How do you balance your skiing with life.

[Wish]

 

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@Horton, where is that "Too much time on my hands" video? Wish seems to have a lot of that!

[Bill22]

I think it's harder when your wife doesn't ski.

[Texas6]

Skiing is the catalyst for balance in my life. I'm better all the way around when I'm skiing. My wife knows this about me and when things get really stressful for me at work, or with life in general, she pushes me to ski more.

[ToddL]

When skiing is your life, there is no decision needed.

[chris55]

Between my family life and weather...not enough time on the water. When I can ski, it does makes me very happy and the family likes it so it is a good balance

[6balls]

It can be tough. Most often it's very quickly and efficiently done. If it weren't convenient I probably wouldn't ski much.

Working in some noon hours and some holes in the workday this year as a ski buddy now works from home and is very flexible.

[gt2003]

Not difficult this year as trying to sell the house and move etc. I just have to make those the priorities. But, my other half skies so its' not that difficult. It may be a different story once we get moved and there is a ski lake within 10 miles.

[skibug]

I don't balance it....skiing consumes me; as long as my family is safe, healthy, and fed.

[MrJones]

I generally ski way too much April through September, then shut it off and do other stuff over the winter. Pretty sure I would quit if I tried to ski year round.

[lpskier]

I found that cutting back on my work load by 80% and eliminating most non water ski friends pretty much solved the problem. #iskiconnelly

[Dano]

Balance? Choose to ski and go do it. Everything else will balance out.

[The_MS]

If I am not at work and it is calm, we go ski and deal with whatever later.

[Rich]

Balance, if you want to be good you cant be balanced, you will be lucky to stay married... water skiing is a time consuming repetitive motion sport Good luck with balance

 

[Deanoski]

I ski at lunch so it does not get in the way of family

[Razorskier1]

Balancing the two is not possible. Probably 80% of all ski sets occur for me at 6:30am before work with my wife, and sometimes other family members. I'm gone all day, then at night free to do what the rest of the family would like. Weekends I ski early mornings at another site typically with my son. Home in time to make breakfast for the family and enjoy the rest of the day. Like @6balls -- it is all business when we ski. Skier changes happen very fast, ski sets are all business, back to the dock, off to work. Someday I hope I can slow down and actually take my time!

[lcgordon]

I have a tough time balancing slalom, trick and barefooting.

[xrated]

I thought once we had a boat it would be ski every time it was calm like @MS turns out the hassle of launching and pulling prevents that. So maybe when we have a lift and it is 5 minutes to lower and raise the boat it will be go time.

 

Plus the wife and 2 kids ski and the other kid loves being in the boat so it doesn't steal away from family time!

[The_MS]

@xrated You have the perfect set up going. The family that plays together, stays together.

Here is a good tip for you youngsters out there. Dont marry a person that does not like to ski. Pretty simple.

[GAJ0004]

Single at 47. I have not had to answer that.. Skiing is probably why I am single. Finding a woman who has any interest in boating and being out on the water is almost impossible.

 

[Waternut]

I think the title should be.... How do you make others balance out their lives so they can ski more often? That's my biggest problem. Too many people have other priorities and I need a driver.

[DaveD]

I believe the saying is "ski the course, get a divorce".

 

Be an adult and ski after taking care of the family. I say that because I'm justifying not skiing yet this year because of family health issues and working weekends.

 

Besides, missing out on skiing leaves you wanting to ski that much more. :)

[Horton]

I convinced my wife that skiing was my business - Literally.

[thager]

Balance? Why bother?

[gsm_peter]

A happy wife = happy life.

 

Listen to the small warning signals and keep count on them.

When figure go up do wife things to keep figure within limits.

 

Applies to all men things an not only for skiing.

[Chef23]

I am pretty lucky. I live on a lake with a slalom course so frequently I can ski in an hour with one of my buddies. My son really was in to skiing until he was about 14 or so (his focus has shifted to lacrosse for college) so we went to tournaments together and my wife and daughter used to go to our beach house. The last couple of years I have been busy during the summer with lax tournaments so we haven't skied many tournaments but I can still get on the water.

[Texas6]

Me and my ski buddy are out and back in under an hour. My wife realizes this is far better than a golf hobby

[Razorskier1]

The other thing is that I don't ski many tournaments anymore. I love going to them -- it's social, it's outside, I get to watch great skiing, talk to everybody, etc. However, as one of only two tournament skiers in a five person family, I can't leave every weekend for a tournament. So for now I squeeze them in when I can usually once or twice a season and just try to enjoy the time I get on the water early mornings during the week and on the weekends.

[ToddL]

Lol, @Texas6. My wife equates my skiing to golf. Since we don't live on the lake, and my son and I ski multiple events; a trip to the lake includes: 20-30 mins travel, boat launch time, 5 ski sets, boat wipe and put away time, and 20-30 mins travel. Add all that up and it can be a 3-4 hour outing.

[Texas6]

Yep, that's exactly like Golf actually....Just tell her the 19th hole is home for you, and those pesky golfers stay and chat all day, which makes you a better husband than any golfer...

[aupatking]

@ToddL show your wife what greens fees cost these days. In my area, around $80 each, is probably the low side average. I'm betting you guys aren't dropping anything near that.

I try that angle all the time. See honey, skiing is cheap!

[xrated]

You guys think keeping a wife happy during ski season is hard....you should try duck and goose hunting which has a range of dates from September through December.

[ESPNSkier]

Skiing is how my wife and I find balance. I travel a lot for work so when I am not traveling we go out on the lake every evening and ski the course (if the wind and jet skiis cooperate) or free ski. We each run a set or two and then play a game of backgammon on the engine cover and share a glass of wine while we watch the sun go down.

[ToddL]

Nice point of reference, @aupatking! The good news is that my wife and I were both on a collegiate ski team together. She is also a rated 3ev judge and scorer. My only child is a 3ev skier. So, she gets it. She just wishes it didn't take 4 hours round trip. This is excellent leverage to pursue living on a lake or at least much closer!

[Texas6]

@ToddL - living on the lake is completely worth it....My wife mentioned recently with a laugh, that she'd likely die out here on this ski lake, because she knows I won't ever move.

[jetpilotg4]

She drives and i ski .... Perfectly balanced !

[DefectiveDave]

Haha, I wish this topic had come up sooner. I'm currently banned from skiing by my wife because I couldn't find this mythical "balance".

[david_ski]

Wife and son doesn't ski. My failure in there somewhere. I get my ski time in on weekdays before work. Weekends I am usually home with family except for a couple of tournaments a season. If wife has other obligations on weekend, I usually get a free trip to the lake.

[Greg Lukin]

Ski every sat and through summer before work once a week - my family ski but it still at times is a burden on my wife. We both work and study so time is tight. I take the kids and they love tubing and cruising in the boat - they are a bit of a hassle if its just us over in the slalom course as they get bored. They are normally keen for their go which always comes after our sets. As long as the kids are having fun I dont really care what they do behind the boat - they are mad keen and if I go without them they are not happy... Overall I really enjoy having a long day at the lake with the whole family mixing with some slalom and free skiing... good times

[gregy]

I ski, she gets mad says I spend too much time sking. I tell her would you rather me be at a bar or sitting in front of a TV wasting my life. She gets over it and the cycle continues. I'm always wrong but I've come to accept that.

[gt2003]

I can see that moving closer to a ski lake might present a problem. Thankfully she ski's but won't have nearly the desire that I will. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

[CaleBurdick]

We live on a private but big lake with a course so we can ski as a family; wife and two toddlers each get a turn. Its all about having fun on those days, hopefully my young ones stay interested and drive me as they get older. Also, I try really really hard not to have any negative experiences for my wife in the driver seat. I go to the ski club 40 minutes away for a longer set up, friendships, better driving, and super early morning sets (no need to piss off my own neighbors)! Those early morning sets are so I can ski on 12 hour shift days, but also to help the 'balance.' Meaning I can just be home to help with kids and spend time with them. My friend describes skiing as a sport only real men/women can compete in because they have to work hard to afford it and do a major life balancing act to find time to do it.

[UWSkier]

I run engineering for a startup in CA. But I'm based in WI. That two hour delay in the morning before my tcons start is a blessing. To the lake by 6, back home by 9, CA comes online around 10...

[Steven_Haines]

Find a a beautiful sexy S.O. that sends you texts in the middle of the day saying: "CAN WE SKI TONIGHT? "Yesssss! I'm truly blessed!

[Shell]

Hummmm...Find a sexy Handsome S.O who will send me texts in the middle of the day saying: "CAN WE SKI TONIGHT?" I like that :p @"Steven Haines" Haines You are Blessed...

[lantley]

I live a few minutes from a nice course on a public lake. When I first started, I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to go ski again the next day! I was that obsessed with it. Now, I have realized that I need to "roll with the flow" and not concentrate so much on just skiing. When I get a set in (always in the morning), I am happy and have a great day afterwards. If I don't, then that is OK, too.

[dchristman]

@lantley that sounds like MADNESS to me. Are you sure you don't REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY ... REALLY still want to ski every day and you're trying to convince yourself otherwise? Certainly having joined us here on ballofspray your dormant obsession will resurface, or already has. Welcome!

[lantley]

Well, maybe not...

I am most affected on the day of skiing but calm down some after that. Maybe it has something to do with adrenaline. I tell myself this so perhaps I could convince my parents that I'm not TOO crazy.

[The_MS]

At least you ski on a Monza

[dchristman]

@lantley most definitely adrenaline has something to do with it. I did a search for adrenaline and obsession and came up with this article. It says "OCD seems to be caused by excess secretion of adrenaline". I'm not diagnosing you - I'm diagnosing myself :/ . Here's an interesting graphic from another article on depression:

 

Coritsol level increase in response to adrenaline cycles. Guess what else increases coritsol levels? Alcohol...

 

My initial response was in jest, but you led me to some interesting reading. I never thought of myself as an adrenaline junkie, but maybe I am!