Skiing & Peeing

[Havelock 1,526]

A friend shared this video on Instagram recently and it reminded me of skiing and peeing in the Alps growing up.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpS8J9upzJs/

 

When I was growing up we often went skiing in the Alps with my extended family. I’ve recounted before that we were very free to pee anywhere outside we needed growing up in the EU. This extended to the winter. I can remember going to ski school and when we someone had to pee it was just common practice to go to the side of the run. Often when one of us had to go others would follow male and female. We would all make yellow snow. I think we defintely peed more in the snow than used lodge bathrooms. I suppose it was just easier that way for the instructors.

 

I can also remember skiing with my female cousins and when someone needed to pee, they would just call to the group to stop. Usually they would pull down their ski pants/bib with their skis on and just squat over the snow like the girls in that video. Like those girls, they would not even really bother to find tree cover, they would often go to the side of the slope but sometimes not. They would sometimes also pee by the lifts or the roped off sections. My female cousins were a bit older and faster than me. The would often stop and wait for me and sometimes take a pee break while waiting. So I would ski up and find them squatted mid stream. I can remember coming to the bottom of the lift and sometimes they would be on the flat area, next to the lifts making yellow snow. Sometimes when I watched this Thought it was interesting they would pee a bit on their skis. 

 

My aunt who I have described in other posts would also sometimes pee outside while skiing. She would often go to the tree line but she was not that hidden and never seemed concerned that someone would see her. I remember seeing her ski into the trees ahead of me, following the trail and finding her squatting on her skis. She would talk to me and I could see her stream. She would ask me if I also needed to pee.

 

I skied in the US, but I never remember it being as free with peeing as the Alps. Sometimes the boys would pee in the trees but I never remember seeing the girls it it was much less accepted. It was not until much later that I was dating a very athletic and aggressive girl who liked to ski like crazy. A few times she peed in the trees. She would bomb down the hill, go into the tree line. I would catch up to find her squatting. She would play it up sexy and one time she even asked me to eat her yellow snow. I did and she laughed. 

[marking my territory 362]

   I wish I had had the confidence to just pee on the hill when I needed to go. As a kid I went skiing all the time although much to my embarrassment I did once wet my snow pants because I was skiing with all boys and didn't want to go into the bathroom.

[Havelock 1,526]

59 minutes ago, marking my territory said:

   I wish I had had the confidence to just pee on the hill when I needed to go. As a kid I went skiing all the time although much to my embarrassment I did once wet my snow pants because I was skiing with all boys and didn't want to go into the bathroom.

@marking my territory What part of the world was this? Would the boys stop to pee on the hill or just wait for a lodge?

I don't think it was about confidence for most I was with in the EU. I think there was just no sense of embarrassment because most grew up peeing outside in other contexts (park, beach etc.). It was normal. 

[marking my territory 362]

9 hours ago, Havelock said:

@marking my territory What part of the world was this? Would the boys stop to pee on the hill or just wait for a lodge?

I don't think it was about confidence for most I was with in the EU. I think there was just no sense of embarrassment because most grew up peeing outside in other contexts (park, beach etc.). It was normal. 

I have family in Quebec that we would go visit a few times each winter. My cousins would just pee on the hill, one of my especially dumb cousins tried to pee while skiing which naturally led to him attempting a jump while peeing. Spoiler alert: he ended up peeing on himself.

  Are you from Switzerland or did you just vacation in the Alps? I've always wanted to go skiing in Switzerland (who doesn't) especially if they have such tolerant attitudes to public urination. Did you go into the trees to pee or just ski to the side of the hill?

[Alpian 689]

Whilst you shouldn't be stupid enough to stay "parked" in the middle of a steep and busy slope, I totally share the observation that it is normal to look for a somewhat covered area at the side of the run and relieve yourself in the Alps. Especially towards evening, when the light is getting scarce and provides more cover.

[Havelock 1,526]

20 hours ago, marking my territory said:

I have family in Quebec that we would go visit a few times each winter. My cousins would just pee on the hill, one of my especially dumb cousins tried to pee while skiing which naturally led to him attempting a jump while peeing. Spoiler alert: he ended up peeing on himself.

  Are you from Switzerland or did you just vacation in the Alps? I've always wanted to go skiing in Switzerland (who doesn't) especially if they have such tolerant attitudes to public urination. Did you go into the trees to pee or just ski to the side of the hill?

@marking my territory I'm not from Switzerland. I grew up between the US and EU. Mainly I would go to school in the US but I had extended family in the EU so I would often be in EU for summers and sometimes over holiday break for skiing in the Alps. We were often in the French Alps in addition to Switzerland and Austria. I think many of my memories are from the French Alps which really seemed as tolerant of public urination as anywhere else in France. You can read a bit more about my upbringing in this thread (multiple posts): 

 

 

and here: 

and here:

 

 

 

[Havelock 1,526]

The other thing that I think promotes peeing while skiing in the Alps in the amount of drinking. From my observation there is way more drinking in EU skiing than in North America.When I was young, people would often have shot glasses for schnapps that hung on a leather strap around their necks. There were bars you could ski up to on the hill and get a drink without taking off your skiis. They  would fill your glass and you could keep skiing. I guess if you're not taking off your skis to drink, why do it to pee?

These days there are full-on day parties with DJs, bottle service and dancing on the tables at the restaurants / clubs on the mountain. Some places consume so much champaign they have a gondola just to bring the champaign up the mountain. The US seems more chill with people having a few beers here and there, except perhaps Aspen which is a little more into the day party. 

[Sophie 24,413]

Can I add to this, please?

I don't ski, but I do snowboard. When I have been on the slopes and needed to pee badly, and either couldn't wait or just didn't want to I would find somewhere quiet on the edge of the slope, pull down my clothes and get into a deep squat. I'd pee and after a quick shake of my hips I would pull up my clothes and carry on like nothing happened.

[Havelock 1,526]

13 hours ago, Sophie said:

Can I add to this, please?

I don't ski, but I do snowboard. When I have been on the slopes and needed to pee badly, and either couldn't wait or just didn't want to I would find somewhere quiet on the edge of the slope, pull down my clothes and get into a deep squat. I'd pee and after a quick shake of my hips I would pull up my clothes and carry on like nothing happened.

I assume you would take off your board? Or do you just pee forward clear of your board? Has anyone ever seen you?

[Sophie 24,413]

18 hours ago, Havelock said:

I assume you would take off your board? Or do you just pee forward clear of your board? Has anyone ever seen you?

Yeah I took off the board and squatted alongside it. People have probably seen me but it hasn't been super close up. They will have known what I am doing but they wouldn't have actually seen anything if that makes sense.