The first time I went snowboarding, I spent most of the day on my butt. I came home so sore that my dad had to carry little 10 year old me down the stairs to my bed that night. I wondered if I would ever be good enough to make it down a run without falling. A few years later, I was cruising along slowly, much better now, when a girl passed me, linking beautiful turns from toeside to heelside as she made graceful s's down the mountain. I stopped next to my dad when I reached him and asked if he thought it was possible that I'd ever be that good. (Of course he said yes). My progression continued and eventually I was linking turns, going down steeper runs, and riding faster. I reached the point of being as good as I thought I could get without hurting myself and at 21 decided to switch to skiing.
I had lots of good reasons to switch to skiing. The versatility, family influence and history, wanting to learn a new skill, and being tired of getting stuck on flat sections were among them. But starting back at square one made me question my decision a bit. Falling down, yard saleing all over the mountain, and being scared of going fast made me consider sticking with what I knew. But, that first winter of skiing was also the last epic winter we had in Tahoe and all the powder provided a great cushion for my falling. Over spring break, I got to enjoy 100" of fresh powder virtually alone, as everyone had either moved on to warm weather activities or couldn't make it over Donner Pass.
The goal was always to start backcountry skiing, but I had trouble making the initial investment into the gear and training I would need to be safe. At the time, climbing was still my priority and any spare money I had went to climbing gear. During our trip this year, climbing was definitely a feature, but it took a back seat to trying out new activities. I discovered that my priorities had shifted to being active in the outdoors in beautiful settings, and I was having more fun doing a wide range of activities. The time was perfect to start backcountry skiing.
Enter Operation Backcountry. Our plan to become proficient at skiing on unpatrolled, uncrowded, untracked terrain. I've already purchased new skis and boots (I couldn't find anything used that was small enough for me) and skins and bindings. Next, I will buy my safety equipment: shovel, probe, beacon, and eventually a float pack. This winter, I will take an avalanche safety course in addition to going out with experienced friends and my boyfriend, Brian (he's a split boarder, it is a slight point of contention in the relationship, but we are working through it). Anyone who belongs in the mountains will recognize the drive, the pull, the need to be out there. I can't wait to spend my time exploring the Tahoe backcountry this winter.
As we sit here in sunny New Mexico, the snow has already started to fall in many places, included our intended winter residence, Lake Tahoe. Despite the dismal seasons we have had there recently, we are giving the area another shot, because we love it so much, and because according to the weather reports, there is a high probability that it will be good. Really good. Chances are, we will cut this portion of our trip short, and head back to Tahoe within the next few days to transition back to winter. We have already gotten in one day in the Utah backcountry- we drove as far as we could up the La Sals, then hopped on our bikes with our skis and biked until we kept skidding out and falling, then hiked until we found a suitable patch of snow, then skiied down it giddily. We hiked back up and did it again and again until we were completely worn out. We hopped back on our bikes, headed back to the van, and fell asleep with visions of powder turns dancing in our heads.
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