I often go downhill skiing (aka alpine skiing) in Colorado. In fact I just got new skis and bindings.
Wow that sounds exciting, I've never done skiing before. Is the equipment expensive?
Alpine skiing equipment is a little expensive but the bigger cost is lift tickets. Because alpine skis don't have free-heel bindings like cross-country skis, you can't easily move uphill with them and a chairlift is necessary.
Oh I wouldn't like sitting on those chair lifts, I don't do well with heights. Is the goal of alpine skiing basically to just get to the bottom as fast as possible?
Some skiers do that. They follow the fall line of the mountain to attain the maximum possible speed. However, you have to stay in control. Personally, I like to perfect my form.
Yes I can definitely imagine that you wouldn't want to lose control when going that fast. How long have you been doing this for?
I've been skiing for 29 years. Although for a few years in the middle there I tried my hand at snowboading.