The hill I will die on: People who ski have more money than sense | Emma Loffhagen

"Skiing, I have come to believe, is the emperor's new clothes of leisure pursuits: a collectively sustained fantasy. People insist it's magical in the same way they insist that cold-water swimming is transformative or small plates are better for sharing. At some point we forgot to ask whether any of this is actually true."

"First, there's the economics. Skiing is vastly more expensive than the average holiday, once you factor in all of the accoutrements: specialist jackets, trousers, gloves, goggles, helmets, boots—the ugliest clothes you have ever seen in your life, by the way—poles, skis, extortionate chalet fees and flights."

"Then there's the very real possibility of cascading to your death. Or at least sustaining a not-insignificant and possibly life-altering injury. Every skier I know has returned home with some kind of snapped ligament or mysterious knee problem they now refer to as something I picked up in Val d'Isere."

"The idea that people in the UK spend their precious few days of annual leave willingly being even colder than usual is perverse. Why pay to be damp, windburnt and bruised, subsisting on overpriced pasta when you could spend a week sipping cocktails on a tropical island?"

Skiing represents a collectively sustained fantasy that people promote without questioning its actual value. The activity is economically prohibitive, requiring expensive specialized equipment, accommodations, and travel. Beyond cost, skiing involves significant physical discomfort—spending vacation time in cold, wet conditions while enduring windburn and bruising. The injury risk is substantial, with skiers frequently returning home with ligament damage or chronic knee problems. The author argues that skiing offers no genuine advantage over alternative vacations, such as tropical beach holidays that provide comfort and relaxation at comparable or lower costs. Despite having tried skiing once and finding it miserable, the author observes that skiers universally claim it is transformative, suggesting either dishonesty or mild concussion.

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