The problem with platitudes is that they’re vague.
Skiinghascommunities, and skiing sometimesgivespeople the feeling of freedom.
Sure, this definition isnt wrong.
Whenever I go out for a ski thats all I really do.
I click in, ride a chairlift or tour, and then slide back down.
If Im feeling particularly crazy Ill go jump off something, or throw a trick in the mix.
These activities can be filed into the leisure category.
So, perhaps Merriam-Webster is right.
This discussion can end here.
Or, maybe, their definition has the opposite problem of the aforementioned platitudes.
The inflexibility of Merriam-Websters definition is particularly salient when you look into the past.
Skiing wasnt always an art, or sport that people did for fun.
In its infancy, it provided a method of winter transportation for hunters in ancient China and medieval Finland.
To these grizzled people, skiing was a way to get around.
You could guess that they probably saw skis in the same way we see a train or mid-sized sedan.
Darwin probably accounted for those folks before they could alter that path of history.
The sport slowly took off, and by 1936 downhill skiing was an official Olympic sport.
And, to use an entirely overplayed stock phrase, the rest is history.
The more practical applications of skiing linger.
Militaries still have alpine units.
Yet, in the popular imagination, skiings fun.
You do it on vacation.
Or you spend your whole work week thinking about getting turns in.
The more obsessed of us spend their lives dedicated to this past time.
The exceptionally talented members of this cadre treat skiing like an occupation.
Their existence once again complicates the definition of skiing.
By example, pro skiers demonstrate to young up and comers that skiing is a way to make it.
If you work hard then skiing might be one of the ways that you pay your bills.
This knowledge has taught many skiers a lot of hard lessons.
Luck is always a part of the equation when pursuing a career in skiing.
Without natural talent youre stuck.
Some people have it, and others dont.
Thats not to mention the curveballs life is always ready to throw.
Injuries, financial troubles, and other fun surprises can send even the most talented skiers to the sidelines.
Fun seems to find a way to bleed into the other categories.
Similarly, its obvious that many people who are professional skiers still love the sport.
This rough outline of the ways that we ski leaves something out, though.
Skiing has a deeply personal component, too.
For each individual, these moments can answerwhat the hell is skiingbetter than anything else.
And they dont need much of an explanation.
I knew what skiing was when I podiumed at a regional freeride comp in high school.
I knew what skiing was while making night-time hot laps at Skibowl in a blizzard with my best friends.
I knew what skiing was when I laid into a groomer turn on a pair of freshly sharpened skis.
I knew what skiing was while I watched my friend’s ski podium runs.
I knew what skiing was when I landed a trick for the first time.
I knew what skiing was when I got a late-April sleeper pow day in at Whistler.
Do any of these sound familiar?
If you have some moments of your own that helped you define skiing, drop them below.
