Do you ski?

[Pete from Boston]

Do you ski or ride?  I do the latter, and bring it up because it occurs to me that part of the fun for me is regular excuses to take road trips during what is usually shut-in season.

The past few weeks' snow being so plentiful and fluffy, I've been getting very close with my old friend Route 2, and getting some good time-lapse viewing of the Crosby's Corner project.

I have abundant places to stay in Central Vermont, but really would like to get up to Sunday River in Maine, simply because it's in an out-of-the-way location I don't often have an excuse to drive to.

[bandit957]

Because of my health problems, I am physically unable to. But I never thought of attempting it anyway.

I also can no longer ride horseback, and hang gliding is out too.

[roadman]

I skied for exactly one day in Feburary of 1990, during a family outing at Attitash in New Hampshire.  Took a lesson in the morning, and spent the afternoon doing runs on the main slope of the mountain.

I admit I had a lot of fun that day, but I decided shortly afterwards that I didn't need another high-priced hobby (I'm a model railroader and ham radio operator).

[Pete from Boston]

It's expensive.  I had to slowly build my investment to the point where it's now relatively cheap per visit (own gear, season pass, many trips).  Cheap gas helps.

I don't deal well with the general lack of physical movement in winter, so this makes me a much happier person.  That helps justify the cost. 

[Molandfreak]

I do, both downhill and cross country. I also snowboard sometimes, but not nearly as much.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

I haven't, in at least 8 years.  Not exactly by choice.  5 of the last 8, I lived in Alabama, and I haven't gotten around to going lately when I do visit NH.

[1995hoo]

I like to ski, but it's been a few years since I've gone, due partly to the cost (I do own my own equipment, so that helps), partly to the distance involved, and partly to my wife no longer being interested. She used to like to ski, but the last time we went to Seven Springs, some kid on a snowboard jumped off a mogul despite seeing her below him. His snowboard hit her square in the back between the shoulders and he then tried to blame her for being in his way (never mind the universal rule that the uphill skier/rider is obligated to look out for people below). It's probably a good thing I was further down the slope at the time because I would have retaliated rather violently given his attitude. Thankfully, she wasn't really hurt, but she lost interest in skiing after that.

[kurumi]

Downhill, occasionally. Would like to do more often, but 1) it's a big commitment in time and money and 2) it's only fun if you can get a bunch of friends along (and work around everyone's schedule). Playing ice hockey really helped me pick it up quickly, and I rule the green slopes, but have not progressed further.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I went a few times when I was younger but never went back. Hopefully one day I can learn again.

[Pete from Boston]

Playing ice hockey really helped me pick it up quickly, and I rule the green slopes, but have not progressed further.

They say that being able to skate is a good precursor to learning to ski.  Going several times in quick succession really helps with improvement. 

I had an alright time picking up skiing when I was a teenager, but when I went to go with a bunch of former-skateboarder folks in my 20s once, they were all going to try snowboarding so I did as well. 

Pissed me off all damn day.

I vowed to figure it out, which led to several progressively less frustrating days and once I got it, I never went back to skiing (except for a very little bit of cross country).  Been riding ever since.

[hm insulators]

Are you kidding? Too darn cold!

[PHLBOS]

Downhill, no; cross-country, yes.  Though I haven't done such since 1994-95; at Valley Forge Park.

[Takumi]

No, because I'm not into things that involve snow.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I like to ski.  I don't go as frequently as I'd like as Ontario doesn't really have many big hills, but its definitely an enjoyable way to get outside in the winter.

[Pete from Boston]

Are you kidding? Too darn cold!

At anything above 25° or so, you're going to be sweating if you're doing it right.  Cross-country especially. 

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I'd like to do alpine (i.e. downhill) skiing, but I don't have money.

At anything above 25° or so, you're going to be sweating if you're doing it right.  Cross-country especially. 

25º is too warm for snow! 25ºC (75ºF) is well above the freezing point, but knowing the part of internet I am, I assume it's 25ºF, and it translates to -4ºC (Below freezing, which is set at exactly zero in the Celsius scale).

[Pete from Boston]

I'd like to do alpine (i.e. downhill) skiing, but I don't have money.

At anything above 25° or so, you're going to be sweating if you're doing it right.  Cross-country especially. 

25º is too warm for snow! 25ºC (75ºF) is well above the freezing point, but knowing the part of internet I am, I assume it's 25ºF, and it translates to -4ºC (Below freezing, which is set at exactly zero in the Celsius scale).

It was 0° at the summit the last time I was out, with a -25° wind chill.  Do those work OK in °C as well as °F? 

[adventurernumber1]

My parents have taken me (and my only brother) skiing for vacation almost every year of my life. I'd say I'm a very good skier (at least for my age) after all that experience, and it is super fun. Places to ski I've gone the most are various resorts in Colorado and Utah, and ski resorts in Snowshoe, WV (unincorporated) and Gatlinburg, TN. It is indeed a pretty expensive thing to do, skiing is, but I will say it is indeed very fun. Since it's so expensive, hopefully when I'm an adult I'll be able to drive across the country to the Rockies then hit the slopes at least occasionally, but definitely not as many times as during my more lucky childhood (as in a free ski trip for me every year) 

[Jim]

I'd say I qualify as an expert skier.  I can get down pretty much anything comfortably as long as there's enough snow on it.  I am a ski instructor on Saturday mornings at the local mountain, so I can ski there for free any time, and can usually get a nice discount (sometimes even free) at other places.  Getting out to ski regularly sure makes living in the north during winter a whole lot more enjoyable.  You can always tell the skiers from everyone else when the weather is the way it's been here in the northeast for the last several weeks.  The snow has been of downright western quality!

I do understand the comments here about it being too expensive.  That's how I feel about golf.  I know I'd enjoy it, but I have never done it because I don't need to get hooked on an expensive sport that takes so much time.  My summers are busy enough without it.

[Duke87]

Skiing is a strange foreign activity to me. I've never done it, and no one in my family does it.

[signalman]

I've never skied.  I can't imagine I'd be very good at it or enjoy it all that much.  I have terrible coordination and I really don't like the cold.  I tried snowboarding once as a teenager and failed miserably at it.  Since then, I haven't returned to the mountains in the winter.  Instead, I say fuck you cold and snow.

[riiga]

Did it a few times when I was younger, mostly downhill. It's quite fun, but requires good skiing weather (lots of snow) for the slopes here. Else, going 500 km (one-way) in a day just to get a decent downhill skiing experience isn't that inviting.

[jeffandnicole]

I have skied twice: One in college and one time with an organization.  Always had a great desire to go, but after doing it twice, I'll be just as happy never to do it again.

[Dr Frankenstein]

I'm a former ski instructor turned ski journalist and I go skiing an average of 25 times per season, from early November to mid-May. I'm at 20 so far, so I'm easily headed to 30+ this season. The time spent on the road to go skiing is one of the things that turned me into a roadgeek.

(By the way, if anyone headed to a ski resort in Quebec, Eastern Ontario, Northern NY or Northern New England, let me know. And I don't mind teaching, either. And no, there is no such thing as being unable to ski. It's like skating or biking. Only the learning curve is different. Ask my girlfriend.)

I'd like to do alpine (i.e. downhill) skiing, but I don't have money.

At anything above 25° or so, you're going to be sweating if you're doing it right.  Cross-country especially. 

25º is too warm for snow! 25ºC (75ºF) is well above the freezing point, but knowing the part of internet I am, I assume it's 25ºF, and it translates to -4ºC (Below freezing, which is set at exactly zero in the Celsius scale).

My record skiing temperature is 27ºC. I was in T-shirt and shorts. Yes, that was on snow.

[Pete from Boston]

I'm a former ski instructor turned ski journalist and I go skiing an average of 25 times per season, from early November to mid-May. I'm at 20 so far, so I'm easily headed to 30+ this season. The time spent on the road to go skiing is one of the things that turned me into a roadgeek.

(By the way, if anyone headed to a ski resort in Quebec, Eastern Ontario, Northern NY or Northern New England, let me know. And I don't mind teaching, either. And no, there is no such thing as being unable to ski. It's like skating or biking. Only the learning curve is different. Ask my girlfriend.)

I'd like to do alpine (i.e. downhill) skiing, but I don't have money.

At anything above 25° or so, you're going to be sweating if you're doing it right.  Cross-country especially. 

25º is too warm for snow! 25ºC (75ºF) is well above the freezing point, but knowing the part of internet I am, I assume it's 25ºF, and it translates to -4ºC (Below freezing, which is set at exactly zero in the Celsius scale).

My record skiing temperature is 27ºC. I was in T-shirt and shorts. Yes, that was on snow.

Completely agree about the excuse-to-drive part.

What's your recommendation for southern QC mountains?  I am a high blue/low black snowboarder, for what that's worth.