Seasonal goals can be helpful in expanding horizons. In general, I find goals troubling. Much like the infamous New Year’s Resolution, most goals are whimsically made and lack planning. Goals made without planning are rarely reached, stretch goals even less. So I hesitate to make goals without making plans.

Even without planning, however, goals can be helpful in fleshing out exciting new adventures for an upcoming season. During the 2009-2010 season, I completed several goals including finally getting to Smuggs, skiing off the Chin via Hourglass to Hellbrook, skiing Mount Abram, skiing off the summit of Mount Washington, skiing the western side of Washington, more fully exploring Killington and Mount Ellen, and finally returning to Sugarloaf after half a life time.

Considering that my opinion of the 2009-2010 season was marginal, that is quite an impressive list of accomplished goals for a sub-par 33 day season. With the understanding that I can not accomplish all of my goals in one season, here are some of the things that I am planning for the 2010-2011 season and beyond:

• Ski in the Eastern Townships of Quebec (Sutton, Orford, Owl’s Head)
• Ski New York (Whiteface and Gore, perhaps some ADK backcountry)
• Ski the Chic Chocs
• Ski The Balsams
• Over 50 days total
• Over 15 days earning turns
• Ski more personal firsts at mid-sized mountains such as Dartmouth, Whaleback, Black (ME), Middlebury, and Suicide Six

Perhaps my most important goal this season is regaining technique and trying to rekindle some joy for skiing in marginal conditions. For years, I pounded hard packed bumps from open to close before discovering the powdery joys of Northern Vermont. My technique over the past four years has slowly but steadily degraded because I hand pick the best days and only ski until I can not find high quality snow. My efforts to ski new areas works in conjunction with rebuilding my technique by skiing more days that are less than ideal. It gives me something to look forward to even when conditions are sub-par.

Take the AlpineZone Summit at Sugarloaf last year. A two day event that saw most people bummed about the hard pack groomer only conditions. Me? I was just super stoked to be back at the Loaf. My only previous experience at the Loaf was half a lifetime ago as a kid on a family vacation. Returning to the Loaf and reliving those memories was better than some powder days despite conditions being limited to hard packed groomers. I may have enjoyed the conditions more than anyone else at the Summit. Because for me, that weekend was not about the skiing itself but rather the rediscovery of a mountain buried in memory.

Perhaps instead of specific goals detailing places I want to ski and things I want to do, I should rather set a general goal of discovery, rediscovery, and adventure. That this season might be remembered not for the epic conditions but rather for the epic adventures and new explorations. And for the people I shared those adventures with instead of skiing solo so often. A season in which I never wake up and think that I might go skiing if not for the less than perfect conditions. But rather, that less than perfect conditions open up possibilities of exploration that I might not have otherwise considered.