{"id":43589,"date":"2019-02-14T08:02:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=43589"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:04:23","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:04:23","slug":"i-want-to-start-skiing-with-other-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/i-want-to-start-skiing-with-other-people","title":{"rendered":"I Want to Start Skiing With Other People"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey you,<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>I\u2019m writing because I\u2019ve grown concerned about the health of our mountain-town relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n

When we met last summer, everything seemed too good to be true. I was a river guide; you were a yoga instructor, wildlife-safari driver, dishwasher and landscaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

After work, we\u2019d ride mountain bikes, go hiking, paddle the river and <\/span>drink kombucha at the natural food store<\/span>. You had housing. I had four-wheel drive. We were a perfect match.<\/span><\/p>\n

But sadly, those were the good times, before you learned the truth about me\u2014that I don\u2019t ski. <\/span><\/p>\n

At first, the summer heat pushed away all thoughts of winter, but as the leaves changed color and the days grew colder and darker, so too did the long-term forecast for our relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n

Every time you mentioned skiing, I averted eye contact and changed the subject. I didn\u2019t want to mention that skiing wasn\u2019t my thing, because I know how important snow-covered mountains are to you. I was crushed by the weight of my dishonesty. I\u2019m sorry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember the time you asked to see my gear closet? I figured the game was up, but instead, you were too distracted by the excessive amount of climbing gear to notice that I don’t own a single pair of skis. So I said nothing. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you wondered aloud why I didn\u2019t have a ski rack mounted to my car, I knew I was busted. But you must have been satisfied by the look of my snow tires, because you didn\u2019t push the subject, and the lie lived another day. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But when you finally invited me to the town ski swap to browse the powder skis, I didn\u2019t know what to say, so we had The Talk. \u201cI can\u2019t ski \u2026\u201d I whispered, ashamed. Shock quickly spread across your face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t ski \u2026\u201d I whispered, ashamed. Shock quickly spread across your face.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the news sank in, I could tell you felt confused\u2014even betrayed. How could I have not told you sooner? The warning signs had been there.<\/span><\/p>\n

You took space from the relationship (to go to a music festival), and as the disappointment settled, you realized that what we had built might be worth salvaging. <\/span><\/p>\n

After all, we\u2019ve been through a lot\u2014plus, we have a van together\u2014so you wanted to make it work (and change me). <\/span><\/p>\n

You said you’d support me through this\u2014that we were in it together\u2014so once the local ski resort opened, we started attending couple\u2019s ski school together. <\/span><\/p>\n

I showed promise early on, but after spending days coaching me down the green terrain with a leash attached to my waist, I could tell you weren\u2019t fulfilled. Maybe it was the glint in your eye when you caught sight of the upper mountain and people skiing down covered in powder. <\/span>It was obvious you weren\u2019t happy. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forget pillaging fresh turns, I can\u2019t make it down a groomer without exploding into a full-on yard sale\u2014skis, poles, even goggles\u2014launching in every direction. And guess who\u2019s left to pick up the pieces? You are, and it\u2019s not fair for either of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I need to tell you something: <\/span>I want to start skiing with other people.<\/i><\/p>\n

I want to ski with other people because I can\u2019t keep up, and whenever I try, you want to ditch me to be in the company of other, <\/span>faster <\/span>people. It hurts. <\/span><\/p>\n

I want to ski with other people because I deserve to be left in peace when I want to carry my skis upside-down (yes, I know how to carry them properly now, but that doesn\u2019t mean I always will). And you deserve to don that bulky backpack and hike out to who-knows-where for, what do you call it? Face shots?<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to ski with other people because I love the part of you that is wild, passionate and free\u2014the same part that hucks cliffs and disappears from sunrise to sunset on a powder day. <\/span><\/p>\n

We can still meet up for <\/span>apr\u00e8s. And we can (maybe)\u00a0<\/span>ride the gondola if our paths cross at the base area (unlikely). But instead of making false promises we\u2019re probably not going to keep, for the health of our relationship, how about we just agree: We\u2019re not skiing together anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be clear, this isn\u2019t a breakup letter\u2014far from it. This is the letter I\u2019m sending so there won\u2019t be a breakup letter. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the new plan: I\u2019ll be joyfully ripping low-angle corduroy while you\u2019re hiking for hero turns in the sidecountry, because we both deserve to do what makes us happy. See you at 4 for nachos?<\/span><\/p>\n

Love always (even if it\u2019s a powder day),<\/p>\n

Sam<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey you, I\u2019m writing because I\u2019ve grown concerned about the health of our mountain-town relationship. When we met last summer, everything seemed too good to be true. I was a river guide; you were a yoga instructor, wildlife-safari driver, dishwasher and landscaper. After work, we\u2019d ride mountain bikes, go hiking, paddle the river and drink […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":43699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[727,548,364],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-43589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-latest-posts","tag-relationships","tag-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/i-want-to-start-skiing-with-other-people","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"I Want to Start Skiing With Other People","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/i-want-to-start-skiing-with-other-people","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/i-want-to-start-skiing-with-other-people"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Skiing_With_Other_People-crop.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Skiing_With_Other_People-crop.jpg?fit=2602%2C1090"},"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","relationships","snowsports"],"dateCreated":"2019-02-14T16:02:08Z","datePublished":"2019-02-14T16:02:08Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:04:23Z"},"rendered":"