Why Skiing Conditions Don't Matter

Few things are more exciting than putting on ski boots the morning after a big snowstorm. The energy is so tangible in the moments leading up to the point where you are standing at the top of an untouched powder run. Likewise, few things are as sublime as making a turn on a warm and sunny day—especially when you time the snow perfectly, where the top is just thawed enough to be cut away by your skis. However, most days are not like that. The snow is often crusty, thin, wind-affected, or otherwise undesirable. That being said, almost all of my memories of skiing on less-than-ideal days are surprisingly... positive! So, why do ski conditions even matter? Let me tell you why I'm excited to go skiing, whether the snow is good or, let's say, "not so good." And you should be too.

It’s easy to have fun skiing when the conditions are great, but controversially, it’s also easy to have fun when the snow isn’t ideal. In fact, I propose that if we tracked how "good" the conditions were and how much fun we had each day, there would be a less direct relationship between the two than we might expect. Just because the snow isn’t the best it’s ever been doesn’t mean you won’t have a fun and positive time. Sure, you might miss out on the joy of a bottomless powder turn, but survival skiing on thin or variable snow can offer a different type of challenge and fun. After all, anyone can be a great skier on hero snow; few can look good when the conditions are challenging. 

There’s a lot of excitement on the morning of a powder day, but that excitement comes with expectations that are just waiting to lead to disappointment. Days that are expected to be the best of the season are sometimes, sadly, just another average day, and that always leaves me feeling resentful. Likewise, nothing is worse than going to bed with a promising snow forecast, only to wake up and look out the window to see that the actual snowfall is just a fraction of what was predicted. For this reason, I try to commit to skiing regardless of the conditions. If expectations are set that the snow is going to be bad and the skiing turns out to be average, it can be an absolute joy to ski in average snow.

My favorite thing about being okay with skiing in "bad" conditions is that the number of days you can ski, and the routes available to you, increase dramatically. The reality is that many trails are fun regardless of the conditions, and you should still ski them. Some people even have "rock skis" dedicated to skiing when the snow is thin. I have those skis too, but I don’t see them as rock skis—I see them as skis that rock!

Life is too short to sit out on ski days because of the fear that the skiing will be bad. Days skiing are better than days not, period. The hard truth is that ski areas all around the world are experiencing less consistent winters and fewer great ski days. This is very sad and alarming. But one thing we can control is which days we boot up and get out there, and which days we sit out. One thing’s for sure: when there’s no more snow to ski, I know I won’t wish I had skipped more ski days. That’s why I hope to see you out there on the trails the next time the skiing "sucks."