I promised myself that I will continue to push my comfort zone and learn new things in order to not grow stale or miss out on opportunities and adventures in life. So this winter, I’m learning how to backcountry ski. I signed up for an AIARE 1 Avalanche Class on Mount Baker last weekend. We got out into the field during a storm cycle that brought 30" of snow. Lots of powder, lots of snow, lots of chances to evaluate avalanche conditions, and by Sunday midday - lots of rain (boo).
I got to meet some really wonderful people as part of this process and we are planning to meet in the future and keep poking into the backcountry. Learning new things helps keep me humble, requires me to have a sense of humor, and challenges me in a really good way. Mt. Baker Guides was an excellent company to work with for this course.
It was definitely a push for me to learn how to use all the new gear. I have a new (to me) pair of skis with touring bindings (that are actually really amazing and so lightweight), new boots that work with touring bindings, all the avalanche safety gear, skins to add grip when touring, and a new backpack designed to hold everything. It took awhile just to learn how each of those things worked.
Skiing uphill with skins on is pretty cool and there’s so much potential in terms of terrain that can be explored. Way more efficient than snow shoes. The Mt. Baker backcountry is amazing. We were set up off Heather Meadows and overlooked the Chain Lakes Basin and were on the slopes for the edge of the Baker ski area (Austin, Blueberry Cat Track, etc.).
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