In Aristotelian terms, the sole true form of skiing is good skiing, or virtuous skiing, insofar as we exhibit ethical and moral conduct on the slopes, while also advancing towards an efficient technique. This type of skiing produces moments of happiness, which typically occur when we attain a state of flow. This state occurs when we avoid labeling ourselves with evaluative judgments, because the more verbal forms we assign to situations, the more superficial our skiing will be.
By interpreting our skiing, we will acquire intellectual knowledge; however, by limiting our perception, we will lose sensible knowledge. Therefore, if there exists a truth that pertains to attaining happiness while skiing and we fail to acknowledge it, we are misrepresenting something, i.e., there exists a conscious renunciation of truth, a post-truth.
In addition to being aware of our perceptions, thoughts and emotions, we are also aware of our consciousness, which is beyond awareness. This meta-awareness allows us to feel, in addition to an outer space of alertness in the background, an inner space of stillness in the foreground, a state of flow.
When we are unable to perceive ourselves, it is due to our subjection to form. And why are we being reduced by form? We have been conditioned to pay attention to the skiing form, the form of the turns, the form of the terrain, and the sensitive form of balance. Now, how can we disconnect ourselves from form? By observing without judging, without jumping to conclusions or anticipating explanations, and by eliminating the comments of our inner voice.
Back in time, what was the historical technical truth? It was an interpretation of others we were required to believe in and accept. In current postmodern skiing, we tend to identify ourselves with a particular style of skiing or a particular skier who represents our own self-identification. However, if we are unable to identify ourselves with any skier, what kind of skiers are we?
Some people believe that happiness depends on the way they ski, but they are unaware that what occurs to them is unstable since skiing is constantly changing. When we stop identifying ourselves with our ideal skier’s Self, we regain the pleasure of sliding and the state of flow generated by it. The question is that we tend to become so focused on the forms and the content of our skiing that we forget that the essence of skiing is gliding, which is beyond any form and any content.
Many may continue to wait for certain significant events to materialize when skiing, such as an epic run or an exceptional result or achievement, and it is virtuous to go after that. However, experiencing the state of flow is what isimportant because it determines the separation between thought and action. But how are we going to achieve this state of flow? By focusing not only in avoiding labeling ourselves with evaluative judgments, but also on linking direction changes.
Linking turns is the technical essence of the state of flow, its origin. True skiing can only be achieved in this state. As every thought presumes a point of view, this signifies a limitation; therefore, it does not represent true skiing. Only the state of flow holds true as it is currently occurring. The real skiing truth is not what we ski, but rather how we ski it.
So, do we rely on skiing truth? How much value do we put on it? Each skier determines what constitutes their own skiing truth, as it is a matter of personal belief.
