Introduction

This blog is based on my experience as a Nordic skier.  In particular, this blog will focus on backcountry Nordic skiing.  This blog is not intended to be a journal, or log, of my skiing; as much as it is to present my thoughts and experiences.

Why “hemiboreal” skiing?  The term hemiboreal describes a climate that is at the meeting of the northern limits of the temperate zone; and the southern limits of the boreal zone- a temperate-boreal transitional climate.  A hemiboreal forest is forest that is a mix of both northern temperate, and boreal forest.  I live and backcountry ski in rural, central New Brunswick, Canada.  The climate in New Brunswick is most definitely hemiboreal; and the forests that I work, hike and ski in every day are a spectacular mix of northern temperate and boreal species.

I am a passionate outdoor enthusiast.  Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to experience and enjoy regular outdoor experiences ranging from paddling, sailing, and snorkeling; to hiking and backpacking; to wilderness camping; to xcountry and alpine skiing on piste; to backcountry skiing.  Being on skis in the wilderness, on fresh snow- is just about my favourite thing to do!

In general, I love to be surrounded by Nature.  In particular, I love to be on a tour or trek through forests and/or mountains.  I have explored the forests and mountains of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, New England and southwestern Mexico.

The posts in this blog will reflect my particular preferences in skiing.  Although I have a passion for skiing in the mountains; I am first and foremost interested in backcountry touring.  I do love to ski downhill- but my focus is primarily on touring performance.  This is why I greatly prefer Nordic ski equipment over Alpine.

As a starting point- free-heel Nordic ski equipment offers much greater touring performance than Alpine touring (AT) equipment.  Taking that further; my preference is for a more traditional backcountry-xcountry setup.  This means light boots and bindings, and long, touring-oriented skis. 

My love of skiing began early- I have been skiing for more than 30 years.

I was born in Montreal, Quebec, to newly-immigrant parents.  Neither of my parents came from a skiing background (my mother is from Ireland; my father is from Wales).  In fact; my parents had no real experience with snow before they came to Canada.  However; my parents were quickly influenced by the Quebecois passion for winter- they began to xcountry ski.  As a family (sister included) we xcountry skied on track; and backcountry-xcountry skied in the Laurentians, the Eastern Townships, the Green Mountains, and the Adirondacks.

When I was 9 years old we moved to coastal, Saint John New Brunswick- not exactly a skiers paradise!  Saint John has a cool-cold maritime climate- with intense winters filled with heavy snowfalls, ice and rain storms; and both arctic cold snaps, and mid-winter thaws.  The winter snow conditions are highly variable, and often terrible for backcountry skiing.  I vividly remember racing home after school in order to take advantage of a few hours of fresh, soft snow!  We lived within easy-walking distance of Rockwood Park- so getting out in the woods was never difficult.

As a teenager, my family took seasonal trips to Alpine ski resorts in Maine and New Hampshire; where I began to develop some Alpine skiing skills.

I lived and worked in BC during the late 1990s, where I was first exposed to mountain backcountry touring, and had the opportunity to tour in both heavy telemark equipment, and AT equipment.  Although I greatly appreciate the downhill performance of AT- the greater touring efficiency of Nordic equipment was obvious.

I currently live in rural, central New Brunswick.  My family lives on a farm-woodlot that backs onto endless 100s of kilometres of forests.  I can ski right from my doorstep, and routinely tour through fields, forests, glades, and stream/river valleys.  The forests here have a long history of logging.  There are endless old forest trails and roads through the forest that allow efficient long distance touring.  To date; I have not been grooming xcountry track- I am typically skiing on ungroomed snow- breaking our own track.  The terrain here is rolling hills- gentle to moderate with only the occasional steep climb and descent.  There is some beautiful steep terrain in the Glen- I regularly take in some excellent downhill runs through fields and hardwood glades.  During the ski season I ski most every day (at times with a headlamp); I manage to get longer tours in on the weekend.  I currently ski about 1500kms per season.

My wife and I have done many backcountry ski tours in the mountains of Quebec and the Gaspe.  With our very young family we have not managed a trip to Quebec in a few years.  We plan on continuing our ski trips in the future!

I am at heart, first and foremost a xcountry skier.  My particular interest and passion is backcountry touring/trekking on skis.  My particular obsession is xcountry touring efficiency.  My gear interests are focused on relatively light, flexible boots and long skis.  However I particularly love to tour in mountainous terrain.  In order to ski down mountains- one must be able to make downhill turns.  In order to make downhill turns on traditional, light Nordic gear- one must learn the telemark turn.