Winter is Around the Corner

I have been skiing now for a good part of my life. I have had season passes to go skiing for 19 out of 40 years. Yes, almost half of my life. Not too bad for a boy who grew up only 30 miles west of New York City. About this time every year the buzz begins. The first issue of Powder Magazine shows up in the mailbox, some mountain locations get hit with their first signs of snow, the ski film industry begins releasing the movies that they made last year, and the heat of summer begins to wane. I love winter! I love exploring the mountains of our world during the cold months. Travel is pretty easy on skis and there are very few who follow. Especially in the backcountry where you need to earn your turns.

In this last week alone there have been many signs. Colleague, editor, photographer, writer, and overall adventurist Steve Casimiro added a post to his blog about the act of acquiring the season pass and what it brings to the beholder. Then, I read a weather report on ESPN that this year is a La Niña year–meaning the northwestern portion of the United States typically get pounded with snow. And a few minutes ago, I stumbled upon this video teaser for a new ski movie entitled Azadi:Freedom that is taking viewers to Kashmir. Um, where do I sign up.

This year I will be purchasing my 20th season pass at my new local area–Mount Baker. I spent last season exploring the skiing all around Washington and have decided that Mount Baker is the place to photograph not only skiing, but nature as well during the winter. I will definitely share how the course of the season progresses with all of you. For those who don’t ski, the power of the sport is pretty hard to explain, but when you drop into a line like the one above, with completely untracked snow and monster quantities of it, it is in fact, better than sex.