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The difference between "im a skier" and "ive been skiing"

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kko
Posts: 336 - Karma: 49

ive been thinking and im pretty sure that this is one of my biggest pet peeves about skiing. its not actually the sport though. its the people. when is someone defined as a "skier"? it drives me crazy when skiing comes up when im talking to people somewhere off the mountain and they say "oh yeahhh im a skier i love it!" and then i get all excited and go skiing with them and it turns out theyve skied once when the class went for a field trip like 9 years ago in the fifth grade. i think that there is such a huge difference between "im a skier" and "ive been skiing". but where is the line between the two? is it a number of days a year? is it a certain skill level? i just cannot figure it out. anyone have an answer?

Aug 15 2008 8:25PM
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Aenigma
Posts: 11256 - Karma: 424
You're really trying to quantify the number of days it takes to become a skier? 

Just go out in the snow and have fun, don't worry about stuff like this.
Aug 15 2008 8:30PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
i think if you ski at least 8 times a season you can call yourself a skier.

less than that is really a grey area.
Aug 15 2008 8:31PM
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Grube
Posts: 962 - Karma: 14
yeah i have to agree with you, it really bothers me when some of my friends say they ski and i expect them to be good or at least know how to stand on skis and do a little more then the bunny slop.

in my opinion a skier is someone who skis a lot and tryes to progress. its someone who tries to make it up to the mountain at least a few times a season.
Aug 15 2008 8:32PM
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kko
Posts: 336 - Karma: 49
no im not trying to get all scientific or whatever. i just think that there is such a huge difference between the two and i want to see what other peoples opinions are on it.
Aug 15 2008 8:38PM
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skiingonskis
Posts: 2076 - Karma: 262
im a skier:D
Aug 15 2008 8:41PM
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Mr.LemonPie
Posts: 4100 - Karma: 1,625
8, really...If I had to put a number I would say something like 20-30, not 8...

But how many days you get doesn't really matter. I don't think anything on the mountain depends if you are a skier. If skiing is something you think about every day even when you know you aren't going to the hill, then, you're a skier.
Aug 15 2008 8:42PM
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aurora.
Posts: 1169 - Karma: 104
man...i hate that so much...when you get stoked about the fact that someone skis...and all they can do is pizza french fry pizza...or when you explain to someone that you ski....and they think that you are a gapper and an hour long conversation ensues about how you have skied all your life and devote your life to skiing...blah blah blechhh

but there ways to avoid the ever lurking posers...if they own an "I am a Skier" t-shirt...most likely they are a skier...and if they know how to get to chads gap form the bottom of alta....obviously..
Aug 15 2008 8:49PM
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skiingonskis
Posts: 2076 - Karma: 262
ask them how long their skis are if they have skis...then you will know.
Aug 15 2008 8:51PM
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_steezefiend8
Posts: 659 - Karma: 271
the difference is skiers dream about snow and want to ski everysecond they can. well atleast i feel that way.
Aug 15 2008 8:53PM
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powderhound100
Posts: 2510 - Karma: 144
man that is so true.
Aug 15 2008 8:55PM
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lloyd_christmas
Posts: 1775 - Karma: 16

wow, just wow, that is absoultley true.  i hadn't even thought of that, but this has got to be the answer.  +karma for you good sir.

oh, and yes, it drives me bananas as well

Aug 15 2008 8:55PM
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WhoWantIt
Posts: 395 - Karma: 26
I like this thread, we should start like a list of things you must have or know to be considered a skier.

You have to own your own pair of skis.
Aug 15 2008 8:56PM
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skiminnesota
Posts: 9093 - Karma: 429
this is actually a pretty good idea.....


but yeah, it sucks....


haha i find if i am talking to someone, and the say, "yeah i love skiing"   then i go off on tons of different tangents about skiing and they get a blank stare on their face, then i realize they have been on skis once or  twice....
Aug 15 2008 8:57PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
it has to do with whether it defines you as a person in some way, or if it's just something you enjoy doing.

I am a skier, I am a climber, I am an artist, i am a photographer. I own a DH bike and I enjoy riding DH but I'm not a DH biker by any means. I enjoy fishing, but I'm not a fisher. not necessarily skill level, but those things don't really define the type of person I am outside of skiing.
Aug 15 2008 9:15PM
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Bab.
Posts: 766 - Karma: 22
its often when other people consider you a skier. many people will say ''whos that already? oh yeah that (insert sport here) guy'' or something along those line. not always true but i think its a big factor.
Aug 15 2008 9:21PM
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Casey
Posts: 7849 - Karma: 24,319
yeah i think it has way more to do with passion than with skill level, but I feel like I can tell pretty much instantly if I want to go skiing with them just by how they speak about skiing.
Aug 15 2008 9:22PM
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Federation
Posts: 430 - Karma: 17
If you own skis.
Aug 15 2008 9:31PM
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Franny
Posts: 3980 - Karma: 77
Correct!
Aug 15 2008 9:39PM
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skibum193
Posts: 3737 - Karma: 33
hence why you ask questions like what skis you ride? did you ski that sick ass pow day last year? you ever been to ___ part of the mtn? questions that will tell you whether they know whats up. then you know whether to ski with them or not
Aug 15 2008 10:16PM
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Phill.
Posts: 1149 - Karma: 37
20 to 30???? thats a shit load for ppl that have to drive two hours to a ski place every weekend!!!!! but the rest of the post is good..... i consider myself a skier ive been skiin since i could walk... i havent gone any 20 times a year but like i said thats a lot from wherei live..... but i also couldnt drive then.... now i can so it might change.... any ways i think about it all the time
Aug 15 2008 10:42PM
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b-ladd
Posts: 2300 - Karma: 48
I drive 2 and a half hours to the mountain every weekend, and definitely get more than 20 to 30 days a year. Given, I don't have to pay for the gas, but even if I did, I would. I don't mean to sound like an elitist prick or anything, but this is another example of what defines someone as a skier-the lengths one will go to get some turns. For example, would you in particular be willing to not only drive more than those two hours, but also hike 3 miles with a 50+ lb. pack in order to go skiing? From the sound of it, probably not, but hey, maybe you'll surprise me...
Aug 15 2008 10:54PM
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Jwalk
Posts: 4647 - Karma: 134
if you really have the itch to ski id say you are a skier
Aug 15 2008 11:01PM
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ben_southworth
Posts: 1063 - Karma: 447
/thread
Aug 15 2008 11:08PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
once you've mastered piazza and french fries
Aug 15 2008 11:13PM
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Phill.
Posts: 1149 - Karma: 37
kk... but u say go to the mountains soo im guessing u mean like the rockies or some northeast.... but i live in the middle of the midwest where to get to good ski MOUNTAINS yuo have to drive 13 hours to the east or 24 to the west... and thats would be like idk + or - a thousan dollars in gas and food and lodging jus to get there...  plus for 5 days of skiing and lodgging.... adds up... by the way it takes 2 hours to get to a hill that is maby 300ft so instead of drivin every weekend for crappy skiin i can go once everyotha week and save $$$ then in a year go to Colorado and spend it all on good skiing... so hiking 3 miles with 50 pounds sounds like a bargain where do i sign????
Aug 15 2008 11:18PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
20 times is a lot man.

the way i look at it if you have:

-a season that starts mid december and can end as soon as march.

-a job where you must work at least one day on the weekend.

-school (exams...)

-no car

-a 2 hour drive to get to your hill

-parents who would rather not support your decision to ski


...and you can still get to ski once weekend for 2 months, you're a skier in my opinion.

if you live in whistler, totally different story.
Aug 15 2008 11:26PM
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MikeWalsh
Posts: 486 - Karma: 13
Im english i ski  1 week a year on snow cause thats all my familly can afford + a couple of days on dryslopes (shittty bristly stuff) and the "snowdome". I dont own skis cause it wouldnt make economic sense when only skiing once a year and im still growing but as soon as i get the monney thats all i think of buying. I own the shitist jacket, pants, goggles, hat and helmet ive ever seen. But i think of skiing more than anything else in the world, lieing in bed this morning i dreamed that i developed this new sort of mat  that felf just like firmly packed snow to ski on and i  built jumps out of wood and made the most awesome park on some random hill in the middle of nowhere and invited all NS members from england to come shred. It was fucking awesome and if i had the monney id do it. I plan to move out to america or canada to ski as soon as i finish school and can afford the flights. Tbh i find it quite insulting that ur comeing up with all this criteria for being a skier cause I AM A SKIER more than im a human being and fuck however many times i get to go a year. A skier to me is someone who dosent care about monney someone who dosent care about a house or a car, only getting to some snow and shredding that pow pow all day. Obviously alot of you guys who live next door to a mountain dont see how lucky you really are.
Aug 16 2008 7:06AM
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ninjea
Posts: 2083 - Karma: 28

The pythagorean theorem is used to calculate the sides of a triangle, so your equastion was bound to fail from the begining.

 But here is an equation i divised to show how much of a skier one is
          ______________
 q = (√p(p-a)(p-b)+2sinμ  ) x n[2a + (n-1)d]
                                                         2

q- how much of a skier you are
p- number of days skied total
a- number of days skied powder
b- number of days skied park
μ- minutes it takes to drive to your mountain
n- How often you buy new skies
d- the number of "X"es your pants have in their size

Aug 16 2008 8:05AM
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cousinmark
Posts: 939 - Karma: 29
i think a skier can be defined as some one who loves skiing almost as much or more than the opposite sex........but ya for the vast majority skiing is something you do 2 or 3 days evry two years.........
Aug 16 2008 8:22AM
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rudeboy
Posts: 270 - Karma: 375

you dropped the knowledge! im english too, no mountains, i remember feeling exactly like you while i was still in school, i feel your pain man!! all this minimum days is bullshit, same with skill level, IF YOU LOVE SKIING, THEN YOUR A SKIER.

Aug 16 2008 9:28AM
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SKIDUBAIGUY
Posts: 3018 - Karma: 8
If you have an NS account or a TGR account your a skier.
Aug 16 2008 9:42AM
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-Tristan-
Posts: 915 - Karma: 19
Its all relative kids. I know some people who wouldnt consider you a skier unless you drop everything, move west, buy big skis and ski 80+ days a season. Others who might go a step further and not consider you a real skier unless you chase snow all year long and clock 200+. I also have lots of friends who are great skiers and know a lot about the sport, but have other commitments and only get 10-20 days on a shitty icy little bump.

Just go out and have fun with what you have, weather thats 4000 vert feet and 100 days a year or 200 for 5. Chances are you cant change it because if you could we would would all be skiing everyday.
Aug 16 2008 10:50AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704

No, that's not what she said.  She hates it when she goes with people who can't keep up.  I think you measure by skill level.  I just don't go with new people until I know they are good enough to keep up.

Aug 16 2008 11:06AM
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[MEGAMO]
Posts: 1222 - Karma: 18
if you own your own gear, including a real jacket and pants. doesnt have to be super steezy, but at least meant for skiing
Aug 16 2008 11:22AM
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mtvtut
Posts: 59 - Karma: 19
i think you qualify as being a skier when skiing is the most important thing in your life. like you wake up everyday thinking..." skiing is the reason i got out of bed today". or you spend all of your time away from the mountin wishing you were at the mountain, or jumping on rails and pretending you have your skis on, or throwing 3s and 5s off of stair sets.
Aug 16 2008 11:23AM
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Twinjibber77
Posts: 6239 - Karma: 2,354
It's called the infamous "Gaper Line"
Aug 16 2008 11:56AM
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BKlein
Posts: 1031 - Karma: 81
good point + karma
id say u hav to b devoted and it has to b part of ur life and lifesstyle
u cant say sum1's not a skier cuz they only get 4 years in a day cuz they liv in texas yet they love the sport spend all the time on ns and make backyrd jibs
but u can say sum rich kid is a skier cuz he goes on 5 trips to aspen on his private plane evry year
Aug 16 2008 1:03PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
Around here, if I haven't seen you at a premiere, if we don't have the same friends who ski, you're probably not a "skier" in the sense of the term that the OP is talking about here... so it's pretty easy to tell. You can usually assume when someone says they ski that they're at best a weekend warrior, because people who do it like NS are few and far between.

That being said I think snowboarding has this problem times fifty.
Aug 16 2008 1:39PM
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neon1peace
Posts: 998 - Karma: -1
Yes.
Aug 16 2008 2:04PM
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[Adam]
Posts: 1937 - Karma: 256
amen
Aug 16 2008 2:15PM
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AptosFreeskier
Posts: 1240 - Karma: 17
I think the op is spending to much time thinking about stupid shit. In my opinion if you like skiing your a skier. A minimum number of days to consider yourself a skier? Preposterous. Imagine a kid that lives say 10 hours from snow and can't make it to the mountains, but he really wants to ski. So he builds a snow less set up and skis that. Is he not a skier? He doesn't make it to the mountains so he must not be a skier, right? How come it matters that someone says they are a skier but they don't go that often?
Aug 16 2008 2:19PM
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White-Goblin
Posts: 325 - Karma: 9
i definately have to agree with the snowboarding part.. theres so many kids around here that have gone out in their back yard and thrown on a canadian tire snowboard and slid down a 20 foot hill and are like yeah dawgz i can snowboard it is fun
Aug 16 2008 2:27PM
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salomonskiier12
Posts: 2862 - Karma: 19
its like saying a hockey player vs somone who plays hockey.  2different things.

a skiier vs someone who has skiied once or twice

i just hate kids who classify themselves as black diamond skiiers or blue square skiiers. 

fuck... the shit I ski isn't even marked and doesn't even have a classification.
Aug 16 2008 3:06PM
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Phill.
Posts: 1149 - Karma: 37
dude i hear you loud and clear
Aug 16 2008 11:34PM
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salomonskiier12
Posts: 2862 - Karma: 19
its all about desire
Aug 16 2008 11:41PM
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prophet
Posts: 4734 - Karma: 1,007
i think about skiing at least once a day.
i dream about skiing.
i have hurt myself skiing.
i have about as much ski clothing/gear as i do regular clothing.
my car exists to get me to the hill.
much of my regular clothing is also related to skiing or was a ski-freebie.
some of my musical taste came from ski movies.
my best friends ski.
i am a skier.
i recognize the prior statement as cheesy as a brand slogan drop.
i do have a pair of lines though... coincidentally prophets. 130s.
Aug 17 2008 12:30AM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,458
I believe chairlift conversation is the deciding factor. Think about it. If you're talking about BOYZZZZZ or GIRLZZZZZ you've been skiing and if you are critiquing your last run with your buddies on the lift, you're a skier.
Aug 17 2008 2:38AM
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Celone
Posts: 1998 - Karma: 114
IF YOU HAVE A NS ACCOUNT!
Aug 17 2008 2:42AM
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landonn
Posts: 2913 - Karma: 385
i would say if you are confident in going down and you know the gerneral things about skiing then your a skier. like wat a snow cat is and stuff. some tourists at my mountain think a snow cat is a monsther that hides in the trees. not skiers
Aug 17 2008 2:45AM
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