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When you put a child on two skis for the first time in its life, it will experience a feeling that it has never felt in this form before. It will glide downhill as if guided by magic because gravity has a stronger effect on the body than the frictional resistance of the snow under the skis. And long before the child realizes what is actually happening, it will come to a stop and it will stand at the bottom of the slope with a big grin on its face.
People in the mountain areas in Austria joke that toddlers are born with skies on their feet and while I am not certain if it’s true, I know that most mountain babies like me, are put on skies when they are able to walk a few steps.
I started skiing when I was two years old and to this day it’s one of my favorite things to do. The feeling of gliding in the snow as a child still exists when we reach adulthood.
According to my husband, when I skiers on TV race downhill at full speed, or ski a mountain down with grace and elegance, I start moving my upper body the same way they do. Like a weeping willow, following their movement like I long to be with them.
Skiing takes place outside. There, where the white gold is, where the mountains turn into sugar loaves, and the green landscape into a white winter fairy tale. Where we watch the snowflakes fall and try to catch them with our tongues sticking out. Where the air is so fresh and cold that our breath turns into steam. We can be children again and immerse ourselves in a fluffy white world. There we can escape the gray everyday life of the big city and experience things that the concrete jungle has taken from us. Snow is fascinating. It’s just frozen water, but a snow crystal is a small miracle of nature. Six components create a perfect symmetry and yet every snowflake is different.
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Skiers don’t think about what lies behind or in front of them, they simply concentrate on the here and now. The movements are fast, the environment must be sensed in a second, the information must be analyzed and the momentum must be executed on the slope. There is little time for anything else and this whole undertaking costs people a lot of energy because they rarely face such challenges in their everyday lives. After a long day of skiing, people fall into bed exhausted and happy because they have been active.
When you rush down a slope you completely surrender to the thrill of speed. You almost have the feeling of getting closer to the theory of relativity than it was ever possible during physics class because the landscape passes you by in no time at all, or do you move across the landscape in no time at all?
The adrenaline level rises, and the endorphins shoot through the bloodstream. Speed makes us happy, but it is still advisable to slow down not to overlook the next hilltop. Skiers often take a pause in the middle of the slope, that’s when we tank in the fresh air and the beauty of the landscape around us.
The sun always shines on the mountain. At least in our imagination it only snows at night and the next morning there is unclouded sunshine. The reality is a little different, but the fact is that in the mountains, the winter sun shows up more often than in the city.
No other sport or recreation has ever given me more joy. I have snow in my blood, and the love for mountains is rooted deeply within me.
Did I just explain my favorite sport or perhaps I wrote an ode to snow?
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I learned skiing when I was two and a half years old. I can well remember it. At first it was frightening, then it was fun. It didn’t want to stop. Now, I am enjoying cross-country skiing.
Keep well
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Skiing at two years old? Wow! My one and only experience on skis was when I was 11 or 12 and I hated it! The tow rope about pulled my arm out of it’s socket and there were so many people and I ran into someone… it was not pretty. Nobody got hurt but I never have gone back. And that was all on a pretend hill in Iowa, a real mountain would kill me. Ha, ha!
I lived on a ski mountain as a child.. magical magical just skiiing with no worries!!! This made me miss it!!!
A thrilling description
Thank you, Derrick. It wrote itself.
Cool description, would love to ski 🎿!
Try it, it’s worth it.
Why are you not living near the mountains of Colorado? 🙂
I wish. I love Colorado, it’s such a beautiful state.
I can hear the joy and exuberance in your voice even as you write, Bridget. I have never been on skis, and in fact have had very little experience with snow, but I know others who share your passion. Your husband’s observation that you “participate” even when observing someone else swooshing down the mountain is a delightful image. I enjoyed imagining your delight! 😀
Skiing is a very special form of sport. It’s a combination of physical activity, combined with the beauty of nature. I think you would have loved it.
Thank you for stopping by. It’s so good to see you.
That is exactly how I imagined skiing and as a child I knew I should have been born near some mountains, but had to make do with roller skates instead. You have written both an ode to snow and explained your favourite sport.
It’s never too late but roller skates are fun too.
Thank you, for reading my post and for taking your time to comment on it.
A passion I never knew you had, Bridget. When did you ski last? Have you skied in the States? It almost seems a crime if you haven’t…but I imagine it’s not quite so easy as you get older?
I have skied in the states and pretty much everywhere I went were I could find snow.
I paused skiing for a few years in my 30’s and after years of not skiing, I decided to give it a try. I was sure I would be more careful and of course much slower. Nope! I scared the living daylight out of my husband 🙂
I am fearless on skies and I know that’s not a good thing, so I retired my skies a couple of years ago. But every year when I look at the snow I feel it. I want to…
Shame! It must be magical to have that experience from childhood. It really does just make me shiver…but the beauty is undeniable.
Also, children know instinctively how to fall. It’s only when we get older and try to save ourselves that we break bones!
Drunks do to. I worked at a bar/pub when I was a student. I saw drunks fall off the chair and they don’t break a bone. They are relaxed I suppose?