To Ski or Not to Ski (Downhill)

Many of us, when we hear the word “ski,” simply imagine a type of skiing that is known as Alpine skiing. Alpine skiing refers to downhill skiing, the kind of skiing you undertake when going to a ski hill, not the type of skiing that occurs on flat environments like flat winter-land or even a lake. So if you’re wondering whether or not you should become a skier, there’s another question to consider: should you ski downhill or shouldn’t you? Or why not both?

First, let’s define downhill skiing. Downhill skiing, or Alpine skiing, is exactly what it sounds like, typically with longer skis than you might see in other types of skiing. Alpine skiing can be done as an amateur hobby, but also raised to the level of athletic performance and showmanship. If you’ve ever seen downhill skiing on TV in which skiers race around flags and follow a specific track, you know the level to which downhill skiing can be pursued.

Defining “non-downhill” skiing is a more complicated undertaking, so let’s stick with the concept of cross-country skiing. Many of us might be aware of cross-country skiing from activities in high school-grade physical education, in which we might have tried it out for a few weeks. Some of us enjoy this type of exercise, pursuing the edges of our own mental persistence and athletic endurance, and others long for the thrill of skiing downhill.

What you prefer says a lot about the type of exercise you might prefer. If you have always been a track sprinter or a wide receiver in football, pursuing the type of thrilling athletic activity that may not last long, downhill skiing is probably for you. The beauty of downhill skiing is that you can increase the difficulty levels as much as you like, tackling new challenges with different hills – but always make sure not to push yourself too hard.

If, however, you have always been a cyclist or a runner, someone who enjoys the serenity of exercise and the simplicity of getting out into nature, you might enjoy cross-country skiing as your winter endurance sport of choice.

But what if you don’t see yourself in either? What if you can appreciate both types of sports? Then the answer is simple to your “to ski or not to ski” question: you can have both.

You don’t have to pursue downhill skiing with the training regiment of a Winter Olympian just because you’re involved with the hobby. You can split up your winter time between high-intensity sports and low-intensity sports, just as someone during the summer who might include a running regimen with different bouts of high-intensity athletics like kickboxing.

Originally posted 2008-12-17 04:55:06.

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