Feelings As The Season Winds Down

I hope to ski till the end of April, maybe even a little longer. I do have interests in the off season, road biking, kayaking and hiking. I’m also looking forward to getting a mountain bike this summer. I like the warmer weather too.

Once I’m out of ski season and doing other things I’m fine, but I feel a lot of anxiety as I know my last day of the season is coming. I hate cleaning out my locker, putting away my gear and saying goodbye to friends and acquaintances I rarely see in the off season. Just writing this gives me a little knot in my stomach.

Sliding on snow is my favorite thing to do, but it isn’t the only thing about skiing I miss, it’s the whole life style built around it that I grow use to.

I know my feelings of “Approaching doom” are ridiculous because to everything there is a season and I like all of them. Yet it’s there, a feeling of dread just under the service, something I know I have to face, but don’t want to, even though I know I’ll be just fine after the fact.

Anyone else get like this?

Your feelings are normal, we all have them.  Especially this year, which was so "normal" that it reminded us of our childhood.  Now get off the couch and get back to work.

Looks VERY warm starting next Sunday into all of next week, widespread 60s and 70s in the ADKs.  Maybe a week long of 60+ depending on elevation which would end the ski season for the Northeast.

My feelings are that I know  the end is near but I always just want one more day. I look at snow reports all over the east until all mountains are closed. We had a great season in the East and I really won't pay attention to the weather forcasts till next November, then I'll just start hoping for cold weather and SNOW.

Just like Frosty the Snowman says "Hurry before I melt away," Get out there one more time!

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

Anyone else get like this?

I don't get anxious because the last few days of the season are very often some of the best, so I look forward to them...



...but I do relate the original post.  I never get enough ski days.

I bet the lives of some others on this board are probably a little more balanced than mine.  For me, in the summer, I enjoy other activities — mostly mt biking, gardening, walking, cooking out, and going to the playground.

Another family "activity" for the offseason is saving (and spending) for skiing. We use a lot of our money in the summer to try to PAY for skiing in advance. The pass deadline in June, buying propane, getting the wood in, yadi yada.

But no activity really drives me the way skiing does. I probably should be more well rounded, but hey any passion is an imbalance, to some extent.

evergreen wrote

Especially this year, which was so "normal" that it reminded us of our childhood.

I couldn't agree more with this poetic and true thought.

I guess I generally feel a little ummm . . . discombobulated around this time of year, but my feelings changed a couple of years ago when I started Road Biking, and really changed last year when I got my mountain bike.

Yeah, it sucks that I'm not going to see a lot of my skiing friends over the summer (although we usually are able to get together for a round of golf or a campfire party), but on the bright side, I get to spend a lot more time with my mountain biking friends (and there's some overlap, too).  Plus, mountain biking has so much in common with skiing (particularly tree skiing) - anticipation, power, body positioning, speed, natural features, good friends, beer celebration afterwards, etc. Really, the only things I really miss are the airs (still not confident enough on the mtb for that) and the feelings on a powder day (can not be replicated).

Let me know when you get your bike HPD, and we can head out to SMBA (around here), or the Flume Trails up in Wilmington.  My wife and I are usually on our mountain bikes 3 or 4 times a week (and our road bikes 1 or 2 times), and we love riding with new people.

End of the season used to bug me, but not for the last few years. Whether there are any resorts open or not, I'll still get a few days in May. As a matter of fact, that makes for a great transition from skiing to hiking. I'm sure to at least take one hike up Killington and then one up Tuckerman Ravine. Once that's done, I look forward to hiking NYS. Areas such as Bear Mt, Break Neck Ridge, Mohonk, Minniwaska, ADKs. Throw in some biking, Cape Cod and life is good!

That's a great aspect of skiing. Usually, people are bummed when summer ends, but skiers are happy cause winter is coming. In the spring, we're bummed cause winter is ending, but Hey! summer is coming. The blues get quickly washed away by the warm weather, biking, hiking, swimming, rippin on the atv and oh yea..gals in summer clothes.

Hit the gym baby, we watching you.

mattchuck2 wrote

Let me know when you get your bike HPD, and we can head out to SMBA (around here), or the Flume Trails up in Wilmington.  My wife and I are usually on our mountain bikes 3 or 4 times a week (and our road bikes 1 or 2 times), and we love riding with new people.

Thanks for the invite Matt

Its a tough time of year - its almost over and its been so good this year.  The pain of thinking how long that 6 months is that we have to wait to slide on snow is it the worst part.

I'm planning in the next two weekends at WF and then Easter weekend at Jay.  Then the golf clubs can come out if the snow ever does melt in LP on the golf course.