There’s something about that first run of the season. Standing at the top, you worry, for a fraction of a second, that maybe you forgot how to ski over the course of the summer. You feel the pinch in your toes from being crammed into ski boots after months of wearing flip-flops. And you wonder if you’ve done enough to stay in shape since last spring – the bike rides and those squats on that one visit to the gym were enough, right?
But once you drop in, all those fear go away quickly. None of that matters anymore. Your mind clears and all you care about is going faster and farther. Making this moment last as long as it possibly can. In that moment, you never want summer to come around again.
Saturday, I went skiing for the first day of the season. The ski areas in Washington haven’t opened yet, so I went on a backcountry tour with some friends near Mt. Baker. Having recently moved to Seattle, it was my first time skiing in the state of Washington. Here are some photos I shot.