Winterticipation: The Backcountry Beckons
Author: Chris Kenny
Teton Range, WY. Photo: Carson Meyer (@carsonmeyerphoto)
Football and pumpkin spice lattes are more than the usual, trivial signs of Fall—they’re our cue to tune our mind, bodies, and gear because with any luck our anticipation will result in fresh snow and fresh tracks.
If you’re like us, you know all about waiting out the Fall, watching the weather and dealing with Winterticipation. Here are some of the things that get us excited about the chill in the air.
Falling leaves, eye-popping autumnal colors, and cold, dark, rainy mornings. Some hunker down and call it “sweater weather.” We see it as a good excuse to throw on a base layer and keep on trail running, biking, and hiking. It’s a time to do everything we can to get prepped for the skin track.
As the snow falls, alpine trails become skin tracks, and our favorite descents begin to fill in. Teton Range, WY. Photo: Carson Meyer (@carsonmeyerphoto)
This time of year we love getting back in touch with the cold, unlike some of our avian friends. You can always tell when winter is really on its way when the birds start making an early escape south—with one exception: the snowy owl.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the early arrival of the snowy owl is an indicator of a “harsh” winter—just the kind we love. If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this special creature, know you have encountered a good omen.
Sometimes the only answer to Winterticipation is a dose of inspiration. So this time of year we look forward to the release of new ski movies. No matter what kind of skiing we do, we can all use a bit of mindblowing footage across disciplines to fire us up for winter bliss. Here are two of our favorite trailers so far.
You know winter is rearing its icy head when bike parks close and ski resorts open. It’s time to hang up the bike and dust off the boards. Whether your first laps will be in a resort, or under your own power, these are signs of good things to come.
Photo: Carson Meyer (@carsonmeyerphoto)
Finally, for us, Fall is about getting back in touch with the tools of our trade. Waxing skis. Replacing batteries in beacons and headlamps. Cutting skins. Mounting bindings. Putting in some solid time in the garage dialing in the setup, knowing good times are just around the corner. Now, if only the temperature would start dropping a little more...
See you on the skin track.
PS: Get your dream setup dialed today! Order the Intention 110 now and get your bindings mounted and skins cut for free! We can’t make winter come quicker, but we can get you on the snow as fast and conveniently as possible.
Photo: Josh Berman (@level1)