Skiing and Fishing- common ground??

I am as much a skier as an angler and I have experienced awesome moments both on the mountain and on the water. I have fished and skied around since I was 3 years old and I feel there is a lot in common between skiing and fishing. I want to share with you some of my thoughts.

Skiing in Maurienne valley in France

First of all both skiing and fishing are heaps of fun. All the excitement of running a new line or fishing a new spot. The good memories of spending time with our friends and family. But also solitude, on top of the mountain after a hard climb or in the middle of nowhere, exploring new ground on a fishing kayak. I must say I am more the solitary kind but I also enjoy showing other people around the mountain, finding good conditions with them.

From time to time I ignore my solitary nature and enjoy company, on the left with my father, skiing pow in France, on the right with Borek fishing for pike in Sweden

While skiing or fishing you have to take into account many different factors, like wind, sun, structure, time… All these play an important, if not vital role in both sports. For example wind, the enemy of the skier and the kayak angler alike. On the mountain wind can change snow conditions in a minute from safe to suicide; on the water it forces you to anchor down and makes it more difficult to paddle around. The sun is also a known capricious spirit. It can warm the snow in certain expositions and the next day in the morning guess what… crud. Fish are also affected by the sun, they like hanging out in the shadow and attack into the light, or will refuse to feed when it is sunny on another day. I love thinking about weather factors to optimize the choices I make, take safety issues into account and decide on the best possible itinerary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
A more shady common ground btw fishing and skiing is interactions with other people. On the one hand all of us enjoy some company while fishing or skiing. For skiing it is a must for safety reasons anyway.  But on the other hand there are other groups on the water/mountain than you and your friends… And everything is first come first serve. In fishing you will likely catch nothing on a good spot if somebody had fished it half an hour earlier. On the mountain it is sometimes a race for the first tracks, some lines are actually undoable after someone has done them. I feel this sometimes provokes rivalry among skiers and anglers alike. This is why I have my fishing kayaks… to get to hidden spots, same like my climbing gear, fishing kayak helps me get where noone else has gone.

Fish on!!

The last thing I want to mention is the pure adrenaline rush and excitement. Hooking a fish&stomping a cliff, scouting a north face&sight casting in shallows, paddling hard&climbing up the mountain. Fishing&skiing have a lot in common. This is why I have decided to merge the two passions and go skiing to Lofoten islands, paddling around in my kayak, skiing mountainous Lofoten islands and fishing for cod and halibut.

Do you also find some common ground between fishing and your second favorite sport??

Jan