I tend to lose track in the winter, but I realized just now that I have skied 27 straight months. Basically, it's an alpine/backcountry thing where I consider it a day of skiing if I take a run down. It started innocently enough in November 2007, probably on some white strip of death at Eldora. I certainly had no intention of skiing that many months straight when I went out in November 2007.
Winter of 2008 was highly charged winter, chalk full of emotion and the importance of skiing as something that could actually make people feel happier. I fell back in love with skiing this winter and went a lot.
May was a hell month for me, and skiing was basically the only thing I could do to feel better. And then, that summer, I was basically in escape mode, and would spend all day hiking in the mountains and skiing down peaks. Got in ridiculously good shape. For some reason I decided to keep it going in August and September. By that point in time I figured I'd shoot for 12 straight months, and voila, it happened.
Of course winter came up, which ensured I'd get through April. But then I got accepted into the NOLS instructor course, and needed to get fit, so again – May, June and July were spent hiking the hills in search of turns.
This fall things got rough. I went out in August, up to a glacier in RMNP, and that was a subtle act of rebellion that they couldn't take everything from me. I needed that ski. September was dicier. I left town, and ended up skiing on the last day of the month in Great Basin National Park, on a patch of snow no bigger than people's living rooms. I hiked it 10 times, as I wanted to get in 100 turns. That was definitely the worst snow.
I figured the streak was over in October. I was in California until Halloween day, and as luck would have it a ski area on the top of Donner Pass, Boreal, happened to open that day. Of course I dropped $25 and made turns on the flattest, shortest run known to man, but whatever, the streak lived.
November was spent in Alta, where I'd hike the mountain on a daily basis, followed by 14 straight days of Bikram's Yoga intro class. By this point in time though, I was over the hump. December and January have been filled with almost daily forays into the backcountry. The streak lives, and I see no reason to let it die. It's been an interesting 27 month period, for more reasons than just skiing, but there has been beauty in it too. So here is to keeping the streak alive, starting tomorrow, February 1st!
Alta Backcountry 