Three Things I Learned on my Maiden Voyage

Photos of me taken by: Greg Von Doersten

This evening I had the incredible pleasure of venturing into the backcountry for my very first time with a dear friend of mine (and very talented photographer), Greg Von Doersten. Yeah, yeah, yeah... I grew up in Jackson Hole and I had the opportunity to do something like this before, but the time never presented itself. As a ski racer, I was at practice five days a week and leaving town for races across the Western States every single weekend. My skills and foundation as a skier are just fine... but it's that fear and timidness that seem to be ever present in the back of my mind that have, before today, kept me from getting out there.

Well, 2014 is here and I'm not getting any younger. It's time to try some new stuff... make an effort to experience more -- get more out of this life.

In the past two days I've worked hard on getting things in place to meet the 30 things I need to do before I turn 30. After paying the taxes on my car and finding they were $1000 less than I anticipated, I walked into Headwall Sports and got a touring setup. Check off #6 on my list: Get a Mountain Bike. Get a road bike. Buy some skate skis. Buy a parachute... Buy something that you can do all by yourself... whenever you want... 

Then I did something that challenged me, more mentally than physically and I learned so much. Greg was patient with me, helpful and made me feel incredibly safe. I can't imagine spending my maiden voyage with anyone else.

Today I learned a few things...

• One... that fear and timidness make you ski like shit. So stop being such a p#$$y and keep reminding yourself that you know how to ski -- you've been doing it better than walking for almost 30 years. It took more than a few turns for me to figure this out... but I got there.

• Two... in nature, you will find yourself.

• and Three... Stop worrying about what other people think about you. About what you look like, what you're wearing, what skis you have, how good or bad you are... just enjoy it (in anything that you do) because you're doing something valuable for yourself -- you're learning. You're in nature. You're making it happen and you're TRYING.

Thank you again, GVD, for an incredibly beautiful sunset tour.