I reject the notion that internet discussion in July makes one a hardcore skier, no, posting here just suggests an interest in skiing, and a fair amount of boredom.It isn't the same thing as climbing a mountain for a glorious hard won run, and then deciding half way down that you should head back up and ski the top half again, because a squall has blown in, is puking mad huge amounts, and it will be ruined by the warm front forecast for the next day.
Dragging yourself out of bed after five hours of sleep, when your head feels cloudy and your body aches from skiing for the past 60 days in a row, just to get first tracks on three inches of dust on crust, takes perseverance. Riding that lift, when the wind is bringing the single digit temperatures into subzero wind chills, because the fresh snow is blower, and you know that the coming cold snap won't produce much more snow due to a lack of orographic lift, takes perseverance. Dropping into a steep chute, knowing that it got baked in the sun, and churned up before freezing solid into a contorted coral reef, all because you get bored cruising groomers, and you don't want to feel like a sissy that only skis what's easy to avoid the unpleasantness of trying to set an edge in hell frozen over, that takes perseverance.
Edit to say that I find it silly that confidence is the leading response to this poll, what many (who lack it) see as confidence, to others (who posses it) seems to be just the natural consequence of having persevered.
