There is no better experience in the world than racing unrestricted down mountains in some of the most majestic places on the planet. Skiing can sum up my life. It has been a part of me for as long as I can remember, and I can best relate my personality and attitude to the sport. Skiing has not only provided me with a great workout that I can enjoy with my closest friends and family, but also a way to learn life lessons that I can apply to my everyday goals. A trained skier like myself will master the difficulty that the mountain offers as well as all that life throws at us.

Skiing is so unique to me because I see the way the mountain is constructed, and I am able to arrange this placement and relate it to my life situations. In skiing, you can take the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you are going to get to the bottom. What sets the paths apart is the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. The easy trails can be fun and enjoyable, but I ask myself as an experienced skier, was I really testing my skills? There is no obstacle or challenging terrain in taking the easy way, and I cannot claim in the end that I pushed myself. This directly correlates to my life. I can either challenge my abilities that I have been blessed with--athleticism, determination, drive and wisdom--and use them to expand my character, or I can coast through life and get things handed to me. Both ways I will be living my life, but I want to look back and feel proud of what I have done. I want to reflect on my life, like I look back on a great day of skiing, and know that what I did was worth something, and that I pushed my body and my mind to its utmost limits.

The comical and sometimes frustrating aspect of the ski mountain is that it allows all types of skiers to participate. On only one trial I can come across various styles and differently skilled skiers, with which I must cooperate to reach our end goal, the bottom of the slope. Being more experienced, I have a certain responsibility to protect myself and others on the mountain. I cannot expect someone with lower abilities than me to perform the same things that I can. I can see this situation happening to me in my life, where I am asked to work with others who do not have the same abilities as me, but we have to work together as a team nonetheless. The mountain requires that I act with patience and compassion. These values that have been shaped and mastered from skiing I have applied to my encounters with others, which is why I find skiing so beneficial.

The payoff of hard work is truly learned and valued as an avid skier. I am frequently faced with the challenge to work hard on the mountain, especially on the difficult terrain to which I subject myself. I learn how to tackle the hard work ahead of me with a predetermined game plan, and I have come to value the joy of overcoming the obstacles. Knowing that your hard work has resulted in surmounting a tough challenge is very rewarding. My main goal as a skier is learning the skills to conquer any terrain on the mountain. In this process I come face to face with terrain that requires me to dig deep and face my fears. Surely this discipline on the mountain has rubbed off, because I find myself not afraid to attempt a challenge that others may find daunting. I trust my skills, and I know that “the only thing to fear is fear itself”. It is imperative that skiers learn to overcome fears that impede them from skiing down the terrain. I can confidently say that with the hard work I have put in I have conquered my fears on and off the slopes.

I hold myself to a very high standard when it comes to work ethic and self-success, and I can attribute this to skiing. I don’t settle for the easy trails, yet rather push my mind and body to face challenges that I know will leave me feeling accomplished in the end. Skiing is an aspect of my life that I cherish, for I know that is has molded me into a more loving, compassionate and diligent man.