Farley Mowat described snow as "the fifth element". I believe it is the perfect description anyone could want. Powerful, frigid, and noble. Bending not to our will, but the will, only, of Nature.

I do not control the snow. I ski on it, yes, but the snow is not mine. It has it's own will, it is free. And when I am near the snow, I feel free too.

Freedom, though, has a price. Danger. Danger lurks around every corner, and so often I see someone falling, cracking, breaking bones, because of the sport we all love.

That, really, just heightens the feeling of freedom. We hunger for the thrill, and we bare the pain if we fall. Because we won't give up. The feeling of two pieces of plastic, metal, and carbon fibre under a foot is great joy.

And it would be my pleasure, to tell you, my reader, of my own moments in the skis. The moments in which I had my greatest triumphs, my greatest failures, and about what freedom means, to me.

Of course, as this is a collaborative story, you are welcome to write about your own skiing stories!

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Skiing dictionary:

Runs: Those things that you go down- the hill.

Green: The easiest level of run. It's symbol is a circle.

Blue: Slightly harder level of run. It's symbol is a square.

Black: Hard runs. It's symbol is a diamond.

Double- Black: Those really-freaky-never-want-to-go-down runs. It's symbol is two diamonds.

Moguls: They are like bumps that everyone skis over. They can be really small or really big.

Ski Boots: You put these on your feet and attach them to your skis. In a crash, ski boots sometimes come off. It's a safety thing.

Skis: They are things you attach to your ski boot, that let you slide down the hill.

Snow: Farley Mowat described it as "the fifth element". I find that I can easily agree. Soft, white, fluffy, and absolutely detailed. Snow can come in many textures: soft, fresh, icy, hard, and all mean different skiing conditions.

I didn't really think about it until chimerakiller2 posted a comment about it, but this is a collaborative, everyone! You can add your own skiing adventures, if you so choose.

updated Feb 27 '10 by Anonymous