At latest count, there are 10 to 12 million skiers in the United States. That means there are countless millions more who prefer to stay off skis and mountains and muddle through winter in other ways.
To those who don`t ski and have no desire to, the question often is:
What`s the mystique of skiing? What`s so great about bundling up in longjohns and down, putting on an uncomfortable-looking set of boots and skis and facing a snowy slope?
Few will dispute that mountains in winter are places of incredible beauty, with tall pines and spruce laden with snow. But do you have to step into skis to enjoy the beauty?
Veteran skiers who probe the psychology of the sport talk in ethereal terms. Take, for instance, Helmut Teichner, who at 78, is a fully certified ski instructor, a member of the United States Ski Hall of Fame and for 50 years the ski school director at Wilmot Mountain in southeastern Wisconsin.
”You have to experience the exhilaration of coming down a mountain under control, practically dancing on the snow,” rhapsodized Teichner. ”Nothing can match the ecstasy, the sense of accomplishment as skiing under control, no matter what age you are.”
He described skiing as ”a fulfillment of a wide range of desires and emotions. There is a sense of adventure. It allows everybody to open up, let it all hang out while gaining immense enjoyment.”
Skiing, he contended, ”is the most natural, exhilarating high there is.”
He spoke of familiar scenes-the skier weaving through powder snow in graceful arcs. The skier, he said, ”is bubbling inside because the sensation is so much fun.
Skiing, he continued, ”offers greater thrills than any other sport,”
mainly because the average skier is gliding along at 15-20 miles an hour, unassisted by mechanical devices. The downhill racers attack ski runs at 80-90 miles an hour.
”But, the essence of the joy of skiing is the control over natural hazards, the thrill of mastery over one`s self. There`s no other sport where you and you alone are in charge. You have to look ahead, figure out your next turn, determine when to go slower or faster,” Teichner said.
”As soon as you become aware that you can ski under control with grace and assurance, you experience a curious feeling, deep inside, a burst of wild, free-floating joy. It`s a very intense and pleasant feeling.
”When you ski you escape from everyday stress and pressure. You experience the thrill of speed without a machine. You can`t think of anything else while skiing. Your senses are so sharpened you can feel your heart beat.”
Added Teichner, ”Skiing serves as a great equalizer. Everybody, rich or poor, is faced with the same challenge-to overcome gravity. They all have to deal with Newton.”
”The love of speed and motion,” he said, ”is seated deep among the primal instincts of mankind, and skiing is an activity in which you move on your own two feet, the prisoner of no machine, using the Earth`s gravity to rush you forward.”
Another view of skiing, but with similar threads, came from Vic Braden, better known as a tennis coach through his Vic Braden Tennis College in Coto de Caza, Calif. For three years now, Braden, 60, has directed the ski school at Buttermilk for Aspen Ski Corp. in Colorado
The question, said Braden, is why people don`t ski. They have a lot of fears, he elaborated, such as injury, abandonment (students can`t keep up with the class), loss of self-esteem and failure.
He suggested that through skiing, people might attack their fears.
”We`re doing a ski video and devoting three minutes to fear and anxiety,”
he said. ”It`s a healthy challenge to take on-attacking fears. One woman told us: `I just came here to overcome my fears. Who cares about skiing.` Other people feel they`re going to glide and soar with the eagles and that`s why they do it.”
Braden, who holds a master`s degree in psychology, said there`s a Freudian-linked, sexual side of skiing. There are pleasurable sensations-sensual and physical.”
He said one ski coach cited the feeling of leaning over and down the hill, the danger of being on the edge, flirting with danger, thriving in the fast lane.
”Skiing,” said Braden, ”can be perceived that way, but it doesn`t have to be.
”We suggest that people who ski a lot don`t have to flirt with danger. They don`t have to attack the moguls. Many have their lives together and they enjoy the physical freedom.
”There are very few sports where you can jump on two sticks and let gravity do the work for you. There are 80-year-old skiers who ski elegantly. They love the mountains and excitement.”
Braden also spoke of the concentration the sport requires. ”You don`t think about business when you ski. You have to pay attention. That`s not the case in golf or tennis. Gravity dictates a new mental state. Gravity doesn`t understand that you just lost a business deal.”
At Buttermilk, ”we try to individualize instruction. We try to reduce fear and anxiety and we see childhood fears surface.
”Let`s go backwards. How long has it been since you`ve fallen? How would you like to go out and fall for a week? Some people feel they can`t get up. Some feel claustrophobic because they are locked into skis and boots and can`t get away. We try to nurture the students. Let`s talk about the fears. Let`s see if you can understand them.”
And so, for anyone looking for an exhilarating rush this winter, or a way to overcome some fears while having fun, the words of Teichner and Braden offer encouragement to those who have avoided the slopes. –
