11 Things You Missed On The Internet | 01.15.24

Snow Drifts & Life Shifts: Falling in Love With Skiing Again in My 30s

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Brandon Wenerd
January 15, 2024

Hope you had a great weekend.

You know how it is when the NFL Playoffs are on, right? The world just stops. Everyone's eyes are glued to the screen, and for good reason. Those playoffs make the chilly January days a bit more bearable, wherever you are. Seeing the Cowboys get clowned and Detroit bagging that win after three decades? Beyond special. A priceless Wild Card slate.

But, I'm not here to chew your ear off about football. Let's shift gears from the turf to the slopes and talk skiing.

Skiing was huge for me growing up. Those family trips around Pennsylvania were epic adventures, some of my fondest childhood memories. Remember those blizzards in the '90s? We had school off for a week a couple of times because of them. Those were the days that sparked my origin story as a wannabe ski bum. Time seemed to stop, and the backyard became a winter wonderland of fresh pow.

I’m so grateful my parents got me on skis at a young age. Starting in second grade, I attended ski school at Whitetail Resort, near Mercerberg, Pennsylvania. We went every Thursday night in the winter to ski under the lights, accumulating lift tickets on our winter jackets. Occasionally our family would take weekend trips west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Seven Springs or Wisp in western Maryland. Then, high school ski club ramped it all up, skiing after school with my brother and friends at Ski Liberty or Whitetail. Those experiences, especially two trips to Colorado and Lake Tahoe, really opened my eyes to the real deal in skiing.

Enter college, exit skiing. Turns out passions can be pricey. Oscar Wilde once quipped, "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." But as my landlord reminded me, sometimes reality bites.

Post-college, I moved to Aspen with dreams of skiing every day. Spoiler alert: my bank account disagreed.

But hey, East Coast skiing was like a boot camp for life. I remember braving subzero temperatures at Seven Springs with my dad, pushing to get in as many runs as possible. The next day, his van wouldn’t start, and the guys at the truck stop had to use a hair dryer to thaw a frozen line in the engine. Resourcefulness at its finest. Then there was the time my brother and I were on a lift when a snow gun misfired, turning us into living snowmen.

Then I just stopped. Poof! This once-important part of my life and identity put on hold. There was no particular reason; I didn’t fall out of love with skiing. I just applied my time and bandwidth towards other pursuits.

Fast forward to winter 2023, with historic snowfall around the western mountains of the United States. At my brother's urging, after his move to Denver, and with some friends, I got back out there. Hiatus over. We hit Winter Park on a Tuesday, experiencing an epic day of dust-on-crust and no crowds. Snowy morning, bluebird afternoon – it was perfect.

I caught the ski bug all over again. Sure, I was worried I might topple over at first, but it turned out to be just like riding a bike. The muscle memory was still there.

Which brings us to this winter.

There I was at Big Bear on a beautiful bluebird day, geared up, feeling like a reboot of a younger, cooler version of myself. Falling back into those old patterns, but this time with better gear and a bit more sense as a man in his late 30s. I hollered ecstatically while barrelling and carving around those groomed trails on my first day of the season. I felt like a kid again.

I properly outfitted myself this season: a new pair of Atomic Bent Chetler 100s, Salomon Supra BOA 110s boots, and a Helly Hansen ski jacket – my first new winter coat in at least ten years. I even went for an Ikon Pass, trying to make up for lost time and hit all those places out West I've been itching to ski since moving to California in 2017. I have four ski trips on the docket in the next three months.

I don’t like to half-ass things, especially hobbies.

So, what's the big picture? Revisiting past loves like skiing is all about rediscovering who you were, who you are, and who you're becoming. Don't lose touch with the things that light you up. They're more than just hobbies; they're parts of you. Sometimes, they're exactly what you need to feel alive again.

"Be yourself; everyone else is taken," as Oscar Wilde wisely said.

That's it for today. Remember, whether it's strapping on a pair of skis or diving headfirst into whatever your passion is, keep it real and true to yourself. That's what life's all about, isn't it? Living in a way that's authentically and uniquely yours.

Have a fantastic week, and I’ll catch up with you on Wednesday.

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Have a great week everyone! I’m in Vegas for a conference for three days, then heading to Mammoth for some big mountain skiing. Thanks again for reading. If you have any feedback, email me at [email protected].

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