Fear can be debilitating in the outdoors and fear can be debilitating in life. For sure it can be. It can stop you from trying something that you may think is beyond your capabilities. It is all too easy to put up barriers and to justify inaction based on the ‘what ifs’. When we do this, when we listen to our fears and decide not to take a risk we close off the potential to achieve great things. If we only ‘felt the fear’ and did it anyway, who knows what rewards would await us.

But fear has its place too. Fear can also be extremely beneficial. It can keep us safe and in some situations, alive. It can be the primary motivating factor behind that all important decision to turn back. In this way, fear can be the sole mechanism that delivers us to the pub at the end of a day so that we can live to experience another day in the outdoors.

So how do we separate the two? How do we identify whether the adrenaline in our veins is telling us to ‘just do it’, or whether it is pushing our lives towards a rather messy and/or premature conclusion? I’m not sure there is a definitive answer. I can only speculate that unhealthy fears are the ones that hold us back, and healthy fears must be those that preserve our existence on this planet. Being able to identify whether your quickened heart rate is pushing you onwards or telling you that it is time to retreat can sometimes be more important than our ability to navigate or our choice of appropriate clothing or gear. Quite frankly it is the skill that can separate those who enjoy a long and rewarding career in the outdoors from those who are, well, brown bread.

My own relationship with fear is an interesting one. Just over a year and a half ago I was in a place where everything was upside down. I was having panic attacks about things I wasn’t even remotely scared of. Bizarrely, it was also at this time that I started to actually do things that other people would consider paralysingly petrifying. Stuff like rock climbing and mountaineering. It was quite frankly laughable that back then the concept of bumping into my ex in the supermarket would induce more feelings of terror than putting myself into a potential life or death situation on a rockface. Like I said, it was a confusing time.

When I look back now it all makes perfect sense to me. The utter simplicity of being in the mountains overrode any fears that may have taken hold. The purity of the air, the awesome power of nature, and the friendships formed all combined to restore in me my sense of self and quietened my noisy head. Here I was neither in control nor out of control – it was a game of calculated risk.

If I listened to the mountain, weighed up the options, focused, breathed appropriately, and looked only a few moves ahead, then I would succeed. It became a case of putting one foot in front of the other and in so doing it was suddenly eminently possible to reach the top of a Munro on ski in a total whiteout, to traverse the ridges of An Teallach in thick fog, and to succeed on a 6a route having only ever climbed twice previously. It was this adoption of the one foot in front of the other approach, together with a point blank refusal to submit to the irrational fears that got me past chaos and self-doubt, to the top, to fresh air, to calm, to the future.

So where does this leave us with fear? Well I guess the point I’m trying to make is that where there is real risk there should be fear. And while you can never have zero risk in wild places you can minimise the risks by taking things one step at a time, immersing yourself in the moment, and enjoying the journey. And if you adopt this outlook on the mountain and in your every day life, then there is nothing to be afraid of.

Homeboy Ski Blog

This is a guest post from our friend James of Untamedborders.com. James is a real deal. He skis where most of us will never even have a chance to ski. When James is not guiding people around Central Asia he can be found either in Peshawar drinking tea, in Amsterdam with his girlfriend or in London where he is slowly coming to terms with owning a flat with negative equity.

“Skiing the high snowy mountains of Afghanistan would be a dream come true for many backcountry skiers, but as we all know, it is not possible as long as the fighting keeps going on in the country.” – Marko, Homeboy ski.

At the time Marko was writing this in the Autumn of 2009, Afghanistan had already seen a number of skiers on its slopes and was preparing the ground work to accept its first batch of foreign back country skiers. As with many things about Afghanistan, the public perception of the country is often very different to actual life on the ground.

Picture taken by Chad Dear, March 2010

Ever since the International forces ousted the Taliban regime in 2001, intrepid foreign workers have been heading to the slopes near Kabul for some escapism during the winter months and today a small group now regularly use the slopes of the Salang Pass for few runs each week. In the winter of 2009 the Bamian valley in Central Afghanistan has had its first injection of a US.5 million investment to boost its fledgling tourism industry. Local guides have been trained to show how the region, most famous for its giant standing Buddhas which were destroyed by the Taliban 9 years ago, can be a year round tourist attraction. Two American ski consultants spent last winter there and can confirm that the slopes of Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush range is one of the worlds finest backcountry ski areas. Already the prospect of ski tourism has attracted some media interest and it seems that against all odds Afghanistan can be a ski destination.

The development plan in Bamian is to first attract foreign workers from Kabul and wealthier Afghanis before trying to attract foreign tourists in 3-5 years time but Untamed Borders, a travel company from the UK, is already advertising places for Afghanistan’s first ski tour in March 2011.

Untamed Borders is a small niche travel company that organises guides and trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan. They want to use their experience, knowledge and long lasting relationships in Afghanistan to allow back country skiers a unique experience that will be as much a cultural exploration as a skiing trip. Their itinerary intends to allow the guests to follow the routes pioneered by the ex-pat workers in the Salang Pass and then to use the services of the newly trained local guides in the Bamian region. They will also encourage the skiers to bring extra second hand ski equipment to help stock the fledgling local ski rental business of Bamian.

Picture taken by Chad Dear, March 2010

It seems incredible that peaceful pockets can exist in Afghanistan. However, one of the things that has driven the violence in Afghanistan is the fact the country is made up of many different ethnic and religious groups who are often distrustful of each other. Bamian is the home of the Hazara. The Hazara are descendants of an army left as a garrison by Genghis Khan and have mongaloid, oriental faces. They are also Shia muslims in a country dominated by Sunnis. Over the years they have persecuted and neglected by various governments and it is only since the US and ISAF forces have been in the country that schools, hospitals and roads have been built here. This is why the security situation there is far removed from the Pashtun led insurgency you see on the news in the southern provinces.

Untamed Borders use guides that have worked in Afghanistan since 1997 and have a deep understanding of the risks involved in travel to the country and where it is possible to travel safely and why. They have many friends in all the places on the trip who give them up to the minute information on what is really going on.

The question still remains whether Afghanistan, a country with poor infrastructure, no ski lifts and possibly crucially, where alcohol is illegal, can really attract skiers from Europe and America that are used to their creature comforts. However, it is clear that it will not be for a lack of opportunity should the brave wish to make the trip.

Homeboy Ski Blog

“Dad! Look at me! I’m gonna collect them all!”

It’s a lovely day in late January. Rays of the sun dancing on pure white snow fields make the day so bright that I hardly can see without sunglasses. As an old stick chaser I am teaching my 6-year-old the “secrets” of slalom skiing. He is clearly not interested in my “methods” and rather wants to discover his own way to learn to ski. This time he wants to collect all sticks of our little slalom course while coming down a straight line.

I’m a bit afraid. Last three times he has failed to collect them all but came down so fast that he almost forgot to look ahead and avoid crashing with other skiers.

My boy is focused. He wants to make it to prove me something. “Am I him pushing too hard?” I think. I grew up with strong entrepreneurial spirit and I have my desire to challenge and compete with others, and for some reason I expect others to behave like me. I want my kids to learn to survive on their own whatever happened, but I don’t want them to do things just to get my acceptance. I want them understand that they are good as they are, but I would love to see them grow strong and independent.

“I’m coming now, dad! Look”.

And I am watching. There he comes, fast and furious. I like his attitude. He is a fighter, but also a fragile child. This is a play he has invented and he likes it, so let’s play.

What’s the result this time? A huge smile and a number of sticks in his little hands.

“I did it!”

“Awesome! You were so fast. I knew you can do it. Now let’s enjoy some hot chocolate, ok?”

I like their philosophies

It is interesting how a small event in life can make you think about something for days and weeks. Few weeks ago my friend and lifelong skier Skipe Oivo told me about a humble Swedish dude who goes big in Chamonix.

“Why not interview Andreas Fransson who is living here with us? He is a really nice dude who skis some pretty nasty mountain faces, AND he looks at skiing from a bit different perspective”, said Skipe. “Yeah, why not. Let me call him this week”, I replied.

Easy access to a nice couloir in in L’Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I called Andreas by Skype and spent couple of hours chatting about skiing, Chamonix and life. In fact we spoke mostly about life and philosophy. During those days I also happened to read Yvon Chouinard’s “Let My People Go Surfing”. The founder of Patagonia is a climber, surfer and kayaker who cares about people and nature. He is a reluctant businessman who wasn’t supposed to become a business man, but “suddenly” created a 0 million company that has been voted as one of the best 100 companies to work for in the world.

Just like reading Yvon Chouinard’s book Let My People Go Surfing made me stop and think about my own philosophies, also discussion with Andreas Fransson was clearly influential. I recognized that these two gentlemen have something interesting to say, and I should listen up. Both respect life and try to live to the full. They rather live rich and colorful life by doing things that can literally open your eyes instead of sticking to the “holy triangle” of work, milk shop and home. These two men offered me philosophical thoughts that made something “click” in my head.

Secret spot in the backcountry of Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I have been a skier all my life and in the mountains I have experienced moments that are far beyond the imagination of typical nine to five people, but during the last few years I somehow got stuck. My safe but boring 9-5 lifestyle froze my imagination and locked me inside my very own “career prison”. I wasn’t living my life to the full, and in fact I was dead bored. I threw my career goals to a thrasher already some time ago and started bringing the joy back to my life, but every now and then I need a wake up because I easily lose my focus and start working too much again. That is the guilt of a workaholic like me. This time my wake up call was the lessons I learned from Andreas Fransson and Yvon Chouinard.

Andreas Fransson goes big in Chamonix

Born in northern Sweden Andreas Fransson naturally got introduced to skiing during his early years of childhood. His family includes a number of successful cross country skiers who used to train in ski resorts in northern Finland. Andreas tried cross-country skiing but soon realized that alpine skiing was pulling him like a magnet.

Soulskier Andreas Fransson. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

By spending most of his time in ski resorts Andreas learned to ski various terrain from slopes to the backcountry. As a teenager he met Finnish colleagues Jani Johanssen, Joonas Karhumaa and Skipe Oivo, and spent a lot of time in the slopes with these “dirtbags” (a.k.a. die hard skiers).

Passionate young skier went to the Alps (St. Anton) already at the age of 16, but in 2003 he finally discovered the magnificent playground of these young mountains. Not a wonder, because in their first road trip with Joonas Karhumaa they skied resorts such as Verbier, Monte Rosa and Chamonix which are some of the best places for ski mountaineering in Europe. Now as a 26-year-old Andreas Fransson is living in Chamonix, in the headquarter of European mountaineering and backcountry skiing.

Andreas Fransson hucking in Courmayer, Italy. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

Andreas is a smart guy but not interested in MBA and successful career in international companies. He is clearly not a corporate junkie collecting work merits to his CV. Instead he prefers to conquer mountains and work enough to support his lifestyle, and in fact his long and broad experience in skiing has helped with finding perfect jobs. Andreas doesn’t need a CV or resume because to his job as a ski instructor and heli ski guide he has qualified already years ago. No wonder because his best year includes incredible 340-350 days of skiing which is even more than legendary Seth Morrison told me to ski every year. For Andreas this is possible because as soon as summer comes to northern hemisphere he used to take a plane to the southern hemisphere. Nowadays he lives full time in Chamonix, skiing the winters and climbing the summers.

Just like for any of us the road has been bumpy also for Andreas. Enthusiastic skier has been forced to rest due to numerous injuries. Six operations and months of rest during seasons have made him think about life and health. In fact he feels that getting injured might be one of the best things that has happened to him. In my humble opinion this is a good measure to make distinction between an active skier and a “Sunday skier”, because only a pro skier would come up with such a deep philosophical thought.

Just a random rappel in L’Auiguille du Midi, Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

Today Andreas feels good and skis a lot. Unlike most of us he doesn’t have a problem to ski alone. When skiing alone he can tune in with  the rythm of the mountain and do things in his own pace following his intuition fully. There are no fears or wills from others, just him and the mountain, in many ways he feels like he learns more like that. When skiing with others he prefers skiing with his closest friends that he can trust in 100%.

I don’t have problems with dying with what I do, but I don’t want that people skiing with me face their destiny, so that’s why I enjoy skiing alone. If I decide to ski with someone I prefer skiing with people that i can trust and that can take care of themselves.. or; good young people who are humble and really want to learn and listen to my directions..

As it was mentioned in the beginning Andreas Fransson goes big in Chamonix. He has courage to ski very challenging backcountry runs where most of us would bail out. He for example solo skied the north face of L’Aiguille du Midi of Chamonix via Mallory couloir already in autumn. Nobody had done that since the 70s. Even though he skis pretty nasty mountain faces he doesn’t consider very extreme runs as any kind of highlights in his life. His highlight is more like a day during which intuition and experience have come into play.

It was actually pretty surprising that skiing the Mallory in autumn became a “big thing” here in Chamonix. I mean I like doing these sorts of things for the adventure in itself and wasn’t counting on that attention really..

Andreas has shown his capabilities also in competitions since his first telemark freeride event in Riksgränsen in 2000. He was second in Scandinavian championships of telemark skiing in 2003 and second in Engadin snow invitational in 2008, but unfortunately got injured and decided to have a break with competitions. Although getting injured forced him to rest, the biggest reason for the break is more philosophical. He just didn’t feel like racing at that time, and therefore he decided to focus on adventures and freeskiing.

Andreas Fransson freeriding in Marecottes, Switzerland. Photo by Patrik Lindqvist.

Andreas is supported by a few companies. He receives all needed clothing from Haglöfs while he skis on all the Nordica freeride skis from Girish to Jah Love and Enforcer with race bindings or Dynafits when ski mountaineering. All protection gear and goggles’ he receives from POC. In addition to skiing he also climbs rock and ice about 150 days a year, and he is currently studying to become a UIAGM mountain guide. Climbing gives him confidence to ski big mountains.

If not skiing or climbing, Andreas likes to read a lot. He is also in love with yoga and tai chi that clearly support his philosophical thinking. But he is more into their applications in to everyday then in the movements in themselves. He is curious to learn new things, and maybe that’s why he is also learning French. As a professional skier he travels a lot which is a great way to learn about life and yourself.

Skiing is my yoga

Andreas does not believe in statistics. You don’t hear him bragging about what he has done in the mountains. In fact  he is not looking for huge drops or nasty places in order to add yet another line in his never ending list of killed mountains. Instead you can hear him talking about something deeper and philosophical and the beauty of life.

Andreas Fransson charging the backcountry of Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Lindqvist.

Skiing for Andreas is his yoga and a tool to learn about life. He skis very challenging mountains in order to learn about life and himself. Surviving alone in difficult mountains gives a tremendous possibility to learn about ones strengths and weaknesses. Up there you can find your limits and even stretch them. Back in the valley you know yourself a bit better.

Hold on! Let’s have a bit more precise definition of yoga by his own words: “first of all one has to understand what a yogi is. It’s someone who never sleeps.. not physically of course, but in his mind. He or she is always awake, fully conscius. I think skiing and most action sports can drag you in to that state or level of consciousness”, says Andreas.

“I ski because it brings me joy just like to anyone else, but I’m also interested in question why.. Why does it bring joy (and so much more) to me and so many others? What are the mechanics behind the joy it brings? I say its because it drags us in to this present moment, and then the next question is; why would that bring us joy? Because feeling fully present we lack nothing. We don’t need to add something, everything is like it is – we are whole, and so everything is perfect. It’s a perfect state. Try it out right now and you will see, and watch what happens to your skiing or whatever you do when you succeed in applying it to your life”, states Andreas.

“From another point of view my skiing can be related to the subject of fear which also can have to do with being in this moment, and/or about being whole as a human being, not divided. Being divided gives doubt, which is fear.. and so on. Or it can be related to skiing and society in the sense of how the ski world is just a small model of the much bigger world and how the same mechanics, action-reaction and so on are working in our ski towns in the same as in any town all over the world.. Basically you can take any subject and it all relates to the world. We just hide ourselves behind our skis and hope or think that we are different. I don’t think we are”, concludes Andreas.

According to our soulskier there are lots of people to whom skiing is a way to learn about life. No matter if people are business men, ski bums, students or even unemployed, they all get into their “special moment” when skiing. Days in the mountains make them happy. “Some people are looking for a meaning in their lives, so why not through skiing?” asks Andreas. “There are lots of unhappy people out there. They can help themselves understand more about their lives by skiing.. or of course by anything they do, but manytimes doing something one loves, that still provides fear and holds you in the grip of this moment is one of the greatest catalysts“, continues Andreas.

Climbing in order to access a nice backcountry run in Chamonix. Photo by Patrik Linqvist.

I believe I got the point from our discussion. Andreas is looking for answers to philosophical questions and he is using skiing as his vehicle to find the answers. He has clearly stepped into next level of “philosophical skiing”, so that’s why we immediately called him “The Soulskier”.

My discussion with Andreas was truly an eye opening moment. I have lost my passion to discover the world and set myself physical challenges. I have drifted away from the soul of skiing and I have become part of the machine, a real “cubicle ninja”. I am not really proud of it, but I have recognized my root cause for the lack of joy. As a father of three kids I have responsibilities and certain limitations to ski the mountains like I used to, but I learned my lesson from my “Zen master of skiing”. There is more than just skiing in skiing. I will keep this in mind when chasing sticks or checking the backcountry with my son next weekend.

All photographs by Patrik Lindqvist. Remember to check out his cool shots in his website. Also don’t forget to check more Patrik’s amazing shots in Outdooria image agency.

Homeboy Ski Blog