Love/Hate Packing
Submited By Egon Spangler On 2007-11-16
Thoughts on the positives and negatives of life as a vagabond skier.

Well, I'm off tomorrow. Start of another season in a new place. Granted, Whistler isn't the most original spot to head to, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of good reasons to be there (proximity to courses, and length of season are two biggies for me).

I'm just about finished my packing now. There are many aspects of my vagabond life that are out of the norm, but moving everything I own twice a year is not one of my favorite ones. Over the last seven years I have become an elite packer and mover (this will be the tenth time I've moved in that span). The number of belongings I have is to a large extent determined by the capacity of my truck.

The first move was by bus to Jasper. While there I acquired an '89 Jimmy that made my next half a dozen moves. When that was stolen I got my current vehicle, a 1982 GMC Sierra. With a high vintage canopy full of belongings (a shocking number of which can fall under the heading "gear"), I'm now prepared to take on winter in another new place.

I really don't enjoy the whole packing and logistics end of moving (who does), but there are always the bright spots. Heading to a new location I know I'm going to meet new friends (and old ones, as they to have dispersed in powder driven Brownian motion). Tomorrow I'll be ticking off the landmarks that mark my favorite route to the coast. Marble Canyon, the Duffy Lake road, etc.

I think there's a beer waiting for me when I get there.