Although I am primarily a rock climber and trail runner, my feet took me on what I like to call the other long walk to nowhere: backcountry skiing (the first being hiking). I’m not just talking skiing the groomers at the resort every single weekend, which in hindsight is what I should have been doing. I am talking about the kind of skiing where earning your turns, hiking for one single run back down the mountain, and variable snow conditions make you respect the mountains. I learned a lot about my attitude this winter and what drives me to be out in the vast landscapes that surround us. Yet the backcountry is where I knew the most fun could be had so the struggles began.