Evoking the sophist Protagoras, in the mountains, we, as skiers, are the measure of all things (Homo omnium rerum mensura est). This phrase can be considered an individual and contingent sensation. Our skiing reality is only measured by our transitory individuality, as the state of our knowledge is tied to the evolution of our daily skiing.
Protagoras invites us to consider everything that happens around us when we ski. His phrase refers to our status as skiers confronted with the environment surrounding us, which encompasses both being and non-being as a relation of measurement.
As skiers, we define our skiing reality by marking the boundaries of the mountain and its contour: the high and the low, the wide and the narrow, the near and the far. We have to make it clear that we are not the ones who measure, but that the measure is our own.
This expression also implies that we must always value both the good and the bad aspects of skiing. Skiing is characterized by constant contrasts, and if these were not there, skiing would not be skiing. If there were no summer, we would not notice the winter. The hard snow allows us to appreciate the soft, fresh, and smooth composition. On stormy days, we consider the sunny days. If we never fell, we would not be able to appreciate the usefulness of being balanced. If we do not ski well, we will not know how to value when we do so.
