It has been a wild, unpredictable winter…and truthfully, the skiing has been marginal. My best days were at Caribou, just after upslope storms…and not to diss our little local hill…but if your best days are at Caribou, something is sideways. Combine 20-month-old twins, a marginal winter, and my lack of initiative in getting down to the San Juans or over to the Wasatch, and you get a piss-poor winter. Ouch!
That’s not to say I didn’t get out–I didn’t really have a choice, because I’m doing my “Ski Mountaineering Guide Course & Aspirant Exam” through the American Mountain Guides Association in late April, and I better be dialed! I’m down to a month to go, and so over the coming weeks I’ll practice my transceiver searches, review my sled-rescue techniques, and get some practice guiding with friends, all in an effort to show up in Valdez prepped and ready.
Valdez has had a banner year, so I’m hoping we arrive to snow and wintry conditions, rather than rain and springtime. We’ll see. Check back and I’ll highlight some of the skills the AMGA teaches and tests during their ski courses…and hopefully I’ll know what I’m talking about! Enjoy the spring snow while it lasts…it’s melting out fast!
