Downshifting Among Ski Friends

Downshifting – That’s what I call it when someone says, I no longer want to hit the trails that are so steep, or play in trees that are so close together, or perhaps they shift is just moving from ungroomed terrain to to strictly groomers. It's a downshift. Sometimes the move is temporary. Other times, the transition is a permanent mindset.

It’s okay to decide to pull back, especially if done for a health or safety reasons.

But, what if your long-time ski companions are downshifting and you are still running at high gear? Maybe you're the one making a change?

That can be an awkward transition within a ski group, opening some uncharted territory to plan a trip together, or even a day on the hill.

Let’s face it – there’s a lot more to your choice of who you ski with than what runs you take. You ski with the same friends year after year because of the company. Shared memories, talks on the lift, fun after the lifts close. Your long-time ski friends are still people you’d most like to ski with. But your ski goals are no longer the same.

7 Tips to ski with friends with different terrain interests

1) Plan routes where you can all use the same lift and lodge, but descend different routes. Whistler Blackcomb is among my favorite places for this. Almost every lift has access to a wide range of terrain levels. This makes it easy to split up for a run, but still ride the lift together. You can find good lifts to do this at any mountain.

2) Pace your day. Do you really ski first to last chair? If you have a day ticket do you ski the full 8 hours? Not many people do. Spend part of your day sharing the terrain your friends like. Plan to arrive early or stay late to challenge yourself on additional runs. Have a communication plan for where and when to meet if you do split up and stay in touch if it changes.

3) If you’re going on a trip for several days, pace your week. Maybe you hit the more challenging runs on a day part of your group is going into town.

4) Take lessons separately. This way you split up for a short time, but have groups to ski with. It’s never too late to learn something new. I’ve taught skiing for over 20 years and still I learn something every time I take a class.  Regroup after to share stories and take some runs together.

5) Seek out runs that are half and half. You’ve seen these. Bumps on the left, groomers on the right. Slalom course on one part, cruisers on the rest. A well-groomed trail, with an open tree line to play in along the edge. A terrain park with plenty of cruising space around the features. Ski resorts lay out trails this way for a reason. They want you to be able to enjoy the slopes together. Take advantage of those trails.

6) Expand your group. Invite more friends and family with a wide range of terrain interests and skill levels. You can split the group up different ways and get to know more people. You all stay part of the core group to enjoy the resort together.

7) Be patient. You can ski at different paces together if you’re happy to take a pause on the hill.