The Art of Basic Conversation: Skiing
With the onset of the winter snowy season just around the bend, many are preparing themselves for an exciting skiing outing. From the great Colorado Rockies to the Appalachian Mountains, Americans can’t wait to get onto the slopes. Here in Germany skiers travel south to Bavaria or even further into Switzerland and Austria to enjoy the trails of the Alpine ski-resorts.
People all over the world find this winter sport exhilarating. There are, however, several differences in skiing culture from country to country. For instance, snowboarding is much more popular among the youth in the US than skiing. When American children first learn to ski nowadays, they nearly always choose snowboards rather than traditional skis. Although snowboarders now slightly outnumber skiers on US slopes, skiing remains popular among the older generation and the younger skiing elite. Waiting in line at the ski lift also varies from country to country. In Germany, things run much more quickly. Lift tickets are often checked electronically and patrons must pay attention and keep moving or risk having their spot taken by a more attentive person behind them. In the states, lift lines can move rather slowly. Tickets are usually printed tags that patrons wear on their coats. The ski lift operators then check these on a random basis while skiers wait to get onto the lift. Also, a person that darts in front of a slower-moving person in line may receive some grief for "cutting". The costs of skiing can vary greatly not only between resorts, but also between countries. In the US the cost of a ski trip can get quite expensive, and one can expect to pay at least $50 per day for a lift ticket. Depending on the location of the resort, single-day lift tickets may even cost up to eighty or ninety dollars. In Europe lift tickets may cost around 25 euros per day, leaving more left over to buy a cold beer or a cup of hot chocolate at the lodge.
English |
Explanation or synonym |
German |
onset |
start, beginning |
Angriff |
just around the bend |
right around the corner, prepare (for), get ready (for) |
vorbereiten (auf) |
outing |
trip |
Ausflug |
Colorado Rockies |
|
ein Gebirge im Westen der USA |
Appalachian Mountains |
|
ein Gebirge im nordamerikanischen mittleren Westen |
slopes |
|
Skipisten |
(ski) trails |
Skipisten, Skilanglauf |
|
resort |
vacation spot |
Urlaubsort |
exhilarating |
exciting, thrilling |
aufheiternd |
for instance |
for example |
beispielsweise, zum Beispiel |
among the youth |
|
unter den Jugendlichen |
ski |
|
hier: Skilaufen und Snowboarden |
nowadays |
these days, currently |
heutzutage |
slightly |
|
nur ein bisschen |
outnumber |
übertreffen |
|
remain |
stay |
erhalten |
elite |
|
Elite |
very |
differ |
variieren |
check |
inspect |
kontrollieren |
patron |
customer |
Kunde |
attentive |
aufmerksam |
|
on a random basis |
at random, randomly |
zufällig |
dart |
|
schnellen |
receive grief for |
be complained to |
Beschwerden erhalten |
cutting (in line) |
vordrängeln |
|
even |
|
sogar |
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