Mountains sure are awesome, but…

After recently returning from a backcountry skiing trip in the Rockies with a friend from Calgary, I certainly feel a calling for me to go out there. The concept of backcountry skiing combined with winter mountaineering is so cool! The skis with climbing skins act like snowshoes on the way up so you don’t sink through the snow and don’t get as tired, once off the skis and doing the ridge walk, the ice axe provides (almost) constant anchors so even harrowing traverses feel somewhat relaxing, the views from the peaks are unreal, then on the way back down, the skis snap into downhill mode and you get to enjoy the powdery descent. What a cool sport!

HOWEVER, I know that I am prone to a “grass is always greener” mentality and have realized how special our province of “Onterrible” can be. The backcountry is so much tamer and geographically more accessible, our lakes are not glacial and hence tolerable to swim in much of the year, the beauty is still there but is just a little hidden, the adventure racing scene is a little more active here, my industry of interest is here, and there are too many friends and family here.

Summary: the Rockies are too cool, but will have to be an annual (or twice/year depending on finances) trip. Can’t have it all I guess.