Finding Your Ski Buddies

Anytime you find yourself delving into a new hobby or truly mastering your craft, you find that some of your “old” friends might not share the same interests as you, and you find that the new hobby ends up separating your friends from your craft. This is a common thing, especially for those who gain a “healthy” obsession with a new hobby or skill that they previously didn’t have.

So how do you find ski buddies? It’s not always easy, especially if you’re new to skiing, because of two reasons: one, it’s not always easy meeting new people and two, it’s nearly impossible to “force” a friend into enjoying a hobby that you enjoy. Two human beings have different wiring, and unless you’re able to find someone who is already sharing your passions, you might have to find some new buddies for skiing.

Here are a breakdown of these two fundamental ways to ski with friends, and how to go about them.

Skiing with “old” friends –

Old friends simply refers to friends you knew before you started skiing. This is a difficult thing to do if your friends aren’t interested in skiing. Keep in mind that you won’t usually be able to convince anyone logically to “enjoy” something that you enjoy. It just won’t happen. People have other wants, other needs, and they see themselves as having totally different identities.

For this reason, you don’t want to force your friends to ski – at all. All it will do is make them resent you for trying to force your personal identity on them, and they might just get frustrated with the whole thing. It’s best not to drown your friends in new skiing stories, but instead be the same person you always were, only with a different hobby. By all means, invite your friends, but lead yourself before you try to help anyone else. Go skiing alone before forcing friends to ski.

Finding new ski friends – This might actually happen naturally, depending on your level of commitment so skiing. People who drive headfirst into new endeavors and stick with it find themselves developing a healthy obsession, and this healthy obsession often leads you to find like-minded people. It’s easy to say why: you enjoy doing the same things, and your similar personalities probably both lead you to skiing for the same reason. It’s easy to find someone to relate to when you’re both doing something in common.
The challenge with new ski friends isn’t having them as friends, but balancing your “old” gang with your “new.” So what? Forget balance, and simply enjoy yourself; it’s not your job to perform a juggling act, and if you remain laid back and relaxed, friends will appreciate the fact that you have a life.

Originally posted 2008-12-04 04:55:05.

This post involves: