I do not rush things, I plan them out. I don't just choose a piece of gear because it looks cool, I do my homework before buying. When preparing for an outing into the mountains I lay everything out that I think I will need, then go back over it and refine my list so I don't carry extra weight.
My last ski trip added a new lens to look through when I gaze upon the mountains.
I have been in the game long enough to have acquired my own collection of gear, and have at least one layer to choose from, my goal is to choose the right layers and take nothing else. That day I was spot on with a synthetic shirt, Outdoor Research's Transfer Hoody, The North Face Paramount Peak II's, military grade Gore-Tex pants, and Black Diamond's Dirt Bag Glove. Nailed it. That was the good part, but I did also bring in my pack OR's Furio, and Himalayan Hoodie, as well as assorted hats and gloves just in case.
After lunch Scott and I took the unused gear back to the car.
During lunch we discussed the first few runs of the day, they weren't stellar. Turns out, gravity and physics still work despite how hard we fight them. We eventually we decided that going faster would actually make our lives easier.
Why?
Because it just made sense.
There are so many choices that we make at any given point in time that so often we over think what it is we are doing, even though we tend to get it right the first time. After lunch the skiing was better because we just went with the flow, the flow of what felt right.
We stopped fighting the mountain, and started to enjoy it.
That has been the overall theme that I have been pondering. Just because I could push harder, go faster, climb at a higher level doesn't always mean I should. My first time out skiing the guy I was with started to laugh at me three runs in, and said something along the lines of "if you simply enjoyed the mountain skiing would be easy". I shortened that to "enjoy the mountain."
I'd bet anyone who says they enjoy spending time in the mountains would also say that it's a relationship. All the rules apply, all the joy, the heartbreak, the comfort, the rejection, it's all there. Every part as important as the last, and the next. The gear, the mentality, the lessons learned, from that person's experiences the mountains will mean different things to different people.
But it dawned on me today that sometimes, most times the right decision is the one that hits us first. I knew when I first looked at the weather what I should wear, but I didn't just go with it like I should have. I stumbled down a blue today, when I should have just pointed my skis down the hill and enjoyed the mountains.
Here's what I mean.
In case you need another distraction on this Monday,
Another Distraction. Love is patient, love is kind...
K
My last ski trip added a new lens to look through when I gaze upon the mountains.
I have been in the game long enough to have acquired my own collection of gear, and have at least one layer to choose from, my goal is to choose the right layers and take nothing else. That day I was spot on with a synthetic shirt, Outdoor Research's Transfer Hoody, The North Face Paramount Peak II's, military grade Gore-Tex pants, and Black Diamond's Dirt Bag Glove. Nailed it. That was the good part, but I did also bring in my pack OR's Furio, and Himalayan Hoodie, as well as assorted hats and gloves just in case.
After lunch Scott and I took the unused gear back to the car.
During lunch we discussed the first few runs of the day, they weren't stellar. Turns out, gravity and physics still work despite how hard we fight them. We eventually we decided that going faster would actually make our lives easier.
Why?
Because it just made sense.
There are so many choices that we make at any given point in time that so often we over think what it is we are doing, even though we tend to get it right the first time. After lunch the skiing was better because we just went with the flow, the flow of what felt right.
We stopped fighting the mountain, and started to enjoy it.
That has been the overall theme that I have been pondering. Just because I could push harder, go faster, climb at a higher level doesn't always mean I should. My first time out skiing the guy I was with started to laugh at me three runs in, and said something along the lines of "if you simply enjoyed the mountain skiing would be easy". I shortened that to "enjoy the mountain."
I'd bet anyone who says they enjoy spending time in the mountains would also say that it's a relationship. All the rules apply, all the joy, the heartbreak, the comfort, the rejection, it's all there. Every part as important as the last, and the next. The gear, the mentality, the lessons learned, from that person's experiences the mountains will mean different things to different people.
But it dawned on me today that sometimes, most times the right decision is the one that hits us first. I knew when I first looked at the weather what I should wear, but I didn't just go with it like I should have. I stumbled down a blue today, when I should have just pointed my skis down the hill and enjoyed the mountains.
Here's what I mean.
In case you need another distraction on this Monday,
Another Distraction. Love is patient, love is kind...
K
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