Just some tours over New Year’s weekend. Anxious to get out overnight, but the day trips will do for now.

” I know of no form of sport which so evenly develops the muscles, which renders the body so strong and elastic, which teaches so well the qualities of dexterity and resource, which in an equal degree calls for decision and resolution, and which gives the same vigour and exhilaration to mind and body alike… There is something in the whole which develops soul and not body alone..” -Fridtjof Nansen

I love ski tours. It is about distance, exploring and being out there. Much like hiking.

Less gear intensive and focused than the “let’s skin up a mountain and ski down a mountain” skiing and definitely more of an outdoor experience than lift-served skiing.  And, unlike snowshoeing, I am not plodding. I am flying.

Most of my trips between mid-Dec to March will be on two planks.

Continue reading New Year’s weekend ski tours at PMags.com.

An article about my favorite Colorado winter activity…SKIING!!!!

Ski Touring

Since living in Colorado, I have become an avid backcountry skiier.

I was once a snowshoer, but thanks in large part to my friend Wendy, I have come to enjoy skiing more.

Ski touring is the backcountry cousin of  traditional cross-country skiing. With no groomed trails, you use wider skis and full metal edges for basic turns. It is a great way to explore the backcountry during winter.

Less crowded, less expensive and more of a wilderness experience than area (resort) skiing, and less of an adrenalin rush (and accident prone!) than typical “big bowl” telemark skiing.

Ski touring is essentially hiking on skis: A more relaxed, meditative and genteel way to explore the backcountry in winter than other winter outdoor pursuits.

Touring is also a bit more elegant than snowshoeing; there is something almost magical about gliding along the fresh powder with clear skies and the sun shining.

Continue reading Colorado Ski Tours – Mags Favorites at PMags.com.