By Cailean Mackay | Fleischer Sport
Skiing, to me, takes on many meanings and is extremely difficult to put in writing. I think most people would agree that writing about your ultimate passion can never do it justice because it is impossible to capture the essence of your senses, your spirit and the variety of every changing moment. I love skiing more than anything, but only recently have I realized how great of a sport it really is. On a recent drive to Vail, a friend told me that “skiing is the single best sport … ever.” I sat there and realized that there could not be a more perfect way to describe the sport.
There are not many sports in the world that require an individual to accept the ultimate fate to have the most fun possible. Skiing allows you to get away from pretty much everything you want to get away from. You want to avoid people? Get out of bounds for a run or for a day, go where everything slows down a little bit and you realize that you not only have found the peace and quiet you were looking for but also, in some strange way, found yourself again. If you are stressed out from work or having a rough day in general there is nothing like flying down a groomer at mach speed and then going back to work as if it is a new day.
Skiing is freedom. There are no restraints, no rules, and no laws other than the law of gravity. It is the ultimate freedom of expression. It is a way to meet new people. Skiing is a brotherhood, a cult and everyone has everyone’s back. What other sport has that? I think everyone should try skiing at least once because it really truly is the best sport in the world.
[title size=”3″]Why I compete on the Freeskiing World Tour:[/title]
A good friend gave me a bunch of grief one night as well as a right hook to the nose for competing in skiing. He thinks I should be purely a “soul” skier and that by competing I abandon the “soul” of the sport. What he does not understand is that I am a “soul” skier. I compete on the Freeskiing World Tour for the opportunity to make it as a professional skier. To be able to do what I love and actually make a meager living off of it would be my greatest accomplishment in life. In my opinion, the best skiers in the world and those who have the most “soul” are competitors because they are the ones risking everything and working day in and day out to be able to do what they love. Competing can be a lot of fun, as long as you remember it is still just skiing.
The Freeskiing World Tour vibe is sick, it has the best big mountain skiers on the most demanding mountains around. Imagine 100 of the best skiers ripping around a huge mountain and skiing the most difficult lines at mach speed.
Competing in skiing is an opportunity, an opportunity to be considered one of the best. It pushes my limits and then pushes them further. It may make me or break me, but if I make it, then I am having the time of my life, which in my opinion makes it well worth it.
