This is nice

raisingarizona wrote

I don't think it matters where you live. The theme or idea of the intro is something we can all experience wherever we go ski a lot. For Harvey this could be his ritual of going to North Creek on the weekends or for Camp a week long storm at GP, skiing each day followed by some apres.

 

I was going to say something along those same lines.

I mean we all have some level of ski bum in us, for sure. Granted I live 1 mile from a little hill in CNY with 900 vert --- by skiing comparison it's pretty shitty, all things considered. BUT, by the level of stoke and fun meter we have there??? I'll put it up against anywhere --- the place is a blast. Anymore that's all I really need -- a place to make some turns, hang my hat, and yuck it up with my friends.

Plus the deer hunting is bangin!! (pun intended)

Winter: I really just want to be on our land, and I want there to be snow. I want to ski the trees at Gore with the men in black and I want there to be snow.  Also I want to go to Smugglers and ski with Vin or River and I want there to be snow.  I want to meet Camp this year too.

Did I mention I want snow?

Good luck RA, you are going to be so pumped when you are in the clear.

I connect with the skiing part of that article. Not so much the apres stuff, never been into that. Not that I am not into having a good time... used to DJ in Boston... I used to see a sunrise before bedtime at least once a month. But oddly enough, that never crossed over into skiing. Making that scene work with skiing was a bit crazy but I still managed 30-40 days back then living in the Boston area and doing my thing in the city.

I gotta drive home and get to bed before the next day, so the apres ski thing never worked for me. I don't live in town, I don't get places on the mountain... I am a day tripper, I gotta drive home and get up the next day and drive back again. I can relate to waking up early the day after a big day and dragging myself out for another big day, but the dragging isn't hangover related... but rather related to spending 8-10 hours in a car during any given weekend.

I've never wanted for the ski bum lifestyle. Maybe having a decent paying job and not wanting for much has made me soft. But even when I was just scraping by... that lifestyle didn't appeal to me either. Passion does not dictate how we live or that we live a certain way. We are all getting at it on our own terms.

riverc0il wrote

I connect with the skiing part of that article. Not so much the apres stuff, never been into that. Not that I am not into having a good time... used to DJ in Boston... I used to see a sunrise before bedtime at least once a month. But oddly enough, that never crossed over into skiing. Making that scene work with skiing was a bit crazy but I still managed 30-40 days back then living in the Boston area and doing my thing in the city.

I gotta drive home and get to bed before the next day, so the apres ski thing never worked for me. I don't live in town, I don't get places on the mountain... I am a day tripper, I gotta drive home and get up the next day and drive back again. I can relate to waking up early the day after a big day and dragging myself out for another big day, but the dragging isn't hangover related... but rather related to spending 8-10 hours in a car during any given weekend.

I've never wanted for the ski bum lifestyle. Maybe having a decent paying job and not wanting for much has made me soft. But even when I was just scraping by... that lifestyle didn't appeal to me either. Passion does not dictate how we live or that we live a certain way. We are all getting at it on our own terms.

But that's the point right there, you don't have to live just like the intro story to get the idea. So your ritual is a little different, that's cool, it's not an attack on any ones style or preference. If you read it that way maybe you aren't so sure on having not experienced it? The defensiveness sort of comes off like insecurity, jus sayin.

I know plenty of ski "bums" that make over triple figures every year and still manage to log in 75+ days a season. It's possible. The dragging himself out of bed part isn't due to a massive hangover either, if you ever did live in a mountain town you might get it a little better. The lifestyle, when getting cycled is skiing powder all day and then hanging out for a pitcher or three, tell stories and bonding with your family (skiing fam) and then eating/home and passing out before 9. You wake up and repeat. Even in the last 8 years or so I have managed to open up about 6 weeks in the winter so I could still experience this if it snows. If it doesn't I have done something similar with going riding in Sedona. It's a lifestyle and the intro nails that. I'm not saying it's for everyone but it sure is for me! I'm never as happy as when I'm in this sort of mode, never.

In the PNW a lot of the die hards have camper vehicles/vans and they head up once they can get out of work and spend the weekends in ski area parking lots. Once there it's like a full on camp ground (with snow) scene, people have bbq's, beers etc. It's still possible to live in the burbs or city and become part of a skiing community. That's the part I dig the most, the community factor. It's sort of tribal, the skiing part is great but it's the total package that really knocks the ball out of the park.

raisingarizona wrote

But that's the point right there, you don't have to live just like the intro story to get the idea. So your ritual is a little different, that's cool, it's not an attack on any ones style or preference. If you read it that way maybe you aren't so sure on having not experienced it? The defensiveness sort of comes off like insecurity, jus sayin.

Sorry, I think you misunderstood what I was getting at. Maybe my bad... three dorados in the bag right now... not at my best writing caliber.  I was just sharing my story and reinforcing exactly what you said... that we are all coming at it from a different point of view. We are all still getting at it in our own ways. What you wrote that I quoted above is exactly what I was trying to say. It was the exact opposite of defensiveness.

East or West,  passholder or day tripper, young or old, we are all in the same tribe.

Right on ^^^^

As for the apres thing --- to me it's all part of it, they just go together. I like bars, I like drinking beer in bars, yucking it up with my friends and telling stories/lies about the day is a real hoot. We seem to always hit NASTAR just before we head in for the day ---- that's always good for few laughs and jabs while having a few pounders

campgottagopee wrote

I mean we all have some level of ski bum in us, for sure. Granted I live 1 mile from a little hill in CNY with 900 vert --- by skiing comparison it's pretty shitty, all things considered. BUT, by the level of stoke and fun meter we have there??? I'll put it up against anywhere --- the place is a blast. Anymore that's all I really need -- a place to make some turns, hang my hat, and yuck it up with my friends.

That pretty much sums it all up.  It doesn't matter where you live.  Do you get after it is the question.