This year at Stevens Pass has been hard to watch, especially for those of us who have become regulars. Staffing shortages and the recurring themes of 2021 have resulted in long lines, less employees, and only a fraction of the lifts running each day. Although the love for Stevens Pass and the community around it will always burn bright, this early season has made us all rethink the importance of what skiing every weekend means to each of us.
For the first two ski seasons here in the PNW, I was caught up in the constant push to do bigger and better things. Ski bigger, scarier lines, drop bigger cliffs and sprint to the freshest runs before they got tracked out. Skiing for me has always been fun and a huge part of who I am, but at times it would feel exhausting and stressful as well. It was as if every weekend was a competition. The 5am wakeups to get a parking spot, and fact that I can mentally be very hard and critical of myself didn’t help things. At the resort, my mind would tell me that my Gnar Switch constantly had to be on (Read Ingrid Backstrom’s blog post on the Gnar Switch if you have questions, link below) and eyes from the chairlift were always watching.
This growing anxiety was erased on my first tour of the year. Touring allowed me to reconnect with all of the little things I love about skiing, the things that can easily be masked in-bounds at a resort. The smell of fresh pine deep in the woods, the quiet and stillness of the air and snow, and the focus required to make sure your skin is firmly seated before taking a step. But frankly, it is more than just the little things. In the hustle of today’s lift-serviced lines, ski touring feels like its own sport, and reminds you that skiing is an opportunity to be in touch with nature. The views surround you and are more intense, you feel more in-tune with each breath, and after working your way up, you are more observant, patient, and make better use of the natural features on the way down. Backcountry skiing is very much a mental and physical marathon, whereas resort skiing is short and repetitive sprints.
On our first tour of the year, we opted for a short and local favorite called Yodelin, just about a mile and a half East down Route 2 from Stevens Pass. Yodelin isn’t a difficult tour by any means but offers incredible tree skiing and low risk even on the deeper days. Because less people tour, even a late arrival often results in deep turns through an old growth forest. As we unloaded the Land Rover, strapped on our skins, and shuffled our way up the skin track, we were all content with the Gnar Switch staying off for the day. We were together, the snow was fluffy, the air was crisp and still, and the calming scent of softwood surrounded us. The snow even sparkled in the sunlight, so light that it just stayed suspended in the air. This level of stillness just can’t be found with a lift, and there was genuinely no place we would rather be. When we got to the top, our plans instantaneously changed. Turn 1 was deep, turn 2 was deep, wiggle, wiggle, slash, and throw a shifty off of a fallen down tree…. Gnar Switch on. Never have I ever skied such clean powder at 1 in the afternoon. The way down was short, but every turn memorable; a small reminder that even in skiing quality beats quantity.
One of the reasons I love touring is that it is what you make it. On the days you want to push your limits and wake up at the crack of dawn, the bigger lines are there to reward you. On the days you want to sleep in and take the time to observe, the smaller zones can feel just as rewarding. Regardless, I have forgotten about a lot of days skiing in bounds, but not a single run in the backcountry.
