Let me preface this blog with the information that I didn’t get to go skiing for the first time until I was about 26 years old. The first time I went, I was equal parts terrified and exhilarated. I had no idea what I was doing and we spent the fifty dollars to get me an hour ‘crash’ course lesson in downhill skiing. I didn’t like the name of it, but I quickly discovered that I loved the world of snow skiing.
So What Kinds of Skiing is there?
The first type of skiing that most people think of is classical or downhill skiing. This is the type of skiing that involves a chairlift ride to a point on the mountain and then a downhill slide to the bottom. Sometimes the slopes are very steep and sometimes they are very gentle. The snow can be natural or man-made or a combination of both.
This form of skiing is a great deal of fun and it’s not too difficult once you get the hang of it. Downhill skiing is a lot like bike riding. You may fall down a lot, but once you learn your balance and how to do it – you don’t forget. Downhill skiing can be expensive, whether you rent skis or buy your own. There’s the cost of the clothes and the lift tickets. Still after the initial investment, season passes can make skiing a reasonably priced sport.
Cross-Country
Cross country skiing is actually very physically challenging and it’s something you need to work yourself up to. There is no gravity to help you out and no lifts to get you to where you need to be. And in fact, cross-country skiing means you will be going along under your own power. It’s far less expensive financially, but far more grueling physically.
Ski Jumping
You see them doing this at the Olympics and it takes a great deal of practice and an adventurous soul to try this out. Alpine skiing and ski jumping is very expensive and there are a lot of twisty courses that require fast speeds to come down and then take that big jump at the bottom of the run or the series of jumps along the run.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a lot like skiing and not at the same time. For one thing, you have just one board that both of your feet are strapped to instead of two skies. Ski boarding is a lot like skate boarding in the sense that you have to use your entire body to switch directions and the control of the board is in how you shift your weight. Many people find that learning to snow board is a lot easier than classical skiing and many have a preference for one or the other – I actually like both.
In the world of skiing, there is something for everyone. It’s all a sport though and it’s about staying safe and having fun. What’s your favorite type of skiing?
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