Does everyone but me love skiing?

[RoseberryT]

I don’t really like skiing. I don’t hate it but I can think of a million other things I’d rather be doing. I’ve been about 6 times, can ski but have become less confident as I’ve got older.
I’m led to believe by everyone I ski with, that I’m an exception. That basically everyone absolutely loves it and the only reason people don’t go is because they might not be able to afford it.

So I was wondering out of pure interest, if you don’t go on ski holidays, is it only because of the price or other factors such as pregnancy/ work commitments - ie if you could, you would. Or are there others like me who just don’t really see the appeal? Is there anyone who has been and hasn’t absolutely fallen in love with it and would go at any given opportunity? Everyone I ski with and everyone I ever meet skiing seems to think it’s the best thing ever.

I’ve just returned from a lovely trip to the Alps but I wasn’t really into the skiing so I’m thinking that’s it for me now - but I'm being made to feel like I’m making the wrong decision and there’s something wrong with me!
I’m very interested to hear others options

It does not appeal to me at all. I do not like snow or cold weather. I'm not sporty. I do not want to go on holiday to be active, I want to sit and drink cocktails in a warm location.

I’d be happy to give it a go if I had unlimited time and money for holidays. As I don’t, I’d have to sacrifice a beach holiday to do it, and I’d never sacrifice a beach holiday for anything, and definitely not for being cold. I have lots of opportunities to be cold at home for free.

I love snow. I hate anything fast or feeling out of control.

I used to love skiing (didn't start until mid-twenties but went 2-3 times a year up until late twenties - so a brief love) but the last time I went I lost my nerve to some extent (after witnessing someone wipe out a little kid right up into the air when they lost control on a steep red they clearly hadn't got the competency to be on)/it just didn't feel right (think the hire boots?)/didn't love the resort.

Then I got married and pregnant in quick succession. DH tried skiing once (not with me) and it wasn't really his thing so he wasn't trying to convince me to try it again. I got rid of all my ski gear a decade ago (several sizes too small for a start) now. I won't be going back - I fully accept those days are over.

I live near the Cairngorms , so not too far from the Scottish ski slopes. Now, I am a fairly fit, outdoors-type of person, and having tried skiing near to home, I cannot understand why anyone does it as a holiday .
I do appreciate that queuing on a windy Scottish hill to be towed slowly up, just so I can risk life and limb sliding down it, before repeating the process until it’s time for a pie and bovril, is absolutely not the sort of skiing most people are talking about on here.
But seriously, why, just why?

I love ski ing but after fifty years of ski ing I stopped three years ago. I wasn't enjoying it anymore. My husband only goes once a year now.

I enjoy it when there's good snow (not icy) and not too busy slopes and if I'm not pushed to do harder slopes (I've skied hard blacks, double diamonds but that is way out of my comfort zone). Otherwise, it just gets stressful really quickly.

I also need a coffee stop and then a lunch stop, and then that's me done for the day. I rarely get a full-day pass.

I enjoy ski touring on marked trails as it's that sense of achievement from getting yourself up the mountain, so long as the return down can be done on a relatively easy piste.

I live in the Alps and a lot of my work colleagues don't ski at all, despite the easy access, so I don't think you're unusual!

Skiing in Scotland is not in any way representative of enjoyable skiing. 😂😂

It's an endurance.

I’ve been a few times as DH loves it. I don’t like the clunky equipment that I invariably bash myself with when carrying it to the overcrowded bus. I don’t like feeling out of control.

Give me hiking or swimming any day.

DS loves it, so DH takes him whilst I stay at home 😁

A friend who is 45 said her just can’t be bothered to snowboard any more. She’s considering suggesting her DH takes their DC without her next season.

It annoys me that I’m not better at it (been going for years) - I can get down most slopes and don’t fall very often but I’m not fast and don’t have great technique.

Kids and DH love it and are loads better than me. So I tolerate it as I
love the mountains and snow.

Europe is too busy in the school
holidays - I hate busy slopes - they are more dangerous. We went to the US this year and there was much more space. But no apres ski!

I’m close to skiing retirement I think.

Nope. I have limited holiday from work and I’m not spending it exercising in the cold

No I dislike it too, much prefer a hot relaxing holiday! It’s too sweaty and my muscles ache for ages after!

Skiing is not a holiday. Its cold it's expensive, lots of waiting around for ski lifts. Organising passes, trudging around carrying loads of gear. Sking down a slope for 5 mins to spend 45 minutes getting back to where you started
And don't get me started on the twats who go skiing. They probably wear lycia and ride bikes at home
A holiday is sun, more sun and even more sun. Poolside drinks and evening strolls

I've never been skiing and I am at all interested in doing so.

I like skiing but only if the following criteria are met:
No longer than 3 full days - half day at either end just about acceptable
Ski in Ski out hotel
I shouldn't need to be a millionnaire or sell my firstborn child
The mountain shoulud be quiet with lots of long wide blue runs so I can trundle down and enjoy the views.
Lovely hotel with a great spa and amazing views - real fire and plenty of cosy coffee drinking/book reading corners must be readily available
I will ski in the morning, have lunch on the mountain, ski to the hotel and then spa/swim/read until dinner. This is the only civilised way to have a ski holiday IMHO.

The only place I have been that ticks all these boxes is Palandoken mountain in Erzurum, Turkey. So it has become an annual thing for us and we enjoy it immensely

My friend enjoys walking whilst we ski, and has never been near a crampon or had any training in winter walking!

In Austria (don't know about other countries) a lot of the tourist info offices have organised walks/events for non skiers. My friend has had some lovely days out with like-minded non-skiers, wearing her normal walking boots. She has also had great fun snow shoeing, organised in the same way.

My kids loved it but I was always worried that I might be laid up with 3 kids to look after on my own....kinda put me off

Never been, never found it appealing. If I’m going away in the winter, I’m heading somewhere warm, Caribbean preferably.

I've never been and can't be bothered. Perhaps it would be fun, but the cost and effort investment is significant, and there are lots of places and types of trip that interest me more.

Went once. HATED it. Didn't go again. Absolutely don't love it at all.

When I was younger I would go snowboarding. But honestly I mostly went for the apres ski and the views from the mountains. I absolutely LOVE that feeling of being on top the world, seeing white mountains as far you can, the weird silence.
I would have quite happily just gone up in a cable car and spent the rest of the time in a bar.
To be fair, I pretty much did that a lot - chair lift to the highest bar, stop there for a coffee, board down and then have a boozy lunch and decide I couldn't be arsed to go back up 😂

I enjoy it. We hadn’t been for 9years as couldn’t afford it. We started up again a couple years ago. Now, it involves a 2 day drive to get there, a day to acclimatise to the altitude, a week skiing and 2 days drive back. We must love it! It’s the only sport I’ve done that I’m decent at which helps the enjoyment. The DC are all good at it too.

I’d to be able to fly and do a ski in/out, maybe one day. The drive is torture!

on the other hand, I get bored with beach holidays, too much lying around in the sun for me, even the kids got bored last time we did one of those and it was only a week!

Skiing is most definitely a holiday. I don't know what your daily life is like, but mine is not waking up to a beautiful view of snowy mountains, enjoying amazingly clean crisp fresh air, being outdoors (not cold, wearing weather-appropriate clothing) and having time away from the drudge of daily life. Wearing sunscreen (on the face) too, as it is very often blue skies and bright sun all day, and al-fresco lunch and drinks are a regular feature.

Yes - it's expensive. There's no denying that. But it doesn't have to be THAT expensive.

Organising passes takes about 5 minutes at home before you leave, and another 5 to collect in resort on your first day - hardly a big deal.

Trudging around with gear - not if you plan your accommodation sensibly (or store skis at the lift station).

And there are no more twats in lycra skiing than there are lying round a pool at an all inclusive resort!

Love it. When kids are little used to go three times a year. I’m now 63 and skiing right now on my own in France. Not giving up any time soon.

Went for a few years on the trot when kids were teens. DH and kids took to it like ducks to water. I never got the hang of it and after 5 years of being left behind on the nursery slopes, in the middle of a hot flush, sweating and in tears I thought fuck this for a lark. Took off the boots and never put them on again. I tagged along for a couple of years but ended up just running around after them with packed lunches and cooking dinner so stayed blissfully home alone after that. Give me a beach and a book any day.