Is it really summer? Slap me upside the head, but with skiing Denali and Hood in the past weeks, along with getting the latest Ski Journal in the mail, I’m thinking powder not pedals, freshies not fish, turns not tans. Call me insane. You are probably correct. But what is life without some zest?
When it takes six months to pack for an expedition, it might take more than one day to unpack. That is unless you get a Ski Journal in the mail. In that case, unpacking gets moved to day three.
But anyhow, Ski Journal 4.1 has contraindicated any psychotropics with which I’ve attempted to cure my snow related mental problems. Despite it being 98 degrees outside and the lawn needing mowing, I’m sitting here reading a profile of the Mahre family, some special words from Andrew McLean, and even an article about a newly discovered species called a womanimal.
On top of that, this ish’ has fully TWO articles about Denali. One by Andrew McLean about his ski descents of the three major Alaskan Range peaks (Denali, Hunter, Foraker), and another by well known Jackson journalist Angus Thuermer, who retrospects his first ascent of Reality Ridge on Denali 35 years ago, with none other than Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf. Amazingly, the Thuermer article doesn’t include skiing, but it seems to fit in nonetheless since Ski Journal can’t help but delve into the spirit of alpinism, no matter how hard they try to include the words Simon Dumont in every issue.
Indeed, when Ski Journal became a WildSnow.com sponsor some time ago, I wondered about their fit. Well, wonder no more. Wildsnow is about the high places, some so high the snow never melts but instead creates gigantic ice rivers that blow your mind with their scale and power. The boys at Ski Journal seem to like that stuff too. Denali, anyone?
All I can say is ‘git sum.’
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
