As I start packing up my things here in Aspen and getting to make the move to France for the winter (after stopping in Florida and back home in Now!Hampshire), I've gotten to go through all shit for the first time in awhile. When I got all my ski gear together, I noticed a striking progression (i.e. accumulation) of gear. The past few seasons I have seen a huge change in my skiing, both in the improvement in my skills (& steez, rehtards!) and location, having spent four years in college skiing Jiminy Peak and the park mecca of Mount Snow, then moving out to Aspen for a year, and now onto the Alps. The gear tells the story...

2007-2008 Season. Mt. Snow, VT. Center-mounted park skis and East Coast-wide "pow" skis, that felt like skiing on Harts when I went to Alta.

2008-2009. Move to Aspen. Eventually earn enough tips to add a pair of rockered real pow skis to the quiver. I learn how to ski pow, do the Highlands Bowl in 3 turns, and jump a cliff with speed going into a 35-degree chute. They prove worth their while; I even ripped Alta this time. Good, very good.

2009-2010 season. French Alps. Line Blends come into the picture with a touring setup (Marker Dukes, CSD skins), along with a ski bag, powder baskets, a slope meter, an avi shovel, probe, and beacon. Now this shit is serious!

I super stoked to realize I will actually need all of this/use all of this, and can't wait to get my avi cert and start skiing some shit. Already had some great days skinning, and I feel like I picked up right from the end of last season. OH YEAH!!!