Cross country skiing has become a staple in my winter activities menu. I love going out on a trail and gliding across the snow instead of trudging through in boots. And you get a fantastic workout without even really realizing it. AND you can get a little sun on the cheeks (don't worry, Mom, I wear my SPF 615). I plan on purchasing a xc get-up in the near future.
I learned to snowboard. Officially. I'm an official snowboarder. I can make it all the way down the mountain with total ease. Ok, I still fall of course, but I'm finally comfortable and can make nice turns and I don't get scared switching from heelside to toeside. So that's pretty awesome to me.
Hiking Big Mountain is now my workout of choice. There were recently some restrictions placed on uphill travel (hiking, snowshoeing, skinning) up the Big, so instead of having all access, those who don't want to ride the lift can only go up a designated route and have from 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM to do so. So on the last night before the restrictions went into effect, Ben, Kyle and I put on our snowboard boots, strapped our snowboards to our packs and started up at sunset. It was a perfectly clear night, and as we reached the last crest the moon was staring right in our faces. It was like a huge spotlight on the trail and probably one of the coolest moments since being here. We celebrated with a Kokanee tallboy toast, and then boarded down with the moon lighting the way. Since then, I've hiked up twice during the day, and have plans to do so every week until mountain bike season starts up. You just can't get much better of a workout than walking straight up the side of a mountain for an hour...
Also to be added to the wishlist: backcountry set-up. Skins, AT bindings, avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. I spent a weekend at Ninko Cabin, one of the forest service cabins available for rent in the winter, for Scott's wife Erica's birthday with some friends. Again, another fantastic workout, skinning up the side of a mountain and skiing back down. We had such beautiful bluebird weather that we were in tank tops by the time we reached the summit. An experience I won't forget for a while. Well, I have no choice considering I have the remnants of the blister I got from wearing borrowed ski boots for nearly 3 hours of skinning and then 5 1/2 miles of skating (mostly uphill) out from the cabin the next day on our way home. Did I mention that this cabin is 13 miles in from the road, 3 miles of which I mistakenly drove and managed to get stuck in a ditch which took 3 hours, 3 shovels, 2 stuck cars and 2 times being pulled out by a chain? Yeah, that happened too....
But alas, spring has sprung and the snow is melting away and it's time to start thinking about Thursday Night Race League and getting my hike list in order and breaking in my backpack and all that good stuff that comes with warm, sunny weather. It's been fun, first winter in Montana, but I'm not gonna lie, I can't wait for summer again!
