Photo Comp - Dolomite Traverse

The Dolomite Traverse is a Rockies' classic. It's a beautiful long tour with pretty mild terrain and awesome views on those sunny days. I had done this trip a few years back and was keen to share it with a couple of friends (and their dog) who hadn't done it yet. Almost all the ingredients were there that day: beautiful weather, a good group of friends and fresh snow. The only thing missing was my confidence. As I skinned up the first few clicks, my heart was pounding about three times harder than it should have, my body was tense with anxiety and my head was in over-drive.

You see, only a week before I had had a close call in the Smithers backcountry. Two people in our group died that day in what was by all accounts a freak avalanche. Two people who were role models of safety and had led extraordinary lives filled with adventure. 

Putting the skis on so soon after this accident was by no means easy. The last time I had skied was to call for help. It was no wonder that my gut reaction was to not want to put myself in the same situation again. 

Yet skiing has always been my best stress relief tool, and I wanted that aspect of it back. So I tried to put all the good ingredients together in the hopes that it would work like always, but also giving myself permission to turn around should I need to. Happily, we had an awesome day and made good memories too! I skied as safely as my role models would have and enjoyed the kind of adventure that defined their lives. The journey back to 'normal skiing' is far from over for me, but with the help of friends, the guiding values of those more experienced than me and landscapes that inspire the soul, all the ingredients are there.