The Transformative Power of Skiing || By Jeff Dixon, MA, MM, LPCC
Let’s face it, winter is finally here.
Ski resorts are open and the powder-hungry weekend warriors are mentally preparing for the hours stuck in westbound I-70 traffic. Why the snow-mania? What could be so great about skiing that attracted 14.8 million visits to Colorado ski resorts during the 2022-2023 season? What compels people from all over the planet up to travel into the freezing cold, dangerous, snow-covered mountains?
Here in Colorado, you’ve probably recently driven past a few hundred mud-caked Subarus or Toyotas with ski racks, snow tires, and a smattering of stickers on their rear window. Positioned in between decal of the driver’s preferred outdoor gear brand and a local brewery or three, you’ve definitely seen the most Colorado-y bumper sticker of them all: The mountains are calling and I must go.
This cherished eco-epigram is a memorable quote from the father of our National Park system, John Muir (1838-1914). A Scottish American naturalist, author, and environmental philosopher, John Muir’s writings and legacy have long resonated with outdoor enthusiasts of all ages, abilities, and interests. There is something beautiful, ominous, and sobering that emboldens people to hike through forests of towering redwoods, canoe across a crystal-clear lake, or strap into skis and barrel down a snow-covered mountainside.
Why do people recreate outdoors? Because nature brings us fully into the present, mind body, and spirit. Time spent in the mountains enhances our well-being, reduces stress, and fosters spiritual fulfillment and a sense of purpose in our lives, says the research.
Skiing engages your whole body and builds strength, balance, and coordination. Every turn engages the legs, core, and arms while building endurance. High-altitude skiing boosts these benefits by increasing red blood cell production. This helps the body transport oxygen more effectively and boosts cardiovascular health.
Beyond the physical fitness aspect, skiing can have a positive impact on emotional regulation. Spending time in nature helps lower cortisol levels, our stress hormones that have a strong influence on our executive cognition—our ability to make decisions, solve complex problems, and remember details. Spending in nature, even looking at pictures of natural landscapes, can be a rejuvenating reprieve from our complex, technology-infused modern lives.
One of skiing’s greatest appeals is the activity’s ability to induce flow state.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s research confirms that flow-enhancing activities greatly improve life satisfaction and mental clarity. On the slopes, the adept skier is compelled into the present moment. They entrust themselves to their training, muscle memory, and intuition to safely navigate the ever-changing terrain and shifting visibility of the snow-covered path before them.
Let’s shift gears and look at skiing from a more existential perspective. Hold on, it’s about to get heavy:
On the ski slope, we become viscerally aware of our human limitations. Skiers are acutely aware of the incongruity between their merely human abilities and the awesome power of the mountain. During every descent, the skier wagers the possibility of falls, avalanches, or injury simply for the sake of feeling alive. The prominent existential psychotherapist Irvin Yalom shares this sentiment, “Death awareness is a powerful, liberating force that can free us from trivialities and petty concerns and motivate us to live life fully.” The acceptance of death is central to achieving a meaningful life. Skiing is an act that affirms life and manifests an authentic and pervasive sense of meaning and, perhaps for some, pure joy.
Meaning, fulfillment, joy. These are states of being that give us a glimpse of wholeness.
Thankfully, we all don’t have to be an advanced skier to feel joy, fulfillment, or meaning. For the rest of us, take stock of what you value in life and your passions. Take stock of your inner world–what is calling you to adventure, into the great unknown? For some, the mountains are calling and they must go. What great thing calls out to you, a call that you dare not refuse? Whatever it is, I bet it would make an excellent bumper sticker.
About the Author: Jeff Dixon, MA, MM, LPCC, is a psychotherapist and owner of Vocatus Counseling based in Lakewood, Colorado. Jeff was called to the vocation of counseling after witnessing the pain, isolation, and loss of meaning experienced by so many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff collaborates with adolescents, couples, and adults of all ages to recalibrate their sense of purpose and life direction, process challenging experiences, and cultivate self-agency needed to live more authentically. His specialties include men’s issues, addictions, creative blocks, spirituality, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, relationships, and career transitions. As an adoptee, father, husband, and caregiver, Jeff brings an experienced and compassionate understanding approach to therapy. Professionally, he integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), Depth Psychotherapy and Dreamwork, Existential and Mindfulness-based approaches into his healing work with clients. To learn more about his practice or schedule a free consultation, visit www.vocatuscounseling.com or email him at [email protected].
