The Religion of Skiing

By Arthur E. Heimbach, Ph.D. (1996)

I am a ski industry "researcher." A searcher of "truth." Ski resorts and industry businesses pay me to find
out information about skiers -- what kinds of equipment skiers like, how new ski equipment should be
better, who skis where and why they go where they go, and what the resorts need to do to improve
the experiences they offer. Through interviews with thousands of skiers over several years, I have seen
an interesting dimension of skiers’ perspective on their sport – Skiing as a Religion.

So Why Do They Ski?

Quoting Mount Snow’s Walter Shoenknecht: "Although a strong business background is a

prerequisite for a successful executive in our industry, we must remember why people enjoy
our sport. ... It’s because there are few experiences which (sic) compare to the epic ski run,
and if we forget to remind people of the power of that image, we are wasting valuable time,
energy and money."

What is an "epic ski run?" People offer many different reasons why they like to ski. Some see it simply
as wintertime fun, a relatively frivolous way to play outside during the snowy season. For others, it is a
social event. Some perceive skiing as an activity that communicates prestige, and their participation
is a sign of their superior social class. In certain instances, skiing is a way to satisfy their need to
compete. For many, it is a good form of distraction from the stresses and pressures of everyday life.

Another group of people, although they may not say so explicitly, sees skiing as a much larger
experience. Skiing makes them feel better about themselves than they did before they skied. It
makes them feel more connected to others and to nature. It makes them forget about their day-to-
day troubles. These people are essentially celebrating skiing as a "religion."

For them, skiing consists of a set of rituals that can provide self-development and a sense of harmony
with the world. Many traditional facets of skiing--physical, mental, emotional and social--support the
spiritual and religious analogy.

On the physical side, a most basic part of skiing is simply being outside in the clean and crisp air,
surrounded by the natural beauty of mountains and forests. Many people report that being
immersed in this natural environment provides a calming, centering feeling. They consider their place
in the cycle of nature and the importance of the natural environment. Upon occasion, skiing may
also mean "surviving" nature’s elements: extreme cold, high winds and whiteout snow conditions. It
places a skier in challenging situations, provides tests of worthiness, and ultimately offers opportunities
for experiencing the fulfillment of success. In toto, these can be akin to "religious experience."

Also on the physical level are the satisfying sensations of extreme physical fatigue. How many times
have people said how much they love the feeling of exhaustion after a superb day of skiing? It has
taken all of their energy, effort and determination to succeed, and it leaves them tired but not
drained. They have been tested and have measured up.

On the mental side, but tied to the physical aspect of skiing, is the need to work with whatever the
mountain and the weather offer. This strong connection with nature provides an increased sense of
well-being when successfully accomplishing greater adaptability and understanding. As noted by
Seth Masia (long-time writer in the ski industry), "You don’t know how good you are until you leave the
familiar and tackle the strange. You may have mastered your home hill . . . But can you take that
same level of confidence to another mountain, and rise to the challenge of a new rhythm?" (SKI
Magazine, February 1996).

Adapting to new situations is a growing experience. Recognizing that one has the ability to adapt
contributes greatly to a sense of accomplishment and of an improved self. This is much like the role of
a religion. For some, skiing provides an opportunity to conquer fears and break through personal
barriers, which is, again, often a role of religious discipline.

The freedom and the ability to perform autonomously reassure us that we are the only one in control.
Whether we succeed or fail is our own responsibility and any success is all ours! In this sense, skiing
could be thought of as The Church of Self-Responsibility. This is of especially great benefit for some
women, for whom success in skiing brings another form of equality and personal freedom.

Mentally, skiing often is also meditative. The skier is best when in the "now," with a 100% focus on the
situation, not thinking about other parts of life such as work or some other "hassle-factors." While many
skiers enjoy the camaraderie of going to the resort with their buddies and/or family, they also
frequently enjoy the autonomy of being alone, skiing down a run. A ski day provides quiet time, the
solitude to think about things, balanced by the social gatherings at the rendezvous points on the way
down, the chairlift rides on the way up, and the end-of-the-day beer or drive home.

Expanding on this social side of skiing, many people find skiing to be a great vehicle for increasing
their connection with their family and/or friends. Sharing thrills, overcoming a harsh storm, even just
playing together provides a rich sense of unity, one of the key roles of religion. Furthermore, sharing
this sport cuts across most traditional barriers of athletics. After the beginning levels, the rigor of the
practice, the fun of success, and the value of the total experience can be simultaneously
appreciated by all in a diverse group, regardless of age or gender, size or strength, experience or
ability.

For many, another great value of skiing is that the social situation can be one of unstructured equality
among friends. There is no explicit leader, and each person in the group gets to choose a run they
prefer. In this way, the day ends up looking like a form of an interactive creation of self-expression.
The paths chosen and the way people ski side-by-side down a run produce a mental image that
mimics art. The art analogy can apply whether it is created by an individual or by friends skiing
together.

The self-expression, the art and grace associated with skiing can elicit strong emotional feelings. The
beauty, the scenery and the harmony all work together to heighten that emotional stimulation.
Recent essays in The Ski Industry Letter by Greg Berry and Diane Scholfield elaborate about the role
of emotion in skiing (TSIL, January 16 and January 23, 1996). Greg Berry recounts the perspective of
Jack Turner (former marketing executive at Purgatory and Bear Mountain, who is now an industry
marketing consultant based in Durango, Colorado) that "The reason skiing is stagnant and
snowboarding is growing is because skiing sells to the head and snowboarding sells to the soul. And
the head is the most difficult to sell." Diane Scholfield tells the story of a student in a ski lesson who
comes to the realization that he wants to improve so that he can ski with his friends and then "I’m
happy, I feel good about myself...and my self-esteem is as high as these mountains."

This feeling of success derived from skiing is powerful. It often carries over to other parts of one’s life.
One skier in an interview with us said "if I can achieve this quality of skiing, I know that I can easily
handle all the other problems in my life." Faith in one’s abilities to meet the challenges of skiing can
lead to confidence in one’s ability to handle any situation, i.e., accepting the tenets of The Church of
Self-Responsibility. Isn’t this the type of solace that traditional religions attempt to provide?
From the root word "legion," the word "religion" means to "re-connect." In the discussion about skiing,
people talk about reconnecting with themselves, their family members, their friends and ultimately
Mother Nature. The analogy seems clear.

If Skiing is a Religion, So What?

Many questions come to mind after looking at this sport with this perspective. Some who haven’t
seen all these aspects before may ask, "How can I get all these benefits?" Others who are already at
this level may ask, "So what?"

Using the religious analogy a bit more to view skiing from the "management" or industry side, the
concept takes on greater importance. If the resorts understand and address the needs of the
impassioned skiers, they are well on the road to providing the ultimate desired experience for all.

1. Reductions in practice cause a loss in the appreciation for the benefits derived from almost
any activity. If an active skier begins to ski less and less, due to life’s demands rather than
disinterest, the benefits become less clear (much as slowing down in the number of church
visits may lead to a loss in feeling connected or even in faith).
2. Many skiing parents will agree that taking small children skiing can be more "difficult" than
"spiritual." The escape (transcendence) from the day-to-day hassles is lost. The training of
children should take place in a similar way as the transfer of religious faith from parents to
children. Unfortunately, the hassles can lead to declines in parents experiencing the benefits,
and then a loss of "faith." Consider the great potential for increased numbers of skiing families
arising from the boomer generation having their own families. Even though boomers were
themselves primarily responsible for the growth of skiing, the potential for loss of followers
because of this hurdle is equally great.

The flip-side of the family-hassle view is the extreme satisfaction in seeing one’s children
become more self-confident and independent. Watching your children accomplish tasks,
acquire skills, and learn to control their own ski day is a very enriching, fulfilling and positive
experience. The trick for the parents (and for ski resorts) is to learn how to increase the
probability of positive experiences and decrease the probability of the detrimental "hassle."

The importance of the family ski experience is very much related to the concept of skiing as a
religion. Most religions recognize and address the importance of enriching families through
shared experiences and beliefs and efforts. Many older skiers say how wonderful skiing is for
enjoying quality time, increasing the bonding and union of the family. Family ski trips usually
create great memories, as everyone shares fun and growth in responding to the challenge of
the mountain and the snow. Skiing is full of positive values that can be nurtured in children. For
some families, ski trips even provide an opportunity for their children’s salvation, showing them
ways to experience extreme exhilaration away from drugs and alcohol. In many ways, skiing is
an excellent family-building ritual.

3. The cost of skiing (tithing) may begin to limit access to the church for all but the most religious.
Resorts often think of the cost of skiing at the one-day ticket price. Analogies are made to
attending professional sporting events (NFL, NBA, etc.) and amusement parks (Disneyland,
etc.). A key problem with using these "competitors" as references is that these experiences do
not require frequent ("religious") attendance to assure continued participation. Sports can be
followed on TV. Only the rabid fan needs to have a season’s pass. Amusement park visits are,
for most people, a once every few years experience. For a skier to stay active in the sport may
require 10 or more visits per season, not one. Say the average lift ticket price for a day is $30,
which is in fact a little low, it would cost $300 per year to maintain one’s loyalty to the church.
This ignores the costs of travel to reach the mountain, equipment (purchasing or renting),
 lessons, clothing, meals, accessories, etc. No firm estimate is available on the number of ex-
skiers who dropped out because they could not afford to visit ski areas enough times in a year
to "keep the faith." Those who still want to follow the faith but cannot afford to may create
splinter groups of backcountry "cults." The cults can provide the purity of the experience and
may distract many mainstream followers away from the resorts to share the similar benefits
without the high cost. The reduction in "members" lost to economics or the backcountry could
upset the viability of the resorts. The ski area’s potential and probable reaction of increasing
prices to offset lost business could lead to a mass reduction in the number of participants in
the sport, and may have already. For the church to survive, potential followers need to have
access to the church.

4. As ski areas become more corporate (in terms of ownership, bureaucracy and management
philosophy as well as experience offered), they may be loosing sight of how to provide the
nurturing aspects of their church. Diane Scholfield (long-time write in the ski industry) talks
about how "The longer someone works in the ski industry, the tougher it is to recall that feeling"
(that the heart of skiing is the provision of a carefree environment and the ability to be free).
Greg Berry (Editor of The Ski Industry Letter) points out that when the snow quality of small
resorts is equal to that of the large resorts, visits to the smaller resorts skyrocket. These smaller
areas have lower barriers in terms of price and convenience. Could it also be that they
provide a more human and more romantic experience due to their cozier, less grandiose
scale?

The planning model currently used by many ski resorts is that they should provide
entertainment, and as such, should learn to develop their offering to become a more "full"
experience, much like an amusement park. For the dedicated skiers, who view skiing as a
religious-like experience, the amusement park model is actually the contradiction of what
should be done. Disneyland cannot be over-commercialized but a religious temple (Mecca?)
certainly can. Some ski resort shapers are not considering skiing’s critical fun factor - its
"inherent" fun vs. externally provided entertainment. Commercialization and ignoring the
essential fun will cause a loss of principal followers as well as those friends and family --
potential converts -- they would bring. They will escape from the formal "church" because it will
have become too secular and detached from its primary mission. The package, trying to be
all things to all people, can become too slick and too easy. Purists may move their worship to
the backcountry in order to rediscover the essence of their religion. Others leave because
they can find many entertainment options that are closer to home, less expensive and/or
simpler to enjoy.

As Greg Berry noted, "Skiing is NOT in the details. It is in the experience." Not about discounts,
lift speed and capacity, sidecuts, technology. Skiing is about flying like an eagle; fulfilling the
need to get out of the detail-oriented day-to-day life and just live; to "re-create." Skiing can be
a life-long growing experience. (One can "join" and achieve benefits immediately, yet the
more rigorous and focused one becomes at practicing the faith, the closer the experience
becomes to exhilaration and the ultimate high. For the favored and the lucky, skiing takes on
true meaning of its own.)

Skiing, to skiers, is not about discounts, lift speed or capacity, sidecuts or other technology. It is
a means to fly and to escape from the everyday. It can be a lifelong opportunity to be
challenged and to succeed, as well as being just plain fun. It can be experienced at many
levels, and may mean different things to different skiers, depending on exposure to the sport
and ability.
What Can I Do?

If you are a skier, one of the faithful who already comprehends the beauty and challenge and
rewards, you must keep in mind that you must practice your "religion." If you feel that the experience
-- for skiers and for snowboarders -- is important for people to have and that as many as possible
(when environmentally feasible) should experience it, then you need to maintain participation to
assure that the resorts remain viable and available. Share your passion and build the congregation,
or the loss of resorts will both increase costs and decrease accessibility. People need challenge, and
we need to master new skills. Skiing can offer physical, spiritual and social strength and growth for
those who find the passion. Acknowledge that snowboarding is good and provides the same
opportunity for personal growth and enjoyment.

The skiing and snowboarding faithful need places to worship. Perhaps the issue isn’t the loss of skiing,
per se, but the loss of our "organized churches," the resorts. While backcountry is great (especially
from a purist’s perspective), only a small part of the congregation can or will be able to experience it.
Indulge your passion, practice your "religion," and help insure that the resorts will provide accessible
skiing and snowboarding for new generations to find that same fulfillment and fun. Get out there and
proselytize!

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Special thanks to Bonnie Tregaskis for her wordsmith efforts to make this manuscript more interesting
to read.