Ski Culture

I've wanted to write this post for so long, but just haven't found time. I guess I should be making time to write for myself, instead of for classes, but it gets so tedious toward the end of the semester.

I don't know how many of you have been to resorts on vacation, but I've kind of noticed two groups. There's those who go to do things and there are those who go to do nothing. There's also the locals. And in most places you can't easily tell who the locals are because they hide away in their secret hang outs, but at a ski resort, it's different. They wander around with the visitors. I love this mixing. I always feel like I'm halfway between a visitor and a local because I consciously know that the shops I'm going into, the restaurants I'm being dragged to by friends aren't places locals go, yet I go anyway. I sense the slight distain from the locals as I rush by with these friends, all dressed up, knowing but not caring that this isn't appropriate for where we're going. Sometimes I think I should make an effort to act more like a local because it's what I long to be, but I know it would come off as unauthentic.

This mixing just intrigues me so much! You can pass a lady in a knee length full fur coat heading to the fancy shops at the end of the street and then a snowboarder with neon clothing rushes the other way to get to the gondola for one last run and then the gals making your crepe have that dark tan on the lower half of their cheeks and you just know they've spent most of their days off on the slopes. That mixing doesn't happen elsewhere, I don't think. In other countries I feel like the locals are always pushing a sale on me. At beach resorts I feel like I'm being catered to too much. In a ski resort, you're just free to do whatever. Sure, go shop, buy stuff from us, we get paid either way. Sure, head up the mountain, ski all day, good luck finding our powder stashes. Sure, stay around the apartment, get drunk, go hot tubbing, it's what we do if we feel like doing nothing. That's what I feel like the locals are saying to us visitors. Sure, come enjoy this place with us. It's okay, you're welcome here.

There's just this calm, laid back attitude and then there's this unique fashion that would be silly anywhere else. Oh, the fashion!!! It's so much fun to watch the people and the way they dress. There's the people who have no clue what they're doing, wearing jeans and three sweatshirts or just everything borrowed on the slopes and there's the locals who have the bright neon clothing and sideways beanies and there's the old school skiers who are still rockin' the one piece suits and there's the random consmogleration of them all. And that's me. I dress like a toned down snowboarder but can ski double blacks all day long. It just makes me so happy to see people wandering around in their skate shoes and ski pants with an oversized hoodie, heading to a bar with friends. Just like I practically live in jeans and a t-shirt, it's regulation gear here.

Ahhhhhh!!!!! I just love everything about skiing. If I don't end up in a ski town for at least 5 years of my life, everything else had better be freaking fantastic or else I'm calling my life a wash. This is all making Colorado seem far more ideal than Seattle. Hm...