MB wrote:

How about water skiing? Is *that* skiing too?

It's water-skiing. I don't really see much reason to try and apply
anything about it to (snow) skiing.

I'm sure that water skiing requires a lot of strenght, skill,
coordination and whatever from the, uhm, skier. Especially at the
top competitive level. Yet, my point is that the work is done
by the power boat, not the guy being towed.

Coasting, or slalom or whatever you choose to call it, with lift
access, isn't that different. It's not a human powered means of
travel. Most of the work is done by the lift.

The very very very huge difference here is that in water skiing the
power is being supplied by external means while the activity takes
place, and it cannot take place without that external power. Downhill
skiing can take place without a lift, as has already been shown.

In XC, even at the highest competitive level, downhill often
gives the skier an opportunity to rest, at least in relative
terms.

I recall seeing a Finnish lady at the recent Olympics very probably
losing a medal because she couldn't hold her downhill together and
crashed into the fence on one of the XC races. Some rest...

So, for how many days can you keep on going just downhill? Downhill-
only surely isn't a viable way of travelling in the backcountry.

It depends on the backcountry.

Compare to eg what backpacking on foot in summer would be, if you
were limited to travel merely downhill.

It would limit you a lot, but it wouldn't prevent you from doing /anything/.

I guess you could argue that distinguishing between snowshoing and
skiing is snobbish too.

It's practical and functional. Snowshoes don't allow you to glide at
all, skis do, snowshoes are more manoeuvrable.

Anyway, I find it funny that you should find my point of view
snobbish.

It seems to be trying to define a lot of people's hobby out of existence
for no particularly obvious reason other than to look down one's nose at it.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/