If they only knew.....

[Endlessseason]

Ever chuckle to yourself and wonder what your spouse, sister, brother, roommate, grandma, co-workers, would think or say if they really knew (or better yet actually saw) you ski?

[Below Zero]

Ever chuckle to yourself and wonder what your spouse, sister, brother, roommate, grandma, co-workers, would think or say if they really knew (or better yet actually saw) you ski?

Not sure what you are trying to imply.

[Endlessseason]

Well....since I haven't seen you ski I'm not implying anything. Just posting a thought.

The question came to my mind the other day as ColdSmoke and I were lapping North Chute. In the middle of one lap I stopped at the choke, turned around, looked up, and watched him hop-turning towards me in this steep, narrow chute. I had to laugh because as he was leaving his place last week one of his roomies asked him why the heck he likes skiing so much. The roomie said he used to ski but got bored with it. He didn't understand why ColdSmoke thought it was so great.

I wondered what he'd think if he actually saw him in North Chute.

[Z]

If my mother actually saw how I ski, she would sieze up. No joke.

I competed this year and she still doesn't know what I was doing.

"What, like skiing through the trees? With gates?"

Sure.

[bio-smear]

Ever chuckle to yourself and wonder what your spouse, sister, brother, roommate, grandma, co-workers, would think or say if they really knew (or better yet actually saw) you ski?

They'd probably shit and have a new reason to worry about me all the time. Probably scarier to think about though is the exposed multi-pitch climbs I have done in my life, or the rough weather I have flown airplanes in. Stuff like that just can't be comprehended by lowlanders. Actually, sometimes at night those visions haunt me and I cry a little.

[MTT]

The satisfaction you derive from your skiing has to be personal. It’s cool to talk about and show off in front of Comrades (Like minded skiers) but the general public would never understand. As for non skiing family and friends? Best that they just don't know.

Ever chuckle to yourself and wonder what your spouse, sister, brother, roommate, grandma, co-workers, would think or say if they really knew (or better yet actually saw) you ski?

[LIP]

They'd probably shit and have a new reason to worry about me all the time.

Werd!!! My mom wouldn't even let me on the chairlift my first few days of skiing when I was 5 because it scared her so much. If she saw where I actually love to ski........................

[brutah]

I have always wondered that myself, but it's not what they would think if they saw me ski but what they would think if they understood what it felt like to ski down an untracked run with deep snow.

My extended family all lives on the east coast and none of them ski. And they just don't understand what skiing means to me, like when I tell them that I will never move away from mountains and the sacrafices I have made to continue to ski as much as possible baffles them and I always just think "if you only knew..."

Of course I was watching an old warren miller flick with my uncle and he thought the guys were crazy for skiing some wide open 35 degree pitch couloir and he asked me if I 'would' ever ski something like that and I just looked at him and "I'd ski that switch and take it to the road." The bewildered look across his face was priceless, he had no idea what I was talking about nor did he believe that I could ski the couloirs that were being shown.

[brutah]

The satisfaction you derive from your skiing has to be personal. It’s cool to talk about and show off in front of Comrades (Like minded skiers) but the general public would never understand. As for non skiing family and friends? Best that they just don't know.

Couldn't have put it better myself

[Lone Star]

"he's spent this much time skiing and he still beaters like that???"

It's delicate, balancing enthusiasm and the want to share with your family, vs. scaring them by telling them too much. I do think that when most of the non skiers picture us skiing, it's pretty far from what we might picture or describe.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

If my mother actually saw how I ski, she would sieze up. No joke.

I competed this year and she still doesn't know what I was doing.

"What, like skiing through the trees? With gates?"

Sure.

hah...yeah, I can't bring myself to show photos of hospital air to my mom & dad. I just told them I jumped off a pretty big cliff.

My friend works for Intel and and the photos I send him are a regular "agenda item" at the end of their weekly group meetings.

[kidwoo]

"he's spent this much time skiing and he still beaters like that???"

Haha that's the best.

My girlfriend used to give me that when I rode a bunch of park stuff....."Why do you keep getting hurt? You've been doing this forever, I'd think you'd be good at it by now"

Then she actually saw what that entailed. It quickly changed to "that's just stupid".

[fez]

my mom came to my first freestyle 'competition' when i was 7. i was trying a helicopter, ended up doing a lawndart to hard pack.

i was out of freestyle and racing the next weekend.

when i was 15 she saw some video of my first downhill and tried to make me quit racing too.

[MTT]

Mt family is just bery happy that I'm not into street bike s anymore

I am doing somthing safe and clean now

My friend works for Intel and and the photos I send him are a regular "agenda item" at the end of their weekly group meetings

Funny you mention that. I used to hold a fairly important position with a company. My sking caused quite a bit of angst with the higher ups. They acualy tried to forbid me from taking a ski trip to Utah one time. Well I did end up getting FIRED!

[snowsprite]

I'm not a fraction of the skier that 99% of you are...but I still think that if these folks checked me out they'd be like "Hey! I didn't know you could do that. Cool!" and some of them I think I could even talk into trying it.

But not my mom. Not that she's chicken or anything, but she's 80 yrs old and she'll be the 1st to tell ya that it's not a good age to transition into the sport.

Sprite

[MTT]

I'm not a fraction of the skier that 99% of you are...but I still think that if these folks checked me out they'd be like "Hey! I didn't know you could do that. Cool!" and some of them I think I could even talk into trying it.

Sprite

I can relate with this more. When we talk about our skiing, I don't hang it out there like some of these guys. My skiing is safe and tame in comparison.

[Tippster]

I ski WITH my wife. My parents gave up on me years ago when I bought my first motorcycle.

[StroupSkier]

I know what they would think. That is why I do not share my ski vids or pics with to many people.

I have been chastized at work a couple times for my skiing.

It kind of sucks living in NC though, because I can't really share my passion with the people here as the response is usually negative.

For the most part now, people know I ski, ask how the skiing was and I say great. They don't understand why I fly 4-5 hours west and spend a boatload of money to ski in Colorado and Utah when I can drive 3 hours to Sugar or Wintergreen.

The second question I usually get is "You don't ski where they don't groom, do you?". With the "do you" highly emphasized to mean my answer to them should be "no".

[DJMingus]

some classic stuff in this thread...

On the rare occasion that the subject of skiing comes up with my Dad it always becomes apparent that he still doesn't believe that a person has much, if any, control over the skis. He really thinks its some sheer madness where you just hurtle down with minimal control.

wait - maybe he has seen me ski.

[kush1]

My dad says, "THATS FUCKING AWSOME"

My mom says, "you are giving my gray hair"

AKA sometimes doesn't watch and calls me retarded when I fall of large things..........

[StaggerLee]

Skiing is actually a pretty boring spectator sport, especially to anyone who doesn't ski.

Bullet, it wasn't boring to the hoards of gapers that were watching you launch yourself off of Balls repeatedly a few weekends ago;-) My family is used to it. I have always been a risk taker. They worry more about the things that are out of my control, specifically avalanche...I guess I dulled their senses in the 90's with footage from my many climbing adventures. They really liked the footage from the Nose.

[skiaholik]

My mom says, "you are giving my gray hair"

That's pretty much spot on with my mom only add "I don't wanna know. Just be careful."

She's seen all of our Jackson videos and all the other clips we've thrown together and while being proud of it all she would rather let herself believe im just crusin on the groomers and not risking sending the health insurance premiums through the roof.

[yogachik]

I often think about it - I'd love my parents to see me ride. But then I think of the logistics - I mean, what are they going to do, sit at the Main Lodge and watch me come down the last 50 yards of Broadway? Plus the fact that they both hate the cold and snow.

Bullet - that's funny, you made me laugh with that Cornice thing.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Showed my folks the TR from Vail Pass two weeks ago and here's what I got.

Mom's version:

Thanks for all of the emails of your ski pictures and movies. I shared them with my co-workers and think you are nuts!

I like the pink ski pants....what cool shots of you skiiing...be still my heart...it scares the crap out of me to know what you do! But, I still enjoy seeing it all......PLEASE keep sending them......BE SAFE!!!!!!!

Love, Mom



Dad's version:

You just saved me a lot of money. I am canceling my subscription to outside magazine and instead just read your emails. great pics. and like a lot of snow. You had more snow that one day then we have had this winter . They only thing we beat you in is gloomy cloudy days.. Right now it is 31 degrees, cloudy with 25-30 out of the northwest. .

[wanghoeby]

Whenever I show a picture/video to my kids, they always ask "why didn't you just....."

Usually that's followed by pointing to a cliff jump, or a turn I should have made, or making too many turns.

My wife.....I won't show her anything. If it's a powder shot she just says it looks like any one of a dozen ski photos she's seen. If it's a cliff drop she says I'm never going skiing again or that I'm stupid for doing it.

People at work don't understand. I had one co-worker say about his wife: "She's a great skier. She skis with her legs perfectly together".

Thank god for this forum.