03/31/2025
Still recovering from our 9th Chic Choc trip! Its always a good time for many reasons: getting away from the US, shopping in Quebec grocery stores, the exchange rate, but foremost getting an extension of winter and skiing novel lines in a quieter place with amazing views!
I wonât say anything more about this line other than that Iâve wanted to ski it for years and it was really difficult and long to get into on a suboptimal day. 3â of fluff on no-fall steep ice made the photos look fluffy but the videos tell another story! The pitch is definitely steeper than resources say and the entry was a bit puckering. As I approached the line I recorded a video of my feelings about it which is not something I normally do. Given the significance, effort and risk I felt it was appropriate to document how I felt and what it meant to me.
A note on the risk: It may be nothing to some skiers but on this day it definitely seemed scary because of the ice and how steep the entry was. I was solo and had skied 6 miles but had 8.5 miles to get back to the Ski Van. I didnât see anyone the whole tour. I enjoy going out by myself getting to go as fast or slow as I want and being able to really focus on a mission. Its hard to find people that match with all the characteristics needed and our schedules. I know that I could get into trouble but part of the challenge is the fine line between risk and staying safe. I definitely had an internal dialogue going on that was verging on physical expression of my anxiety. It spiked when I got above treeline and saw the enormity of the objective and how committing it was. I was telling myself it was ok even though I knew it might not be. Fortunately, through many years of biking, skiing, climbing and other random things somehow Iâve made the right decisions and the right actions to back it up. Iâve imagined what it would be like to f**k up, get injured, be unprepared and be faced with an epic battle for survival. Hopefully I will never have to experience such a thing.
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