When do you stop skiing?
Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 6:09PM This wasn't originally intended as a metaphorical article title that applies to daily life but if it works in that way, all the better!
This is a subject which is very rarely tackled, yet is fundamentally important to expeditions. The question is of when it's the right thing to do to ski, scramble and haul, or to stop.
On one hand there is always the pressure of racing against the clock. Even on expeditions without ambitions of speed-records, there are deadlines which are unavoidable. Miss them and you'll lose your ride home, run out of supplies...or run out of ice. This means that every moment when I'm sat on the front of my sledge eating the copious calories which keep me going for ten or twelve hours hauling a day, or fixing broken bindings, I could be making precious miles. There's also the macho desire to keep pushing on when the wind is strong, visibility low and sledge feeling even heavier than normal. You think, 'don't stop now. Only the weak stop now and you'll fail.'
On the other hand, the reality of polar expeditions is that the intelligent win and the naive and impulsive lose, or worse, don't come home. There comes a point when the energy expenditure and inaccurate navigation in whiteout conditions or crazy headwinds becomes counterproductive. Also, equal only to the frustration of having to stop and put the tent up when you'd rather be making progress, is the feeling of unadulterated relief when you dive through a tent entrance and escape the violent chaos that is the world outside in a polar storm.
There are a plethora of examples of expeditions which have failed to succeed due to spending too much time sitting in a tent. There are equal numbers which have been thwarted due to an unwillingness to play the long game. Some did not return home. There's no magic formula to making one of the hardest decisions a leader has to take responsibility for - when to move and when to stay put. It's a matter of judgement and often, gut instinct.
When do you stop skiing?
Reader Comments (3)
Nice topic Alex. I think it would be very easy to answer the question with platitudes - "You should stop when it feels right to you" etc - but I think it comes down to your motivations.
If you are out to prove something to the world or yourself (as I suspect many of us are, whether we realise it or not) then you might be better off going pedal-to-metal, even if you crash and burn sometimes (assuming a safe return). Better that than be accused of coasting, even if the latter brings better results.
If your definition of success is purely reaching the pole/coast/finish line, regardless of whether it's a challenge or not, then tactically playing the long game is surely for the best. What's to be gained from pushing yourself unless you really need to?
However, lots of people probably undertake these challenges as a test of their own mettle. If so, then they might get more from bloodying themselves in the process than posing for photos at the finish line.
Tim.
Interesting post, my own opinion is similar of Tim Moss and think you should stop skiing when it feels right to.
I have to say the above picture gives me goose bumps, Amazing shot.
Chris @ SnowChateaux</a.
Stopping when it feels right to you sounds about right. Everyone is different and more importantly no one should be told what to do or when to do it. No one's opinion matters except yours. If you wake up one day and think "there is no purpose to what I'm doing" then it was your decision to stop. I don't think anything is pointless if the person pursuing it is passionate about what they're doing. The day you stop 'sking' is the day you realize you can live without it. If you aren't fulfilled then you won't stop until you are.