The Summary of what it means to ski (a little long, not bad)

Skiing is a world unto itself. Its glories are nearly indestructible. It embraces one entirely. It is a journey. Skiing is a world unto itself. Its glories are nearly indestructible. It embraces one entirely. It is a journey that follows a journey and leads on through days of almost mindless exertion and punished joy. Though countless skiers have been down the trails before, it seems they are still unconquered. Often as you stand looking down some steep pitch you have never set foot on, stoically preparing yourself, someone else or a pair will flash by and start down on an even more difficult than the one you have been considering, suddenly giving you the confidence to do the same, now, before the mountain recovers itself, so to speak. And then miraculously down the fall line, finding the rhythm, leaving everything behind, the slope vanishing like silk beneath your skis- the hardest part is over. The Sense of triumph is overwhelming.

-James Salter, in the book There and Then