Home > Still Traveling > Archives > 2006 > October > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USA slippery slope
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a hopeless failure (big scaredy cat) when it comes to skiing. I want to like skiing, but it just isn’t happening. If you read my article on taking ski school lessons in Vail, Colo., you’ll know that I have given skiing a chance — a couple of chances — but came away totally traumatized. LIttle kids zoom past me. Octogenarians leave me in a cloud of snow. I just can’t let go and DO IT.
A reader emailed me: “To quote the late, great Lewis Grizzard — ‘I don’t believe I’d told that’.”
Well, here’s another quote: Confession is good for the soul. I’m a two-time ski-school dropout. Not proud of it, but that’s the way it is. Why I thought at my advanced age I’d be able to embrace something I hated 30+ years ago, I don’t know. But the whole ski scene thing looks so appealing. In the future, if I ever find myself at a ski resort, I’ll sleep in and gather with the apres ski crowd late afternoon.
So, does anybody else out there feel like I do about skiing? Or if you love skiing, please tell me how you overcame your fear (if you ever had any). All I can say is, I hope it snows in Atlanta this winter so I can wear all those duds I bought for Vail.
Share your foibles and/or triumphs on the slopes with us!
Comments
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By Terje
October 19, 2006 1:53 PM | Link to this
Forget trying to learn how to ski…. you need to hop on a snowboard. Seriously, the learning curve is much shorter. I’ve been riding for 14 years and don’t plan on skiing anytime soon. All of the snowboarders that I meet that are former skiers swear that they’ll never go back to their “2 plank” days.
By Mark
October 19, 2006 2:37 PM | Link to this
My only regret about skiing is I discovered late (relatively, I am 44) in life about 5 years ago. I cannot think of a better sport that connects you with nature and provides one of the ultimate sports; one that involves every muscle in your body. It is dangerous though, I broke a thumb, a friend broke his collarbone and my wife got HAPE (a lung condition that requires immediate removal from the altitude). But every year I go and have the time of my life. My wife does not go anymore, but I take my kids on one trip (some of the best quality time a parent can have) and I go with my buddies once a year as well. Do not wait - GO SNOW SKI !! Colorado and Tahoe are the best !
By Tim
October 19, 2006 3:22 PM | Link to this
I put skis on my feet for the first time at age 46. I learned to ski at Copper Mountain, Colorado. The ski school was a wonderful experience and within two days of instruction I was on my own and even traversed the mountain. So please don’t give it up because skiing/snowboarding is a great activity enjoyed in beautiful surroundings.
By Love the boards
October 19, 2006 5:03 PM | Link to this
I was fortunate that my parents took me to Snowmass, CO when I was 9 and signed me up for half day lessons for a week. I had no fear. bunny slope? Straight down. Easy slope? (Green) Straight down. Intermediate? (Blue) straight down. Expert? (Black) straight down.
Well after crashing in the mogul fields I finally decided that turning and control were maybe not such a bad thing. The lessons gave me the basics, but how I really learned was by watching others and saying to myself “I can do that” and then immitated them.
Im now 38 and was actually in Snowmass in March. I had a new pair of Parabolic skis that performed flawlessly and I loved it. I’ll always love it and I’ll ski until I’m no longer able. It is the best high to be at 11,000 feet, breathing in the clean air and taking in the breathtaking beauty. I highly recommend it.
By SouthernSugar
October 19, 2006 5:03 PM | Link to this
I grew up during the era of the “Wide World of Sports” show on the weekend. I lived for the episodes that featured downhill skiing. In my early teens, my sister took me on an Atlanta Ski Club trip to Sugar Mtn & that was all it took…I had discovered my first true love. Many years later, I’d still rather go skiing than just about anything else. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to learn….I’m still working on my husband. A lifelong athelete, skiing is the one “sport” that did not come naturally to him. As for snowboarding, I have no interest in my feet not having independent movement from one another. Plus, that crowd spends entirely too much time on their rear ends for my taste.
By J
October 19, 2006 5:06 PM | Link to this
I too am a 2 time ski school failure. I even bought my own ski boots to see if it was any better… Needless to say it’s time to put those babies on Ebay and get rid of them… I do ok until I start actually moving, then I panic and fall over… It’s just not going to happen.. I feel your pain… :)
By terje
October 19, 2006 7:42 PM | Link to this
Skiing is a mode of transportation - alpine skiing is an offshoot of this. Snowboarding is pure hedonism. You can do nothing on a snowboard but go down the mountain with a big smile on your face. Oh, and this “crowd” has saved many a dying resort from folding up and closing all together. Next time you are sharing a lift with a snowboarder, thank them for all the wonderous upgrades that the mountains have been making over the past 10 years. Cuz it wouldn’t have happened if us knuckle-draggers (are our $) didn’t make it to the resorts.
By Paula
October 20, 2006 1:19 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad there are folks out there who at an advanced (ahem) age will go out and try skiing. But I’m afraid I’m with J. The idea sounds good, but once I get moving, I freak and fall. As for snowboarding…well, you still have to go down the mountain, right? A big smile on my face, terje? I don’t know about that. Sheer terror would be more like it!