While I was off cycling the midwest, I spent some quality time thinking about this blog. Now that I have a handle on what I want to write about and how I want to write it, I feel comfortable creating a kind of mission statement.
Like any mission statement, this is both a statement of purpose and a statement of intent reflecting the values that I bring to the words I write here… You’ll find the most updated text through the About link to zee left (as well as a brief auto-bio of yours truly), but I want to place it here, too. Front and center.
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Slackcountry Living is a ski blog that isn’t about the biggest cliff, the deepest pow, or spinning dinner rolls like Jonny Mo. (Although, fingers crossed that these topics come up. But trust me; I won’t be the one doing the dinner-rolling.)
It’s about getting out and enjoying what you got, be it tight trees or breakaway gates, fluffy white or hard ice. When it’s too warm for riding, it’s about the joy of getting outside and living where there are no doors.
No matter the season, this blog is about slacking off – but not in the sense of shirking responsibility or looking for the easy way out. Instead, slacking off means not taking everything so seriously. You don’t need the latest gear or gnarliest terrain to love what you do. All you need is you.
Relax. It’s just skiing.
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Why this mission statement?
Because I want to support the athletes riding with crooked poles, ski boots with duct tape on the toes, and hand-me-down clothes. I want to shout out to the kids heading outdoors even though their friends would rather go to the mall or play video games or whatever it is kids do these days. Because that’s who I am, too.
We have better things to do than be snooty to someone who can’t afford the latest, lightest binding.
“We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.”
(Charles Bukowski)
Slap me if I start getting pretentious, okay? Otherwise – enjoy. Love your wilderness.
Sidecountry Living 
Read this whole post and all I could hear repeating in my head; I wanna go skiing, I wanna go skiing, I wanna go skiing.
Go away summer!
Out on my bike everyday in nice conditions is a bonus, but it’s no mountain 😛
I’ve been watching Ski the East’s twitter account for the snowmaking countdown. 🙂
Not a skier, but I can appreciate your take on the sport, and concur with your definition of “slacking off.” Oh, and the Bukowski quote really resonates with me. I didn’t know this one, so thanks for sharing.
Will try to work on “slacking off” more in my own life and not being so damn serious.
Thanks!
Glad you can relate. 🙂 Love your wilderness – whatever it is!
And Bukowski’s great… this is one of my favorite quotes.
Pass the duct tape!
Good stuff.
I knew you’d understand!