[current thought]
[thoughts index]

January 3, 2002

In honour of the spirit of this vacation, of which only five days remain, I've decided to keep this latest thought light and free of too much controversy. So I'd like to talk about the most fun you can have in the freezing cold in big heavy boots and a snowsuit: skiing.

Now, the first thing skiing involves is waking up early, which, as most of you know is a pet peeve of mine. Voluntarily getting out of bed at 6:30am on a day when I'm not working, going to school, or otherwise forced to get up, is tantamount to self-torture. I then proceed to, wearing layers of high-tech clothing, load my equipment into my car and drive for 45 minutes to 2 hours, park the car and lug the equipment to the hill, pay good money for a lift ticket, and spend all day outdoors in the freezing cold going up a mountain and coming back down, over and over again. Not to mention the high speeds and the risk of falling and breaking my neck.

So WHY would anyone do that, you may ask? Why not just stay home where it's warm and sleep in? Why go to all that trouble? Simple: because it's fun! When the snow conditions are just right and it's sunny outside and you're out there in the country racing down a mountain, it feels as close as you can get to flying. Skiing is something to look forward to in the winter. It's a reason to cheer instead of groan at the first, and each subsequent snowfall. It helps me better tolerate traffic jams, slush puddles, and scraping down the car when I think of how the snow is helping the ski conditions. In short, skiing makes winter fun.

I do have a few gripes, though. Firstly, skiing has never been cheap. The skis, boots, poles, goggles, ski suit . . . all the equipment costs a large sum of money. But ticket prices lately have just gone out of control. I went to Tremblant last week - great snow, great times, don't get me wrong, but 58 bucks for a lift ticket? Give me a friggin break! There's no student price at Tremblant either. Doesn't anyone give students a break anymore?

Next, snowboarders and skiers, much like cars and trucks, share the same runs but have yet to learn to coexist peacefully. The sine wave-shaped turns or quick s-motions of skiers contrast sharply with the erratic trajectories of snowboarders. Furthermore, boarders keep building jumps in the middle of runs that could take skiers completely by surprise. Snowboarders carve up the snow, and they often decide to sit down right in the middle of a run, forcing skiers to practically jump over them to avoid them. Not that I have anything against snowboarders, but we need some sort of code of mutual respect to avoid the inevitable collisions.

Another thing: the price of the food at many of the hill restaurants and cafeterias has also gotten ridiculous. A simple meal at the top of Tremblant will easily run 15 bucks, and that's for such gourmet delicacies as burgers and poutine.

Finally, for godssakes, people, ski smart! If you're a beginner, stick to the beginner runs. Stay on the trails. Don't attempt crazy manoeuvers. You're putting yourself at risk, sure, but the main thing is that you're putting lots of other people at risk too. It's one thing to add a challenge if you know what you're doing. But I've had to stop pretty sharply to avoid beginners careening down expert runs with no means of stopping or turning and with panicked looks on their faces. There's no shame in the bunny hill, people. You're not out to prove anything. Just have fun and we'll all have a better time.