Only a skier can understand a skier and what the lifestyle really is. A summer lovin' tank top wearin bleach blonde friend of mine asks me, "Why do you ski and why the hell do you love winter so much more than any other season?" Its hard to say what I really thought right on the spot so I said, "You'll have to indulge yourself in the life of a skier for a good week and you'll understand." But what I really wanted to say was something more in depth, something that would have her realize what skiing really is to a true skier. So as days passed, I thought of the perfect way to describe what skiing means and what it feels like to hop on some skis while snow falls before you. Here it goes...
Skiing just isn't a sport, its a lifestyle. Its how we talk, dress, think, strategize, and live our daily lives. Our skis aren't just a cut out piece of wood, its a handcrafted piece of artwork made from bamboo, poplar, fiberglass and carbon fiber. Our jackets don't just keep us warm, they prevent water or snow from coming in but still let our hard working sweat out. Clicking into the binding is more than just putting a ski on, its stepping into another universe. When snow falls, the world becomes our playground. Pipes of metal in the ground become rails. A jump becomes something that lets us launch off and fly. A 360 isn't just a spin, it's the world doing a full rotation around you. When we fall, bail or crash it doesn't mean we failed, it means we just learned what not to do. Music isn't just the song we listen to, its a motivator. A drop off a cliff isn't a fall, it's a leap of faith onto deep powder. Every move we make makes us a little stronger. There is no right or wrong. We can be as creative as we want with what we do and how we do it. As we grow, the sport its self grows. There are no limits when it comes to skiing. Anything is possible. This generation is the game changer. Everything from this point on is in our hands. The sky isn't the limit now, its everything else in between. We are skiing.
So as I show this to my friend, I only hope she will understand a little bit where I'm coming from. Words obviously can't describe exactly what its like to pop into a pair of skis and glide into some fresh snowfall. The life of a skier is different and hard to grasp ahold of for others. But we love skiing for what it is and what it will become. We love it because we can express ourselves through our spins, grabs, flips and how we hit a rail. Its something old and something new. When you say "I ski" it means more than that to you. Skiing is our life and winter is our playful world.
:)
and who can forget about this
