Labor day today. This morning I’m thinking back on my life in the trenches. Literally, as my first real construction job was hand-digging ditches in Aspen. Being on the less massive size in stature, I hated that. So I graduated to pulling down hundred-year-old plaster ceilings. All led to a lengthy career as a carpenter, with a segue to guidebook writer and now blogger. Life sure takes some twists and turns. Like many guys, I still enjoy manual labor and building things — just not 50 hours a week. Harvesting firewood, yeah, that’s fun.
My buddy MK's chainsaw keeps him fit. I've always wondered how he stayed so strong, now I know.
Did some wood cutting up at a friend’s cabin yesterday, with crisp September air smelling like winter. When autumn hits and the chainsaws howl, I start scheming on how to grow my ski quiver, sort of like a dog growing thicker fur when summer ends. This year, my goal is to extensively test and review a half dozen of what I feel are the best mid-fats for human powered pow. Getting ready for that is a blast. Got some Voile planks on the list, along with Dynafit, BD, perhaps Tecnica and Volkl, Trab, more. Can’t wait.
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.
