Not so long ago humans went skiing when it snowed nearby their location. For centuries skiers climbed uphill and enjoyed the ride down. For a brief few decades after that small local ski areas serving the surrounding towns offered rope tows and such.
It was fun. That's why they did it. And they still had time left in their day to be productive.
Fast forward a few more decades and the sport has become obese on capitalistic expectations, travel, equipment, convenience and technology. Some regions (and operators) are more overfed and stunningly clogged than others. If the juice is becoming not worth the squeeze consider going old school. Simplify it. Return to the roots.
Ski when and where there is snow nearby you. Hills, pastures, forests, parks, and mountains are around many of you. An entire class of ski equipment exists that lets you climb up and ski down without the use of skins. It's all really fun. And it's perfect on lesser vertical drops. Sometimes there won't be snow. You will live. It will return. Go then.
Maybe your region has avoided the gridlocks and powder panics. Maybe you only go midweek. Maybe you don't have kids or a M-F job. For the rest of us stuck with weekends in places like Colorado, Utah, Tahoe, the PNW and the Northeast there's never been a better time to consider returning to the roots of skiing. There's plenty of uncharted mellow terrain back there. The snow is good too.
Get some turns. See some wildlife. Get some exercise. Explore your local zones. On your schedule. Don't waste your lives in the car, waiting in lines and dealing with assholes. Capitalistic inertia made skiing that way. You still have a choice.
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