like to note are also the details that have me already looking forward to next years ski trip... There is one undeniably universal thing that is wonderful about skiing, and that is the scenery. Whether your on the East Coast or the West Coast or perhaps even in another country, skiing is I believe a therapeutic exercise not matched by many activities. I love the quiet surroundings where many times the only sound is the swish and movement of snow passing underneath skis. The evergreen trees that surround you while skiing is a constant reminder of nature's quiet and constant beauty. The trees are present in their natural climate no matter how cold, icy, stormy or miserable it gets on the mountain. The views from the top of the mountain are like looking at a real life snow globe except it gives you the opportunity to see miles of terrain you can only view from the top.
Despite some of the uncomfortable and funny rituals we all partake in when we want to go skiing; it will remain one of my favorite sports to do in some of my least favorite weather conditions. Back from our weekend trip, I just finished packing up our layers of coats and winter wear and tucking them away in the closet. But I'm already anticipating when winter again presents itself next year, and hopefully, there will be a ski trip to look forward to.
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