Skiing doesn’t make me happy

weastcoat

weastcoat

Active member
Bit of a dilemma I’ve faced in the past few years. Used to feel untouchable anytime I had planks under my feet. Used to forget every single problem I had. No clue why but this isn’t the case anymore. I often find myself irritable and In a shitty mood on the hill, especially as of late. Luckily this doesn’t affect my treatment of other people too much, Im still nice to everybody and try not to scream at the gapers when they snake my line, rather respectfully tell em at the bottom hey dude please don’t do that again. But…

there’s something about this shit. Just something about it. Almost as if it’s a drug at this point. Because anytime I don’t have it, I feel shitty. Summers are painful. Mid winter nights where I’m not able to ski because of school or whatever leave me feeling edgy and irritable. But goddammit when I’m on that hill, whether that be with a tight knit group of homies, or solo laps, great happy mood, or shitty, irritable mood……

shit just feels different. Not always happy, not always euphoric, but always satisfied; Content. There’s no place I would rather be.

Maybe it’s not a bad thing that I don’t feel the same anymore while skiing, maybe it is. What I’m glad about though, is my love for this game has never decreased. Ever. Ironically, it strengthens every day. I’m nearing 20 years of age, and I find myself skiing in the rain more than I did when I was 14. Having more fun than I did before. Bitching less about the park than I did before. Having more fun than I did the last time.

so yeah, maybe this game, these people, aren’t the cure-all for my life. Maybe it’s a drug, maybe it’s a true love, maybe it’s both

So maybe skiing doesn’t make me happy. There’s no doubt in my mind that I love every ounce of it with every cell in my body. And for that reason, I’ll be damned if it doesn’t come close to it.
 
Damn someone finally put it into words.

I don’t get the same joy that I once did but I’m still out there 7 days a week, an addiction is the best way to describe it honestly.
 
It sucks but maybe leave it for a bit, or try out new styles and adding new creativity to kind of change up what you've been doing for so long. I love to look at what a guy like Mageu and his completly unique style and possibly adopt some of his shit.
 
14368442:skiiiiit said:
It sucks but maybe leave it for a bit, or try out new styles and adding new creativity to kind of change up what you've been doing for so long. I love to look at what a guy like Mageu and his completly unique style and possibly adopt some of his shit.
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This is something I feel I get better at every time I ski. Developing a unique style and getting out of the box with trick/line choices. Also doing a variety of tricks in my bag to keep the rust away as well as getting at least slightly outside of my comfort zone each time I ski.

I get what you mean though. I feel super creative and motivated when I take Monday and tuesday off and get back out there to ski again on Wednesday night.
 
Maybe skiing isn’t the source of happiness, but instead a way to express your inner happiness that comes from being an overall happy person?
 
basically skiing isn’t a perfect happiness generator, if you’re depressed off the hill you might not exactly be euphoric on the hill
 
14368460:asparagus said:
basically skiing isn’t a perfect happiness generator, if you’re depressed off the hill you might not exactly be euphoric on the hill
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Exactly. A bad day skiing is better than a bad day alone at the house. Skiing can't always be a 100% cure to pain but god damn it sure seems like it helps.

Idk i think a lot of us use skiing as an escape instead of a solution. A lot of these outdoor sports are a good way to temporarily find happiness but not a complete cure and I think that's good to keep in mind.
 
I think one thing that is different for me with skiing compared to 4 or 5 years ago is Instagram. There is just soooo much more content out there now.

Not that is always a bad thing, and it is great skiers are getting more recognition and exposure for their skills.

But it can be a lot sometimes, the endless scrolling of, often, very similar content.

I tried unfollowing most accounts of people I didn't actually know in real life or were businesses I really wanted to interact with etc.; but then insta rolled out reels and the every-other suggested post in your feed and that really did not help.
 
I went through a phase in my mid 20’s where I lost interest. Coincidentally it was the year I moved out to Colorado. I’ve never gone a season without skiing, but I went almost a month that year without skiing in the heart of the season.

Someone asked about your mental health / overall well-being outside of skiing, might be good to narrow it down to that.
 
14368459:asparagus said:
Maybe skiing isn’t the source of happiness, but instead a way to express your inner happiness that comes from being an overall happy person?
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Sounds like addiction to me and this is something that should be talked about more in skiing. When I quit drinking and stuff I realized I was doing lots of shit in life out of pure addiction. I got skins now and I have a whole new approach to skiing than I did before, but I had to become content with not landing that sick trick, or getting that gnarly line because that’s the shit that’ll haunt me and keep me up at night and keep me chasing the dragon. And that makes skiing not fun for me anymore, just a pure junkie never quite satisfied with each “hit”. I am still addicted and think of skiing non stop but it’s something that I am now aware of and understand how to manage these emotions a lot better now. Now at 39 years old I love being on my skis more than I ever have, I’m grateful for every fucking turn and am inspired now to ski forever more than I ever have. I hope you can also get through this, skiing is a ridiculous amazing sport we are so lucky to do.
 
I had this early last year. I pretty much stopped learning in the park and tried some other kinds of skiing. Learned how to carve(sounds dumb but actually learned how to lean into it and use my skis), hit some cliffs, skied some glades. Seemed like it sparked some more enjoyment for me
 
14368564:VT_scratch said:
perhaps there are other things going on in your life / mind... don't blame your mental state strictly on skiing
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Exactly. Shit like this brings other people down with him. Fuck that.
 
went through a similar phase a few years ago, in bozeman, montana of all places. I decided to change the medium of my skiing a bit, saved up all my money and dropped it all on a sled. I vividly remember the day when the happiness I had always sourced from skiing returned:

I decided to take a couple of my fishing buddies to this remote alpine lake. we strapped an ice auger to one side of the sled and my skis to the other and a tow rope to the back. the trail up was full of whoops (neverending bumps) and I expected my fishing buddies to be as pissed as I was about the conditions. about 2 miles into an 10 mile ride, I stopped the sled, looked behind me and saw ear-to-ear grins plastered on my buddies faces. they couldn't stop raving about the beauty of the snow-covered mountains and the solitude and the simple joy of being towed behind a sled. fast forward 8 miles, and we get to the lake. now if you've ever been towed behind a sled for any distance, you know that this is not the easiest thing on your forearms, biceps, and shoulders; thus, I expected my buddies to be pretty wiped. to my surprise, however, they tossed the tow rope aside, and threw their hands into the air and bellowed a "whooooohooooo" into the sky that echoed off the surrounding basin walls. I couldn't help but smile myself. they couldn't stop talking about how much fun that ride was and how beautiful the area was. we pulled the ice auger off the sled, set up a shelter, and took turns dropping our lines into the icy hole. after we had each caught enough fish to be content, we started a fire on the edge of the lake, cleaned a couple fish, and fried them up. now, I don't love eating fish, but i'll be damned if that wasn't one of the best meals I have ever had in the backcountry. the sun was starting to get low on the horizon, and I was ready to start the long ride back to car. while I was re-attaching the auger and tow rope to the sled, I turned around to see my buddies attaching skins to the bases of their skis. I asked why they were doing that since I was going to tow them out; they said "well we are going to ski too, now aren't we?" with the same toothy smiles on their faces. i was shocked that they still had energy left in their legs to tour up and ski down, but after digging a pit I decided, why the hell not. and so we skied. as we arrived back to the sled, my fishing buddies could not stop talking about how great the snow was and how lucky I was to get to do this whenever I wanted. we loaded up on the sled, affixed headlamps to our helmets and began the long ride back to the car. about halfway down, I looked behind me, again expecting to see exhausted grimaces on my unseasoned friends' faces. instead, my eyes were met with a scene of my smiling friends making slow turns on the edges of the trail with a beautiful reddish-pink glow on the mountain behind them. their smiles were infectious, we returned to the car at dark, loaded up the sled and all of our gear and drove home. both of them were asleep before we even got off the bumpy dirt road to the highway. I couldn't help but smile and realize that, once again, skiing made me happy and sharing skiing with my less experienced friends made me even happier.

TLDR: change up the type of skiing you do and/or share the gift of skiing with those who don't get to do it as often as you do. even if it doesn't make you happy, it might just spark that happiness in someone else:)
 
I’m not even gonna lie I’m going through the same thing rn, don’t get me wrong I love skiing but I’m fucking petrified I’m losing my love because it’s legit an identity trait and I’m choosing a college that’s partially based on skiing itself. Seems like once you get to a certain level where progression is harder you take it for granted and it’s not insanely exciting anymore. I don’t have a answer for you but I think there’s a lot of people in the same boat as you, so don’t feel like your alone in this
 
Coming from a totally different perspective.

Skied constantly from 5 to 28ish. Started traveling and stopped skiing. For long long time.

Just had my first session, carving, pulled off 12 runs before legs said no. It was both extremely satisfying ( to regain a long lost skill) and somewhat empty ( skiing alone).

If I had more coin, I'd go more often, which means when I DO get on the hill, I'm going to savor each run.

So mebbe don't look at counting laps, as much as counting moments.
 
Maybe you just gotta learn some unnat dude. I capped out a couple szns ago (or atleast I thought I did) and felt the same way. Then I learned a bunch of unnatty tricks and skiing totally changed for me. Idk if this is actually ur problem or not but it def was for me. Nothing better than rippin a sick line spinning both ways
 
14368713:BLandz said:
Maybe you just gotta learn some unnat dude. I capped out a couple szns ago (or atleast I thought I did) and felt the same way. Then I learned a bunch of unnatty tricks and skiing totally changed for me. Idk if this is actually ur problem or not but it def was for me. Nothing better than rippin a sick line spinning both ways
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Or maybe its not skiing thats at fault at all, its that ur life is shitty outside of skiing rn so its almost like ur problems are constantly there subconsciously, making skiing not feel as enjoyable
 
Screen shot from Woflozzzz HV.

These kids look happy no?

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**This post was edited on Dec 26th 2021 at 6:08:05pm
 
14368692:weastcoat said:
I live a drug free lifestyle and only drink maybe once a month with buddies
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Ah OK that's great tho man! I was gonna say I got to a point even with just smoking once a day that I was becoming very irritable when I wasn't stoned and it really took the joy out of things that once were great. I'll say if you overdo anything, it will get dull after a while. The key is variety and trying to find the little things that make you happy. If that means taking a break off from skiing, so be it. Or maybe focus on something in skiing totally different and challenging in its own respect. Best of luck to you though.
 
I’m ur homie, Ik what you go through.

as I’ve seen a million times, change of mindset, won’t happen overnight, but think about things from a new way whatever that may be.

think about why you ski other than being a nice skier, think about the people you motivate, start skiing for other reasons other than yourself maybe.

You can also start doing new shit, jump tricks, or get tech again idk. But you can try skiing differently instead of trying to be stylish.

also you can maybe think about stopping trying to ski like all your favorites, it might be dragging you down and you don’t realize it.

you’re not gonna be pro or like the biggest name , like 1% of skiers can do that, but you can be known for other things, such as being clean or your filmmaking.

idrk what I’m saying but in general change your mindset and ski for different reasons.

fake it till you make it my brotha
 
14368751:MaimHelp said:
I’m ur homie, Ik what you go through.

as I’ve seen a million times, change of mindset, won’t happen overnight, but think about things from a new way whatever that may be.

think about why you ski other than being a nice skier, think about the people you motivate, start skiing for other reasons other than yourself maybe.

You can also start doing new shit, jump tricks, or get tech again idk. But you can try skiing differently instead of trying to be stylish.

also you can maybe think about stopping trying to ski like all your favorites, it might be dragging you down and you don’t realize it.

you’re not gonna be pro or like the biggest name , like 1% of skiers can do that, but you can be known for other things, such as being clean or your filmmaking.

idrk what I’m saying but in general change your mindset and ski for different reasons.

fake it till you make it my brotha
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Hammered.
 
14368714:BLandz said:
Or maybe its not skiing thats at fault at all, its that ur life is shitty outside of skiing rn so its almost like ur problems are constantly there subconsciously, making skiing not feel as enjoyable
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Thaaaaaaaank you BLandz. My thoughts exactly.
 
go watch "Last of the Ski Bums" by Dick Barrymore... might help ya out...in the words of Ron Funk, "Slow Down, or you will miss the forest, because of the trees"

Or as Gaston Ravenpaw proclaims..."I do not climb for the excitment of being close to death, rather I climb for the difficulty of being close to life"
 
Weather hasn’t helped much this season either. Nothing but rain and warm temperatures. Looking like a change coming though.

I’m usually super stoked to ski and ski as much as possible but this year I’ve been out 3 times. Pretty hard to get into it when there’s no snow and the same parks as the beginning of the season.
 
When you hit your 20s your perspective in life starts to change and that affects how you look at things including skiing. When you are a teen a lot of your motivation is surrounded by being with your buddies and pushing each other to progress in the sport. Eventually though this natural competitiveness starts to wain as you mature and you realize that push for progression was a big factor in why you clicked into your bindings. I went through the same thing when I moved to Utah from CO in my early 20s and kind of had this attitude there like I had to try to be the best on the hill that day despite the fact I was getting older and kids around me were shredding the shit out of Snowbird.

Eventually I changed up and got a pass at Solitude instead and started skiing with my Wife and it was really fun showing her how to ski and the mountain is set up where she can cruise down the groomers off Summit Express and I could track across the ridge and play around on the cliffs and chutes. I was able to chill out and have fun and just enjoy being up on the hill and screwing around.

Im 33 now and have not been able to ski in the last few years due to kids and COVID but plan on hitting up Solitude a few times this year and am really looking forward to it. I dont even care about the conditions or anything, I just want to feel the snow and have skis on my feet again.

So in short, your priorities in life change as you get older and this has a subtle effect on everything you do. You just need to shift your perspective or take some time off to realize what you really enjoyed about the sport in the first place and not your motivations at the time. The same thing happened to me with Mountain Biking. I raced competitively in my teens and eventually got so burned out that I really had not motivation to bike a trail at all. Getting caught up in the training and competition made it so I could not enjoy just going out for fun. Eventually years later I got a beach cruiser to chill around town and it was a crazy feeling sitting on this big heavy comfy bike. It reminded me of riding bikes as a kid and just having fun and cruising around actually helped remind me that at the end of the day your motivation should just be fun and enjoyment and not driving to win.
 
14369087:CatdickBojangles said:
Weather hasn’t helped much this season either. Nothing but rain and warm temperatures. Looking like a change coming though.

I’m usually super stoked to ski and ski as much as possible but this year I’ve been out 3 times. Pretty hard to get into it when there’s no snow and the same parks as the beginning of the season.
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No joke. Colorado has been like permanent September for months now. Thank God its finally starting to get some winter weather and the mountains are getting snow.
 
Way too hard to explain skiing in a paragraph or two...but ya gotta think the larger picture. Skiing is much more than just throwing sick licks, and being the best on the Mountian (that s part of it though!). Skiing is a way of life for me, an entire culture, something to pass on to others. Skiing transcends time, and geographical boundaries, and it seems all people who have been immersed in it, instantly share something unexplainable deep down inside (doesn't matter if you are double corking, or shcusshing down a powder field to spear an elk for your village).

Ski Culture for me is a promise to live life to its fullest, to go out and have the most fun possible whenever you can, to always push your boundaries to learn something new, to enjoy the company of your companions/family to the fullest. sure you get older and have responsibilities, hardships in life, and whatever else happens, but deep down you know your are gonna send it when you have the chance, for yourself, and for all others who have slid on snow before you. Anywho, I can never translate the idea of what ski culture actually is, out of my mind properly. But whatever it is, its fuckin rad, my dad taught me that, and Im teaching it to my daughter. ski culture lives on with us, don't let it die.
 
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