Being a Beginner

Its been awhile since I have felt like a true beginner at a sport but while in Banff I had the chance to try just that. After meeting Leslie and Keith in Banff, Keith was kind enough to fish up some touring skis for me so I could make my first ski tour!

Well not only did Keith hook me up with the skis but also a pack with everything one needs for a trip to the back country including, shovel, water, avalance beacon and skins for the skis.

Keith taught me the basics of the avalance beacon such as turning it on and checking the battery power. Its good to be safe.

Putting skins on and off is a task in itself. The skins help the skis stick to the snow so you can ascend steep slopes. The act of "skinning" is where I felt like a total beginner. When it get's steep it all becomes counter-intuitive but eventually I made it work.

Breaking trail is the hardest work and luckily I only did it for a brief period of time.

In this picture you can see our fresh tracks on the left side. We found some great snow.

L

Lend these two your camera and you will come back with more pictures than you bargained for. Truth be told, I couldn't thank these two enough for a great day in the snow.

After a path is beaten down life get's much easier and fast turns come alive.