First Tracks-Canadian Rockies

The mountain wind is blowing, and snowflakes tickle my eyes and nose as I adjust my collar around my neck. I scan the landscape around me, a sea of clouds and snow with rocky peaks reaching up to the sky. As I bend down to tighten my ski boots and check my bindings, the muscles in my back and legs groan as they are forced to stretch. Hard to believe, in a few weeks I will be celebrating the 45th anniversary of my 20th birthday.

I tighten the buckles on my boots, check all my zippers are closed, pull my goggles and helmet closer to my head....and I push off. First ski turns of the season!

Skiing is like flying, You float across a white landscape, dancing thru pillows of snow. As the terrain undulates and reaches down to the valley floor, you follow its pattern and adjust your turns accordingly. I have been fortunate to have skied so long that skiing is like breathing. It is a natural practice for my body, one that brings a smile to my face and uplifts my soul.

I stop for a moment, and the only sound is my breathing, the wind in the trees, and the snowflakes colliding with my jacket.

Life in the mountains.

Robert Krysak