I saw Tori’s new website and I thought it was a really cool idea to spread stoke and promote positivity, so I thought I would contribute to the cause.

In my opinion the best kind of stoke is shared with those you care about.

Lately, I have been pretty obsessed with backcountry skiing, so when my family expressed interest in trying it out I was both impressed and excited. After a long period of wanting to go, but never quite making it happen because conditions weren’t quite perfect, I finally told my mom to just pick a date because we really don’t need perfect conditions to go out for the first time. This turned out to be a good idea and she choose President’s Day, which was a day that neither of us were working. We were hopeful that my brother Geensmack or my dad could come along, but it didn’t quite work out for either of them. Undeterred, and after a lengthy discussion of what to wear and bring, my mother and I trundled off to Alta with the plan of using the lifts for some lift accessed backcountry skiing.

Once we arrived, we were bamboozled by how crowded it was at Alta. We probably should have expected it because it was a holiday, but the lift lines were looooooong and it wasn’t even a powder day. This primarily served to make us all the more stoked that we weren’t going to be stuck in them all day. Once we got to the top of Supreme and entered the backcountry, it felt great to escape the hectic rat race happening on the inbounds slopes and enter into the backcountry where things are peaceful. It is such an amazing feeling when you pass under the rope or through the gate and suddenly it feels like a new world that is detached from all the madness of civilization. The backcountry, especially in winter, is a calm and peaceful place where worries evaporate and profound thoughts somehow wander into my mind. Also. . . the skiing is way better there. All of his is what I wanted to share with my mom.

We started out by skinning up to a classic powder line called Point Supreme. It was Mom’s first time skinning so it took a little getting used to but she did great. I really like teaching my mom new skills because she does a really great job of listening to my directions and trying her best to do exactly what I describe. It’s wonderful. Needless to say she caught on fast and in no time we were on top of Point Supreme ready to ski our first run.

Here is a photo taken just after glorious completion of a kick turn, not an easy task for a first timer.

After our first run, the stoke was high, so we transitioned rapidly and scampered back up the hill to schralp it again.

The second run was even better than the first and Mom was loving the whole backcountry skiing experience.

At the bottom of our second, run we decided to take a break and bask in our glory. I showed Mom how to make a chair out of skies and we enjoyed some victory pizza while gazing at our fresh tracks. Spirits were quite high.

After a hike back up Mom was pretty tired and happy so we skied back into Alta and returned to the real world excited to get back in the backcountry together again soon.

Thanks for the super fun day Mom!!

I love you!