For years, I have lived a life in the mountains and have kept it pretty simple. Spend time with my friends and family, ski, bike, hike, skateboard… and spend most of my time outdoors. A big portion of my life has been spent chasing powder and fun places to ski. Also, no cell phone. Yes that’s right, I still don’t have a cell phone! No social media accounts and barely an email account. That simple: family, friends, outdoor adventure, eat, sleep and repeat. Then life evolves, marriage, kids and the awareness of the growing environmental crisis. Should I continue to live very simply or complicate it to make a difference? The push and pull of passion, purpose and caring for future generations.
Some people have called my life “Ski Bumming”, but it has never felt like an accurate description. I have always worked. Being a bum implies that you don’t work; that you live off others or the government or that your life took a bad turn and you are down and out. Luckily, my job has allowed me enjoy my outdoor passions and help people at the same time. In some ways it’s a dream job, equally it’s a crazy job all in one. It can sure wear you down physically and mentally. Not complaining, as I am lucky enough to choose my path as many don’t.
“Ski Bumming” also implies that you are just wasting time. I beg to differ. As professional surfer and environmentalist Dave Rastovich calls it “meaningful play”: it’s pursuing a passion that has an amazing connection with nature. This connection motivates you to care about the environment and see things differently.
People often look down at these lifestyles and assume that they are just lazy. Wether you are a surfer, snowboarder, skier, biker, a climber or an adventurer. If you are committed, it can require a lot of focus and energy. The movie, The Dawn Wall about the persistence of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, comes to mind as a perfect example. The work ethic and determination of these two climbers is unparalleled!
Weak in comparison to there exploits though they still come to mind, are surf trips I have done with friends and family. We spent so much time in the water that I had to use zinc Penaten cream from my friend’s baby diaper kit for my sunburnt face. Arms like noodles, full body pain, rashes, reef cuts, imbedded urchin spines and a face covered in baby bum cream to go out again until it gets dark. Best “holiday” ever.
On one of these trips, I got engaged to my long time girlfriend Miriam and the good life continued. We kept it simple and kept having a great time together. Along the journey she was instrumental in opening my eyes to our environmental crisis. Her interest, passion, awareness helped me get to where I am today. That and the obvious signs around us: the change in seasons, weather events and glaciers melting before my own eyes…
In the early 2000’s, I used to work on a glacier full of summer ski and snowboard camps. It hasn’t opened in two years. They had to remove one of the lifts due to glacier recession and move the other. The T-bar couldn’t even run in the middle of winter due to the unbelievable melt.
Once you are aware, its hard not to care. We started with small changes and continue to re-evaluate things along the journey. Small changes can add up and make a difference. Generally the simple life continued…
Newly married, we move in to our own small condo once the opportunity arises. It’s a small space and with some skills from my dad’s hobby woodworking shop, we make the best of it. This opens my eyes to the world of design and how it can really affect your world. The push and pull begins, do you just go and adventure or do you dial in your small space? Housing options in one of Canada’s most expensive towns are few and far between. We make the best of it and plan to be here for the long run. The world of design opens up to me and I enjoy the creative side of it.
My wife is ready for kids, our life is still pretty simple and fun. Unexpected friends start having kids. I meet my niece for the first time in Halifax and realize how great it could be. Enjoying the mountain life, I still take a while to wrap my head around it.
After a crazy day at work of filling in as the supervisor, a day where one of the mountain gondola towers collapses and the chaos ensues, I give in as well. 9 months later, we have a daughter! Life isn’t quite as simple anymore, but it is absolutely amazing and challenging. Still trying to make a difference in our impact, we choose cloth diapers and continue with our other efforts. We are lucky enough to have an amazing network of friends, they share clothing and baby supplies as they grow out of it so fast. It feels great passing it on to others when you are done with it. It helps them and makes space in your home.
Life isn’t quite as simple- it feels like it has more purpose. Still trying to balance family life and a mountain lifestyle can be tricky; things get a little complicated. Our eldest napped in a lot of funny places over the years. One and done allowed us to keep things fairly manageable, but having a second seemed like the right thing for us and for our first. Two kids, a small space and busy schedules. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.
Having kids can change you. I can’t help but look at the future and what it might look like for them. Do you just keep trucking along or do you make it more complicated? Do you change things up and really try to make a difference? No cell, no social media, hardly an email and a mountain lifestyle can be minimalism at its’ best. Here is my conundrum, do I keep living simply or make it more complicated? Do I try to move forward and make a difference? Have a purpose? Change the world? A blog, social media, an idea for change, hours in front of a computer, endless reading and learning… Fitting it in around full time jobs and kids schedules. Too late, wheels are already in motion. Here is to simply doing our best.
Thanks for reading, subscribe below for regular updates. Please share on your socials.
Pat
Pat is a Ski Patroller/Avalanche Technician with a keen interest in design and sustainable living due to a longtime passion for the outdoors. Seeing glaciers melt, seasons change, summer skies full of smoke and beach pollution first hand, motivate him to make a difference.
As Yvon Chouinard Founder of Patagonia says “If you are not part of the solution, you are still part of the problem”.