I love cultural diversity — but I don’t need to go to Kathmandu to get it. Over past decades I’ve enjoyed knowing folks in the backcountry snowmobiling community. Many love their sport for the same reasons we love backcountry skiing, and despite occasional conflicts with land use issues, I’ve found the sledders easy to get along with, and enjoyed my own occasional trips on a motorized snow rocket.
Hence, I was personally grieved when I heard about the awful explosion and fire at Colorado’s snowmobile oriented Electric Mountain Lodge this past Saturday. The fire leveled the 15,000 square foot building and killed three children, members of an extended family who were having a reunion there. One can only imagine the fun those kids were having up in snow country with their parents and grand parents — all cut off in a moment. A reminder to live life to the fullest, to be large in our love and express it frequently.
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.
