The Cognitive Dissonance of Resort Touring

Our skis skidded and chattered as we descended each artificial snow mound, a series of off-white heaps dotting the entire run that seemed more like a series of whale’s bodies than a surface made for skiing.

Up and down, we made our way over these piles of human-made snow that were soon to be groomed over the entire slope, all in the name of fitness, boredom, and–perhaps more than anything–a burning desire simply to ski. 

We had ascended the ski area in the way many now do, with skins affixed to skis...