Conquering the Peaks

A short story about fear. A fear of snow. Is there even a word for that? Chionophobia - the Greeks thought of everything, especially surrounding human phobias. But who could be afraid of such a fluffy, beautiful element? she moved from Arizona to ALASKA to follow her heart, a first love, and was smacked with the reality of -46 degree temps, ill preparation with gear, lack of sunshine, a vitamin D deficiency, and encountering “SAD” For the first time in life. Your car breaks down alone in the wrong time of year and place and you could be done for. that’s the “why.” So then what? she just avoided all snow related activities then, right? Her? No. The older she grew, the braver. When she was 32, she decided to take up skiing. Invested in it hard, got a pass, all the gear, maxed out pass days in Whistler and Japan, and faced fears of learning, dosing her anxiety with whisky at the end of runs lol. Then at 34, she took up mountaineering, summiting many of the volcanos around Washington, some twice, and took a stab at Rainier, deepening her knowledge of snow safety and travel. WHAT? HER?! yea, the scared one. Then what? During the pandemic she was able to start being a snow bird, heading south for the winter to Canyoneer and climb, and largely missed out on the white stuff for a while, but was no longer afraid of it. last winter the cold followed her south and she grew an immense love for the beauty of the desert blanketed in diamonds and snowflakes. Now her biggest “fear” this year is missing out. On what? On all the things her friends will get to do, enjoying winter in the north while she traipse around Mexico all season tackling new fears. That’s what made her decide though, that late 2024 was going to be a winter to remember. To take her climbing to ice, to take her skiing touring, to build her first igloo lol, to spend all winter IN IT. In snow, not the igloo, silly. But isnt she old now? It’s been years. Her? No. She’s always getting started on something. That’s the key to staying young. I tell you this, so you can start now too. So, what are you afraid of? Let’s go try it out. If SHE can do it, so can you.