There is a definite upside to being a quitter, no question.
Did the same myself. We went in grade 7 or 8, something like that, and I was shown the ropes on the bunny slope… then immediately taken halfway up the hill. No chance to practice at all! So of course I freaked out, ended up under a tree (luckily I didn’t actually hit it but it was close) and at that point said enough and walked the rest of the way down the hill.
To the derision and sarcastic comments of the other kids on the seats going up of course.
So I just haven’t gone back. No opportunities to go skiing for me anyway and I never really felt the urge. Same reason I don’t rollerblade or skateboard. Maybe now that I’ve stopped growing I could handle it better (I was really clumsy and couldn’t adjust easily) but I just don’t want to.
Cross-country on the other hand I really miss. It’s easy to get lost in the rhythm and enjoy the scenery of where you are, but I haven’t been able to go in a long time (mostly because where there is decent cross-country I can’t get to without a lot of trouble and expense on my part as I don’t drive).
I used to ski, but a few years back I wrenched my knee pretty badly at Snowbird in UT. Now it hurts too much to be enjoyable.
Add to that the cost of a lift ticket, the generally lousy skiing in the east (now that I’ve been spoiled by wonderful western snow) and other hobbies that have replaced skiing, and I’m not really interested in a return to the slopes.
I love to ski - my dad’s had me out on the slopes since I was three years old I used to be a lot better at it, but then I broke my ankle skiing and I’ve gotten that ‘fear’ response down now. However, I’ve managed to lose some of that, and get back a lot of my skill. I just wish I could go more often than I’m able to now. My husband’s never been, so I’m trying to get him to one of the slopes around here for a day.
(BTW, going down a slope in one of those sleds when you’re hurt? Coolest. Thing. Ever.)
E.
I’ll definately second the suggestion of getting lessons from the get go. There’s little intuitive about skiing and you could be a danger to yourself and others without the proper skills. Even once you’re accomplished, lessons are important to keep your fundamentals honed as well as to keep you from plateauing out skill wise.
But my goodness it can be a marvelous sport. Beautiful scenery, excellent excercise, thrill of acomplishment, endlessly varied resorts and terrain.
I’ve been skiing precisely twice, both on trips sponsored by Dweezil’s Boy Scout troop. See, there’s this one dad who is a very avid skier, the sort who will grab his kids out of school one or two days of the year to ski, and who knows how to get group rates at a bunch of difference places. Typo Knig referred to our two jaunts in his posting above.
Surprisingly, there were no injuries either time. The worst thing that happened was when one kid got his coat stolen (left it in the restroom, went back 10 minutes later and it was gone). What helped us was, I think, the fact that none of the ZappaKnig clan knows enough to get cocky, and we also have enough sense to work with the professionals, lesson-wise.
I’ll never be one of those “forget school, let’s hit the slopes” type. But I can see how some people get addicted. Me, not so much… when I get moving more than two furlongs-per-fortnight I have to resort to zenlike chanting of “oshitoshitoshit” to quell my terror 
Oh, and Dung Beetle, if you do go again, read the signs carefully. One of the Scouts on last year’s trip wanted to go down one of the more challenging “easy” slopes. But, well, he went the wrong way off the ski lift, or got off at the wrong spot, or something, and was seen travelling down a “black” slope which was rather beyond his capabilities. OOPS! He actually managed OK but I think he found it a much for his skill level.
My parents too us skiing when we were kids. My mom fell down, hurt her shoulder, and never put on skis again. My sister and I picked it up on our own, in college. I went fitfully, throught my undergrad and first graduate years, finally achieving intermediate status on the ice-covered slopes in the East.
Then I moved to Utah. In my first winter there I shied more than I had in the rest of my life put together. It was close by (no multi-hour drives) and cheap ($5 a day midweek in Big Cottonwood Canyon!), and I bought a complete package – skis, boots, and poles – from another grad student going back to Brazil (which has no snow) for $40. I skied a lot over the next few years, wearing out the skis, repairing them, and wearing them out again. I cvame back East and bought new stuff, and endured 1-3 hour drives to ski New England.
I still do this, but I haven’t been able to persuade Pepper Mill to try, so I’ve been skiing on my own for years. She figures she’s too old now to learn to drive something with no brakes. My daughter hasn’t been interested either, but this year she’s shown a twinge of interest. I’m hoping to get her on the slopes yet.
And THIS is why I refuse to ski on green runs.
Some people think that ice, and mogles and a 40 degree slope are scary and dangerous. Hells no - it’s people who have no idea what they’re doing that are dangerous.
I love skiing.
I used to race when I was younger, which was a lot of fun, and then I moved on to freestyle skiing. I love the bumps, I spend all my time there and I have the sh!tty knees to prove it. When I was 7, I took a series of lessons, which I found very helpful which moved me from the bunny slopes right to the double black diamonds. If that is an option, I highly recommend it. When I was in high school I’d go a few places every year, mostly Quebec and Vermont. Killington is a fun place, and I went during a week when it was dead. Best week ever. I got more skiing done that week than any other trip. I must say, Jay Peak is pretty nice too, and it used to get tons of snow (might still…haven’t been in a while).
Unfortunately, the ski trips over the last few years have been few and far between, which is quite a shame as I find it incredibly relaxing and there are very few things in my life where I am truly relaxed. When I get my career on track, my ski trips will be back on track as well. I can’t wait.
Good point. That’s how I broke my ankle - the guy in front of me who was apparently a new skier, lost his ski directly off the lift to the intermediate slopes, and couldn’t maneuver himself to get it out of my way before I skied over it, caught my own ski, and broke my ankle (I had nowhere else I could go to avoid it, and couldn’t stop in time).
One of my cousin’s girlfriends thought it was hysterical that she’d never skied before and was going down icy advanced runs. Well, yeah, it’s great if you don’t kill yourself, but I imagine the more competent skiers were getting incredibly pissed at how she snowplowed down the run and nearly caused several accidents.
E.
Western skiing is primo, but East Coast slopes can be an iffy place to learn. Eastern mountains can turn to ice in the snap of a finger. Suddenly your novice breaking techniques aren’t enough to keep you from rocketing down the mountain. The rookie who is so-so in the morning can turn into a tree stain by afternoon. That’s why taking a few lessons from a certified pro is a smart investment.
The most counterintuitive things about skiing for me were learning to lean forward from the ankles and to be okay with fear.
I taught myself to ski at 15 - a week long camp experience. The first couple of days were pretty bad, but I soon outstripped the learner slopes and was on the other runs. After a few other week and weekend trips over the next couple of years I was a confident skier, capable of all but the most extreme runs on the mountain (Whakapapa, NZ).
I took the family back for a late season day trip a few years back - we all had lessons and it was ok, but the snow was slushy because it was spring.
So last year, I said to everyone - lets go skiing for Christmas. And they said yes. So we booked in at Les Houches, near Chamonix in France. And waited for the snow as christmas got closer (Europe has had a miserable winter as far as snow is concerned). We got there, and we could ski. Everyone had lessons - I was in an intermediate class, my wife and son were beginner skiers, and my daughter a beginner snowboarder.
And we all had a good time, even with only a bit of snow. The weather was great, sunny and warm during the day (which wrecked the snow by the end of the week). And after 20 odd years I still pretty much had it all there. Balance and control, just not enough fitness (and I go to the gym, play football twice a week, just carry too much weight).
We had some minor injuries - My daughter hurt her knees a bit, and her wrists - I should have insisted on wristguards. I have loose shoulder joints, and popped my left shoulder out and in when I fell, it was painful (I do this regularly) but ok as we often skied without poles, and my son (a clumsy mid-teen) split his own lip picking up his skis.
My wife had two days, decided to quit. Then, after a days rest, decided to go back, and really got it together. She wanted to go back. Then she slipped on some ice on a sightseeing trip up in the Alps and broke her wrist. :smack: But it wasn’t a skiing injury.
I’m taking them back. We aim to be fitter, and better prepared. And we will do it when there is more and better snow. I love skiing. 
Si
I started when I was 9. I was terribly frustrated the first time, but got the hang of it. I skiied regularly (a few times a month in the winter with a week in VT) up until college. I skiied a few times out in Colorado - Winter Park, Vail, Telluride - and did a bunch of backcountry skiing. When I came back east I think I skiied in 1992 or 3 then didn’t ski again until last year. I plan on skiing a couple times in the next few weeks if I don’t get immediately hired. I’m going to do that before sinking a load of cash into a new set of skis. Last year was good. After a couple of runs I got the mojo back, although I tired pretty early. I noticed a lot more people wearing helmets. I didn’t have any good ski gloves so I wore my motorcycle gloves. They were fantastic. Backcountry skiing in CO was really nice - get above treeline a little, just the wind blowing, maybe it’s snowing, carve some turns. Often I’d just sit there and enjoy the peace and quiet.
I do not. I am unlikely to too, at my age. My knees already hurt and I’m a big man. It seems like a recipe for disaster.
As my username suggests, I telemark ski for the most part, probably 50% on lifts and 50% in the backcountry. I started downhill skiing when I was 5 and switched to backcountry/tele about 20 years ago. I also do some cross country at times.
It’s certainly easier to learn as a kid, but I know several folks who learned as adults and enjoy the sport. Several have become expert skiers, so it is possible.
Take real lessons, don’t try to learn from family or friends! Once you have the basics, then you can ski more with F&F, but most folks have no idea how to teach skiing. Use real instructors.
This is why it’s all worth it. 
I grew up in upstate NY.
Our family never went to any of the local ski hills.
I never went skiing with our good friends who took trips to Vermont and Maine.
I was not a member of the high school ski club.
During college (Buffalo NY, not great hills but lots of snow) I didn’t belong to the ski club either, and I didn’t take skiing for gym like some of my friends did.
I was 22-23 years old, first job out of school. I was/am not particularly athletic or coordinated (indeed, I was/am somewhat of a klutz). I was/am not an adrenaline junkie.
But some people I worked with said “We are going skiing. Want to come?”
I think on that first trip (Waterville Valley NH) of about 6-8 people I was the only rank beginner. I took a lesson that was just me and one other guy. At the end of the lesson the instructor took us down a beginner hill, and I made it down relatively unscathed.
I was hooked.
I went on other trips with the same group of people, to the mountains local to Boston, gradually improving my skiing. Then a few years later I went on a radio station sponsored trip to Crested Butte CO. At one point in the week I met a cute young lady who was an unbelievably good skiier. We will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary in May.
Our 7 year old son is in his fourth season on skis. His school runs a ski club one afternoon a week to a local hill and he is probably one of the better kids his age.
After all this time I still don’t consider myself an expert skiier, maybe a high intermediate. Over time you accumulate a lot of gear which really helps your enjoyment of the sport: skis that suit your style of skiing and boots that actually fit. You also acquire all the right clothes, I can mix and match my stuff to ski comfortably in a huge range of conditions (although being a big baby I don’t usually go when it is really cold).
My only regret is I didn’t start much younger. I missed a lot of fun, and I would be a much better skier now.
I saw some dude in my neighborhood - suburbia - holding one ski in his hand, the other ski on his foot, crawling on the sidewalk. He didn’t look hurt at all just very very careful.
I admit I laughed to myself and said “That’s why I don’t ski.”
A decade back – 17th in the world – Super-G – telemark.
Sometimes when I open it up on the hill, I feel as if I will explode off the end of a turn and continue to soar into space in an outward freefall, a melange of dance, brute force, relaxation and exhilaration.
I ski. Very, very well.
Been doing it for many years. I am a free-style skier by nature. Moguls are my speciality. When I was in high-school, I raced on the team. Did Slalom and Giant Slalom. Finished fairly high, despite being a free-style skier and alway seeded nearly last. See, I never crashed. Always finished, despite the ruts and ice. Always scored points.
Raced in college, too. What a joke. It was all about who had the most expensive gear.
Ski all the time now that I’m “retired”. As long as there is snow. Not much this year, all rocks and man-made ice. Pretty weak. Pretty much stick to the Face of Heavenly when alone and the upper runs with my little boy.
Multi-Millions (really) of verticle feet of bumps and my knees are as fresh as when I was 18. Only now, my form and equipment are better. And the chair runs faster. I used to get 5 runs down the face per hour (9 up, 6 down) as a 17 yr old. Now, at over 40, I get 6 runs per hour! (the fast guys do 7-8) And I can legally drink beer afterword!
Skiing is the bomb. Come visit. I’ll take you!
Hang in there dude. I blew out my knees about 16 years ago playing ultimate frisbee and I felt that it was time to stop skiing. I sucked at it anyhow. About 10 years ago I got a very rare invitation to my sister’s cabin in Tahoe. Parabolic skis had came about and I managed to make a few runs without major mishap.
About 3 years ago, I elected to go on my friend’s trip to Alta. It’s a charming old school lodge with a mountain that has some of the most awesome powder on the planet. I promptly broke my collarbone on the third run of the day after about 15 minutes on the mountain.
A friend of a friend was there who was a realtor in Park City. At the time, condos there were a ton cheaper than those in California. I went out there and got one.
Bad knees and fragile clavicles made me scared of skiing. Nevertheless, last year, I went ahead and took a snowboard lesson. My teacher was thoroughly disgusted with me. I remember her saying, “Jesus, it’s too bad that you’ve deteriorated so much on that last run. I was thinking you were getting better.”. Ouch!
Yeah, well, I could sort of make it down the bunny slope. I’ve kept on trying. The thing about snowboarding is that it seems easier on the knees. IMHO, you are much less likely to twist a knee due to the inherent mechanics of snowboarding. I went another 3 or 4 days without notable improvement.
This summer I went out and bought a snowboard. My boots are marvelous and comfortable.
Thus, I just tried boarding again last Sunday. First run, a minor crash and burn and tweaked knee. This sucks for an old fart with bad knees. Fortunately, on the bunny slope, there are tons of lame ass people. This makes you feel better about yourself. Amazingly enough, I improved to the point where I could turn in either direction and scrub off speed if necessary (still the bunny slope).
The sun had gone down below the mountain on the last run of the day. I’ve got to take the main highway back down to the lodge. Everyone is flying down the hill. The snow has turned to ice and there is a handicapped bridge crossing the hill with some rather disconcerting steel pylons.
So, I cruise down trying to scrub speed on ice which is grooved like a freeway going straight down. I crash and burn about 10 times. I feel like I’ve insulted Russell Crowe and it’s ended badly. Next time, it’s bat out of hell straight down!
But, I’ve made it back and have survived. I’ll be back!