Skiing: Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
This is our fourth winter in Colorado, and I have yet to hit the slopes.
I ski – not well, but I do ski. I was never one of those toddlers, flying down the mountain at supersonic speeds, devoid of fear. Instead, I learned to ski as a teen, on a winter break trip to West Virginia with a friend and her family.
I’m sure the idea of learning to ski in West Virginia is laughable to Coloradans. Even more hysterical though, most of my friends learned to ski in Ohio.
I’ve skied out west once – at Mount Hood Ski Bowl in Oregon. All of my other ski junkets have been in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. We never even made it up to Vermont. I’m accustomed to skiing on ice; fresh powder remains an unrealized dream.
Skiing is expensive and inconvenient. I’ve got my own skis, boots, and poles, but they’re all more than twenty years old. Even if I got my skis waxed and sharpened, it would be logistically difficult to haul them along with three kids and suitcases up to the mountains. And honestly, since they’re practically antiques, I’d no doubt see some furtive sideways glances and giggling behind hands.
As clumsy as I am, I really do have a great time skiing – once I’m all suited up and standing in the lift line. Up until that point, it takes everything I’ve got not to chuck it all and go sit in the bar instead. Getting there is most definitely NOT half the fun.
Plus, since it takes more than an hour to get to the nearest slopes, a day trip really doesn’t make sense. With all the logistical hurdles on either end, I’d spend four hours skiing, tops. So it’s necessary to find accommodations, which tacks on another couple hundred bucks to the already eye-popping price of a lift ticket.
Therefore, even though I enjoy skiing and would love to experience what draws people to Colorado from all over the country, living in Denver doesn’t make world-class skiing any more accessible to me than it was in Dayton.
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Agreed. I love skiing but when you throw kids into the mix it’s a major hassle that can’t be avoided. It doesn’t seem worth it for a few hours downhill. The joy of being a single mom are those times you can get away without kids and just go!
http://www.singlemommindy.blogspot.com/
As a kid who grew up skiiing in the glorious Canadian Rockies and then working in the ski industry, I could not disagree more. But if I grew up skiing back East, I probably wouldn’t be skiing today. :-)
I can relate. I get cranky about the idea of skiing. But then when I’ve gotten past the pain of getting to the mountain, I realize how fun it is and how much it’s worth the effort.
And just imagine what a gift you are giving your kids. What a cool experience for them! And they will be able to be awesome skiers if you start them young. Don’t let your grumpiness about it spoil it for them. They are lucky to live here and have the access which you didn’t have.
My kids are still a little small, but I am so excited to see them try and enjoy skiing.
We have used the ski train on several occasions, and you can’t beat the relaxation of the trip. Breakfast burritos on the ride up, hot chocolate and snacks on the way down, beautiful scenery with no traffic to be seen!
Plus the train gets you closer to the lifts than the parking lot! Granted, it only goes to Winter Park, but with my limited skills, that’s plenty of variety.
I dislike skiing for all those reasons, too, and the fact that I don’t like to be cold, wet, and on my butt.
So. Let’s hang out in the lodge together and drink hot things that make us warm.
:-)
It’s because of skiing I actually began to like Colorado but couldn’t do it until the kid was expelled from my uterus. I totally understand the annoyance of bringing all the kid stuff but would lose my sanity if I didn’t have fun “me” time. We go up with one or two other couples with kids, meet in the lodge and exchange sitting so we don’t have to pay the insane daycare prices. Our ‘babysitters club’ works out great, we all get to ski and there is always someone to enjoy a beer with!
Speaking of beer, anyone free right now? haha
Before we moved here, I’d never been skiing. I tried to like it for three years…three very long years. Finally, I admitted that everyone had a better time when I wasn’t skiing, and it’s worked out for the best! :)
That being said, I want my little girl to learn how to ski. She just turned 3, so maybe next year will be the year we do that. I have no problems driving up there and chillin’ at the lodge while everyone else has “fun.”
If she comes with us, at least I’ll have someone to hang out with when she’s done with her lessons! :)