A Weekend in Aspen: What Makes Skiing So Great?

Skiing in Aspen

If you’ve never been skiing in your life – and this applies especially for those of you in a more tropical climate – you might ask yourself why there is such emphasis on skiing, especially with people who seem to have a lot of money. “A weekend in Aspen” doesn’t sound fun to you; instead, it sounds like a way to canoodle with friends, have an excuse to drink warm drinks at a ski bar by a fire, and get cozy with a loved one.

Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

It’s not. Let’s take a look at what a typical “skiing weekend” might be like for you, and whether or not you’d enjoy it.

Friday:

Meet up with friends. Greet each other appropriately – especially if you haven’t seen each other for a while. Feel sentimental upon seeing old high school friends. And get to work: start going into the pro shop to rent some ski boots, skis, and ski poles. Make fun of your best friend for wearing a hat with a puff ball on the top of it.

In the afternoon, hit the slopes – maybe take a quick lesson from an instructor. You still feel like a rookie, but at least you have an idea of how to slow down your momentum. When you cut loose and really let gravity take you down the hill. Wipe out, get laughed at. Throw a snow ball.

Evening comes, and with the cold, short, winter days, you and your friends decide to call it a night at your cabin. Except you don’t call it a night; you get warmed up, play a board game, watch a DVD, and generally have fun. Fall asleep from exhaustion.

Saturday:

Repeat, except you start today at sun-up. Maybe you’re a little sore from the previous day, but you don’t let that stop you. The prospect of actually pulling off a nice ski run down a hill still thrills you. You and your earlybird friends head out.

By noon, you feel like you’ve already spent a whole day on the slopes, honing your skills, and you’re amazed at how fast you’ve improved. When your other friends join you, they see you pull of some tricks you haven’t before. Then it happens: you finally execute a successful skiing turn. The thrill gets to your ego, and you wipe out again, laughing at yourself.

Sunday:

Ski some more, and finally say goodbye to your friends, who by now you might be getting sick of, in a brother or sisterly way. You return all of your equipment and prepare yourself for another workweek, wondering where all the time has gone.

Photo Credits: Matt Ryall

Originally posted 2009-04-21 05:32:39.

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