skierpeter
New member
I’ve been living in Indiana for almost six years now. Indiana’s the kind of place where the cornfields dictate where the road goes and you can watch your dog run away for 3 days. Obviously, it’s not the place for skiing as I have found out first hand. <BR> <BR>Of course when skiers think of Indiana the first thought is of Paoli Peaks, or to some “garbage mountain.” Well, I must say that I have not been there, and I don’t see myself there anytime soon. It is just as easy for me to travel north to Michigan and get a decent sized hill after a seven or so hour drive. <BR> <BR>Living where I am, my skiing days have greatly changed. I used to have a season pass at Wentworth Mountain (Wentworth, NS) and head out every day after school for a few great runs. Now I head out west once a year for a weeklong ski getaway and maybe two long weekends at a Michigan resort. This, at least in my opinion, is one of a skier’s worst nightmares and I’m sure there are others out there that can agree. <BR> <BR>For some people, flying to a few resorts a year and spending a week or so at each is an almost regular thing, but when your just a high school student enjoying the “best times of your life” time and money aren’t always available for skiing. It is hard for a kid at my age to enjoy the sport as much as he loves it, but as I think about this, I starting planning what I would like to do after high school, through university and even after that. It is as if skiing has taken control of my life...but in an unusual, yet great way. I would like to attend a university near a ski resort in either United States or Canada (still being a Canadian citizen the doors are still open for either country) and possibly work there part time. Another possibility is to go to Europe for a few months and experience a new culture, while at the same time skiing when I have the time. It is as if skiing motivates me to move forward, to advance in life, and reach my ultimate career of medicine just as my father has done. <BR> <BR>I now spend hours online at ski related websites, reading articles, catching up on the latest gear news, and planning my yearly week of snow somewhere in the world. Everyday I read or look at something related to skiing. Yesterday, I got my September issue of “Skiing Magazine.” I read that thing to the fullest, every page, every advertisement, and even every marketplace ad on the last three pages. If there is something in that magazine then I read it. I am currently waiting for my next issue of Powder which I just started subscribing to. I simply can’t get enough of the sport. <BR> <BR>My bedroom is covered floor to ceiling with ski posters, pictures, and trail maps from various resorts I have visited or that my father has brought back from European trips. I shop eBay continuously for new posters, books, videos and other ski related material. Even down to my Playstation video games where I own Coolboarders 3, Coolboarders 4, and ESPN’s Winter X Games Proboarder. <BR> <BR>This all may sound like an obsession with snow, winter, and skiing. But I simply call it a passion, a passion that pushes me forward, teaches me, and does some things people wouldn’t believe. For me, skiing is a life to live!