As I toy with the idea of doing a ski traverse of the Catamount Trail which goes along the spine of the Green Mountains of Vermont, I started to think of some of the great ski journeys Rowell and Gilette did in the 1970s and 80s. The traverse of the Brooks Range and Ellsmere Island, the circumnavigation of Denali, as well as The Great Circle were all adventures that deeply touched me when I was younger. Of course, that also brings you back to the journeys of Shipton, Tilman, and the Bullock-Workmans on foot.
Skiing steep chutes is all the rage, hucking cliffs, or footage of deep powder are what ski movies are all about. However, even though it's not fashionable, turn your browser to Steep Edge Films and rent THE DINOSAUR'S TRACK: KARAKORUM SKI TRAVERSE 2005. The sense of adventure, the wildness of raw nature, the traditions of our sport ... It's all there.