In the Pacific Northwest, March-May are typically some of the best skiing months of the year. Most often you’ll get new snow to start off the spring, then slowly it warms up and turns to spring corn. My favorite season of all is “Volcano Season”...
I love birthdays. Christmas, Easter, the last day of school…. pretty much all of the holidays kids get excited about pale in comparison to birthdays for me. Birthdays are the one day where you are different than (most) everyone else. Everyone should enjoy...
You get home from a big trip and you’re exhausted. You really need a shower. The VERY last thing you want to do is unpack your crap, but you know you should…. You weigh the pros and cons: unpacking is a 20-minute commitment at minimum, putting off the...
As I write this, I’m in the car about to begin a 10-day ski trip into the Canadian backcountry. It’ll be my first time in a helicopter, my first time backcountry skiing in Canada, and the first time without cell phone coverage for more than a day in...
PorterPants as I call him. Lovingly captured hiking by Lisa Bowers.You wouldn’t know it from looking at this photo of my favorite little buddy, but a few years ago I didn’t like dogs. Or red wine. Or riding a bicycle, carrying things up hills, or sleeping...
Experienced adventuristas often forget what it was like to be ‘the noob’. We have our kit dialed, know how much food to pack, and can go from no plans to leaving on a two-day ski trip in 30-minutes without breaking a sweat. But we were all beginners once,...
Photo by Greg Sheehan. Buy your own today!BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME!-end of list**see also: keeps you warm at night, adds flair to any packing photo, allows you to make friends easily, keeps people you shouldn’t be friends with away from you, has ample belly...
Back in December 2015, when I really started to feel like myself again, I composed a “Petra is GONE” blog in my head. The update was to be titled “Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming” and it was going to be about poop.That’s...
Having grown up in Montana, my mind always convinces me that February is the absolute BEST month to go skiing. The snow is abundant, fluffy, and playful. The weather is cold and sunny, and it’s the ideal time to perfect a google tan. Or that’s what my...
Mastering your personal layering comfort is one of the most difficult aspects of backcountry travel. Too many clothes and you’re soaking yourself from the inside out. Too few and you’re freezing your little tootsie off. No bueno either way. Half of...
