Alright. We’ve seen the graphs. The unfortunate Open Snow updates. The headlines about record breaking snowpack levels in Colorado. We get it: it’s a low-tide season. Plenty of us have been holding out hope for the season to turn around. But so far this season, it’s felt like refreshing the forecast turns into disappearing snow totals. Coinciding with a disappearing good mood for the day.
People who don’t ski probably wonder why we’re on edge and jonesing for the first sign of a couple inches right now. “Sorry, I can’t come to lunch. It looks like it might, maybe, could snow three inches tomorrow.” It’s just a hobby after all. Right?
But, it’s not just a hobby. Being a skier is a part of my identity. I fell back in love with the sport during a haphazard decision to take a seasonal job in a mountain town. Skiing every day, progressing my skills, and sharing laughs in the gondola with new friends changed the way I oriented my life.
I choose my car, my clothing, the food I buy, the budget I use, the credit cards I open, all with skiing at the center. Will I have enough in the budget for ski trips? Does this credit card have a points system that serves my ski travel? Can these Uncrustable snacks fit in my ski jacket? I know I’m not the only one out there that does.
It’s okay to feel bitter
When you spend so much time orienting your life around one thing, logic follows that you’ll be distraught when things don’t go to plan. I know friends who finally have recovered from injuries, finished out busy years with kids or grad school and were psyched to get after it this season. And now, this.
I don’t know if I can say I fully feel like me this year. I’m scattered. A little more melancholy. My local touring zones require a hike in on dirt roads. I’m not seeing all my friends up at the ski hill as often as I’d like, and when I do, there’s not the same joy brimming from ear to ear. My home hill has my favorite terrain roped off. I recognize those ropes might never drop this year. Every day I ski the same trails, feeling like deja vu as we go around and around and around…
Rumors of resort employees getting hours cut and furloughs make you wonder about the sustainability of the industry. Not to mention what the snowpack will mean for the river guiding world this summer.
And of course, it’s hard to not consider the environmental impacts of this snowpack. Our reservoirs are drooping, fears over our upcoming wildfire season are legitimate, and it feels like yet another confrontation with the real impacts of climate change on the ski industry. A lot here adds up to feeling powerless. Even if it doesn’t solve these issues we’re facing more and more, there has to be something we can do to move forward and keep the joy alive.
So, what’s a gal like me to do? What’s the antidote?
We’re still skiers, and skiers will ski
The answer is simple. Just go skiing. I feel like we should be able to find a bit of joy, even in a funky year. You’re still outside, moving the body. Maybe this is the season to work on something new. I’ve never been a freestyler, but this year I’m trying (just a little).
I’ve put the detective hat back on. It turns out, scarcity breeds creativity. Where’s the best snow? What new link-ups and cool lines can I take through this bump line? How many rocks can I hit on this run? Is it possible to hit zero? Can I find the terminal limit to the edge angle this ski can handle? Is there such a thing as over carving? Let’s find out.
Suddenly, I’m watching wind patterns. Carefully observing where the wind is depositing snow (or, where the wind has scoured the surface). My mind focuses on the temperature changes and sun exposure’s effect on snow quality. I have to say, I’m having fun looking at the mountain in a different way. I feel curious about skiing in a way that I haven’t since I first started chasing my new friends down the steeps.
Threading the perfect line through rocky obstacles, or nailing a nose butter for the first time satisfies the hunger. Spinning my attitude to enjoy the hunt for micro conditions has led to the joy I’m looking for when I go skiing. It’s just a different flavor.
Manifest a good atmosphere (literally and figuratively)
We are extraordinarily lucky to get to spend any amount of time on the slopes. Nobody guarantees you good conditions or certain terrain. Sure, you could say it sucks compared to creamy powder turns and bluebird days on ridges. But the reality is, skiing is still there whether the powder is or not.
It could just be me, but I need some positivity around here. Turning one of the great joys and privileges we have in life into a chore or something to complain about won’t make it better. It can’t change the weather. It might even bleed into your normal life.
The only thing in our power is to tweak that perspective. If you have good energy and are psyched to be making turns, the people around you will follow suit. Instead of another “what a bummer of a year” on the chairlift, maybe spin that to a “hope you find some good snow today!”.
Of course, some days you won’t feel it. Some days, it makes more sense to take out the bike or brush off the trail runners, or even sit on the deck for hours at a time, rather than ski bell-to-bell. And that’s okay. Even if being a skier is a core part of my identity, it doesn’t have to consume it. Whatever skiing does for you—the adrenaline rush, the joy, the freedom—can be found in other places, too.
At this point, the forecast looks more Riviera Maya than Rocky Mountains. Maybe it will dump in April and/or May. Or maybe not. Maybe this barren winter is over.
Whatever happens, I’m thankful for the turns I made and the people I made them with. Some skiing will always be better than no skiing.
And for all our East Coasters: You deserved a great winter. Hope it was fun.
