{"id":147127,"date":"2020-03-13T17:51:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T00:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=147127"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:03:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:03:16","slug":"in-defense-of-skiing-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/in-defense-of-skiing-alone","title":{"rendered":"In Defense of Skiing Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Micah Hinton tends to schedule ski days at the very last minute, based on snow conditions.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI would love to go skiing with people, but if they can\u2019t go, that\u2019s not going to stop me,\u201d said 45-year-old Hinton, who works as the sales manager for <\/span>Flylow Gear<\/span><\/a>. \u201cI chase storms. I look at the snow first, decide where I\u2019m going, then I\u2019ll send out a text to friends to see if anyone wants to go\u2014which they rarely do because I plan so late.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hinton doesn\u2019t mind going solo. In fact, sometimes he prefers it. \u201cI make decisions that I think are right for me,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything from meals to where I stay, it\u2019s nice to sometimes be on your own program and do what you want to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Admittedly\u2014skiing is something that\u2019s usually more fun and safer when done with a partner or two. I\u2019ve always considered ski outings an inherently social activity, a thing you do with friends or family. But lately, I\u2019ve been thinking: If I don\u2019t have anyone to go skiing with, that shouldn\u2019t stop me from skiing, right?<\/p>\n

\"\"

The mountains are calling and I must go (by myself).<\/p><\/div>\n

At home in Tahoe City, California, where I live, I ski inbounds at ski areas by myself a lot. I may try to find a friend to join me, but schedules don\u2019t always align, so often, I end up solo. Honestly, I quite enjoy it. I\u2019ve learned to appreciate the singles\u2019 line, make friends with chatty strangers on the chairlift and ski top to bottom without stopping if I feel like it. Mostly, I\u2019ve come to enjoy the fact that I can decide exactly where I\u2019m skiing and when I\u2019m calling it quits. No more standing at the top of the lift and chatting idly while sorting out which run to ski next.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the backcountry, partners are just as critical as your <\/span>avalanche beacon, shovel and probe<\/span><\/a>, so if I don\u2019t have a pal, I stick to inbounds terrain. But even then, I sometimes worry about skiing at the resort by myself. What if I fall and break a leg in a hard-to-reach area? What if I get lost and nobody knows where I am? I do try to notify someone where I\u2019ll be and when I\u2019m expected home, just in case, and I ski with a phone in my pocket, with the direct number for ski patrol added in my contacts. But the truth is: Being outside and alone is extremely gratifying.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are certain destinations that are especially welcoming to solo skiers. At Alta, Utah, most of the lodges\u2014including <\/span>Alta Lodge<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Snowpine Lodge<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Alta Peruvian Lodge<\/span><\/a>\u2014have friendly staff willing to point you toward the good terrain. And a new breed of hostel-like lodges tend to provide private spaces at a relatively affordable price, like the <\/span>Pangea Pod Hotel<\/span><\/a> in Whistler, British Columbia, the new <\/span>Cache House<\/span><\/a> in Jackson, Wyoming, or the <\/span>Homestyle Hostel<\/span><\/a> in Ludlow, Vermont.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, many ski resorts offer free mountain tours\u2014inquire about where and when to meet from a mountain host\u2014or you can book a guided outing at most resorts for a fee. If you want to head into the backcountry, take a class on\u00a0<\/span>avalanche awareness or backcountry touring and consider hiring a guide in locations ranging from British Columbia to Colorado to Norway via the site<\/span> 57Hours<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for me, I\u2019m still happy with my solo ski days close to home. These days, I’m increasingly inclined to agree with Hinton: If nobody can join me, that shouldn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Micah Hinton tends to schedule ski days at the very last minute, based on snow conditions.\u00a0\u201cI would love to go skiing with people, but if they can\u2019t go, that\u2019s not going to stop me,\u201d said 45-year-old Hinton, who works as the sales manager for Flylow Gear. \u201cI chase storms. I look at the snow first, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":152167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[727,364],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-147127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-latest-posts","tag-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/in-defense-of-skiing-alone","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"In Defense of Skiing Alone","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/in-defense-of-skiing-alone","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/in-defense-of-skiing-alone"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/Content_Team_072018_0047-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/03\/Content_Team_072018_0047-1.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["latest posts","snowsports"],"dateCreated":"2020-03-14T00:51:00Z","datePublished":"2020-03-14T00:51:00Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:03:16Z"},"rendered":"