Before it got really warm in the middle of the week, I wanted to make the most of the chance of powder in the forest. In the sun, the snow was already well baked, on the north side it was still fluffy. After three hairpin bends in the alternately sunny forest, I felt like I had 5 kilos of snow stuck to each skin.
You could have anticipated this problem. We haven't yet fully arrived in the firn season, in the sun there is a colorful mixture of more or less supporting snow caps, which get wetter and wetter as the hour progresses, in the shade the snow is still cold. Especially when you switch back and forth between sun and shade several times, stubborn skins are virtually pre-programmed. So if you had thought ahead, you would have waxed the skins at home and set a new best time on the ascent without being bothered by annoying lumps of snow.
Over the years, I have learned that this kind of forward thinking is beyond my ability to plan. Accordingly, I've taken to storing a piece of wax permanently in my backpack. Most of the time it stays buried deep down, near tape and the optimistic emergency repair cable ties. But when the time is right, the wax becomes the star of the ski tour, saves the skins and restores the fun of the ascent. It's particularly satisfying when you can wax your own skins with confidence at the start of the cleat and then generously offer the wax to colleagues who are also already cursing their skins.
