Learning how to get ready and be efficient for a backcountry day can be daunting for many aspiring backcountry enthusiasts. I am still working on my systems and I have been backcountry skiing for over 10 years. It takes many hours frigging with gear and getting your skins stuck in your hair while they flap about in the wind to get it right. There is a lot of technique involved in outdoor expeditions on skis, but a lot of guess work can be eliminated by bringing good gear that has a reputation for holding up in stressful situations. For this reason, SheJumps, the nonprofit that is dedicated to getting women active in the outdoors, decided to host an event focused on helping people (and specifically women) prepare for backcountry skiing. I agreed to Emcee the event and show the women of Burlington what I have over time decided are the most important things to bring into the backcountry with me.

Fall in east is one of the most beautiful sights on earth. The leaves are on fire and the cool air reminds me that it is almost time to break out my ski boots again and see if I can remember what I am doing on snow. It is also the time of year when I start driving down to Highlands Mountain Bike Park in New Hampshire to give my downhill bike a little bit of a workout. Downhilling on the east coast is a blast, but it can be extremely uncomfortable in the summer when the humidity is through the roof and the temperature is around 95 degrees. Wearing a full-face helmet in that kind of weather is less than enjoyable. In late fall, however, body armor provides extra warmth and Downhilling becomes a far more pleasurable activity. I also came prepared with my Mammut Jungfrau T-shirt as an anti-chaffing underlayer to keep me the perfect temperature and my Pike Jacket which is quite possibly my favorite layer for warmth in the entire world.