Why John Paul II loved skiing in the mountains

John Paul II would often "escape" from the Vatican to go skiing and in his early years was known as the "Daredevil of the Tatras," referring to his skill skiing on the Tatra mountains in Poland.

One question that isn't always asked is why John Paul II skied so much. Was there a particular reason why he loved it?

When celebrating Mass in 1979 in Nowy Targ, near the Tatra mountains, he spoke about the power of nature to help us discover who we are and our place in the world.

John Paul II firmly believed that a person could encounter God in creation, as he explained in a general audience in 2000.

This same topic came to his mind when speaking to an International Conference of Ski Instructors in 1993.

Being on a mountain helped St. John Paul II encounter God and listen to his voice in the silence and solitude of creation.

It is no surprise that he went so frequently to the mountains and kept going until he was physically unable to.

For John Paul II, skiing wasn't simply a fun activity, but it was a spiritual experience, one where he found peace in his soul.