Do It Alone!

A recent trip out West with lovely UNC ski friends! Keep your eyes out for another blog soon about the amazing ski community at UNC.

I always thought I didn’t have an addictive personality… until I went skiing. As soon as I strapped into my bindings for the first time and felt the cold air on my face turning down the mountain, I was addicted. At the time, I had no clue how much this newfound hobby would give me.

I think most people view skiing as a somewhat exclusive sport, reserved for people who went to Ski School at five years old or have a family ski cabin in Colorado. For a while, this is how I viewed it too. While it looked exciting, it also seemed intimidating to start on the bunny hill at 19 when 10-year-olds were tearing up the park next door. I had never tried skiing when I moved to Boone my freshmen year to start college at Appalachian State.

I picked App State because I hoped I would meet people who shared my love for being outside and the mountains. While I did succeed in meeting amazing friends, surprisingly NONE of them were that keen on going skiing with me! I spent countless hours trying to convince my roommate Sofia to go out and ski after class, but the expensive nature of the sport turned her away.

Red flag #1: I spent (and continue to spend) all my money on my skiing addiction.

A low-quality Snapchat of my skis taken in my freshmen year dorm. I bought these off Facebook for a steal and still love them a lot. Top-tier impulsive purchase!

As a young person, it can be scary to get used to doing things alone; whether it’s eating in the dining hall or going skiing by yourself. Despite this, I decided since no one can recognize me in ski gear anyway, I wasn’t going to let my lack of a partner stop me from practicing this sport that called me to the mountain day after day. This is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Let me tell you, when I was skiing my freshmen year at App, I SUCKED. This is where skiing alone came into the picture nicely. I am not the most “sendy” person in the world and struggle with failing in front of other people. While I had no idea this was helping me improve at the time, being all alone on the mountain with no one to judge me gave me the courage to practice and fall and fall and fall without judging myself. It also left me alone with my celebrations when I finally reached a goal, which helped me realize this was really something I was doing for myself.

Red flag #2: while it worked well for me in NC, skiing alone is not recommended by any professional.

Flash forward, I don’t live 15 minutes from a mountain anymore, but I have found so much community in the sport of skiing (and I’m a lot better than I was in 2019). Beyond my love for the sport itself, I am so grateful for the friends I’ve made and the way that being out on the mountain has shifted my outlook on what is important in life. The moral of the story- don’t let the fear of being judged or failing stop you from trying something new, because it might just be a blessing in disguise.

So, thank you Sofia, for never going skiing with me freshmen year & thank you skiing, for introducing me to some of the most like-minded and joyful people I know.

P.S. now Sofia lives in Colorado & is probably better than me (I’m coming to ski Copper and bum on your couch soon <3)!

Cheers,

Katie Magnolia