On the trail again
Easy mode, the New Year, winter plans, looking back and looking forward
I spent the holidays back in Colorado. With the near total absence of snow, it turned into a very different kind of escape than expected. Less skiing and more of a sunny, high desert vacation. A tropical break, by London standards.
I ran on dirt almost every day. Sunshine, dry trails, and big mountain views.
Earlier this week, I managed to sneak in a long trail run in the English countryside. Thirteen miles along a stretch of the North Downs Way. It was an enjoyable day out, train-based runs from London are a delight, if a bit more expensive than I’d like. I took a 30 min train to Guildford, ran on undulating (mostly frozen) trails for a few hours, had lunch, then caught a 50 min train back to London in Dorking. Delightful.
I say “snuck in” because since then, the forecast has become a stew of “severe,” “wintry mix,” “freezing sleet,” and rain. As I’m writing this, it’s 34º F and raining. The ten day forecast looks much the same.
In many ways, Boulder is living and training on easy mode. Three hundred days of sunshine, options for running, biking, and skiing just minutes away, and a massive community of people who share your passions. I didn’t realize how deeply that shaped some perceptions about “the outdoors” until I started spending time in places like New York and London.
The sun sets around 4pm this time of year in London, so if you work a normal job, you’re probably running in the dark. It’s not cold and dry, it’s cold and wet. Outside of the city (or in the parks), trails tend to turn into kind of mud that wants nothing more than to swallow your shoes or see you fall on your face for months at a time. Winter running means accepting that you’ll be wet, muddy, and cold, all at once.
The thing is, people still showing up. I see runners on the trails or sidewalks in the absolute worst conditions. Headlamps on, covered in mud, grinding through miles in weather that would keep most people inside. Others are hammering out hours on a treadmill, a mental feat I’m equally impressed by. This weekend, hundreds of runners will take part in the Spine Race, a 268-mile race (plus slightly shorter options) along the Pennine Way in conditions that will likely be miserably hostile. Temperatures will range from 14-50º F, with likely rain or snow the entire way.
That’s the kind of mindset I want to carry into this winter.
At the end of 2025, I left my day job leading product design at PermitFlow. Leaving your job in this job market while living in another country is definitely not “easy mode”. But, I don’t regret it. In fact, I’m a bit excited. It just felt like the right time to make a change.
Many of you probably know me as an outdoor journalist, despite the fact that I’ve written for hardly anyone other than myself (except the partnership with Mountain Gazette).
But, I’ve spent my entire 15+ year career in tech, working as a product designer and doing just about everything along the way: design, strategy, programmatic SEO strategies, and more recently, leading design and sometimes pushing production code for AI-focused approaches to construction permitting.
I’m treating this winter as a bit of a “mental stretch”. A chance to take coffee meetings, attend events, write, and dig into things that have been harder to prioritize while working a full time role. I have a few regrets after turning down interesting opportunities over the last few years 😭.
Tomorrow, I’m stopping by the Adventure Travel Show in London. Next week, I’ll be in Bolzano for the Ski Industry Climate Conference, and then spending a few days skiing in Austria. I’m working on and thinking about pieces on national tourism promotion, for-profit conservation, how skiing and real estate investment reshape Swiss mountain towns, and the impact of “branded” trails on local tourism. And yeah, probably a few about the disaster that is the state of conservation and public lands in the USA right now.
I want to invest more time and bigger swings into the stories I tell this year. I loved speaking with leadership at Norrøna. I’ve had less luck getting folks from places like Strava on the record, but I’m going to keep trying.
So, here’s to skiing a bit more this winter, having conversations with interesting folks doing interesting things, sneaking onto some press trips, maybe breaking out my camera that’s been collecting dust on a shelf, and letting serendipity guide future opportunities.
And yes, I’ll be on the lookout for what’s next, whether that be in tech, writing, the outdoors, travel, or the holy grail: a blend of it all. Might not be easy, but it should be fun. Sometimes you’ve got to just put on your shoes (and a few extra layers) on and head out anyway.
Looking back at 2025
I wrote 27 newsletters in 2025, averaging around a 60% open rate. My gross audience is down since I spun out from Mountain Gazette – the friction of getting thousands of active readers to subscribe to the “new” newsletter was significant (if you’re reading this, I’m happy you made the jump 🙏). I’m going to put for focus on growth this year and plan to write at least weekly moving forward.
I ran my first race in several years. I felt “back in shape” for the first time in a while. And, I tried to make the most of living close to Europe.
Poland - Probably my biggest surprise of 2026. I booked a weekend out here because flights were cheap and I’d had the Tatra’s on my list for a bit. Ended up being a fantastic few days exploring the myriad of trails outside of Zakopane. A great balance of hiking, running, scrambling, all with great access.
Chamonix - Not much to say here. Chamonix is Chamonix. It remains one of my favorite spots both winter and summer. I did ski the Valle Blanche for the first time, which was a treat.
Switzerland - I spent a bit of time in places new to me (Verbier, Saas Fe, Kandersteg) and returned to favorite spots (Engelberg).
Around the UK - Edinburgh, the Lake District, Oxford, Dover, and a bunch of day trips outside London to run on trails in the countryside. I still need to spend more time in Scotland.
More - A very hot weekend in Annecy, a wedding in Menorca, and history lessons in Florence and Rome.
Thanks for following along. ❤️
Cannot wait to visit Poland someday! It was awesome to spend some time running and chatting when you visited!
Thinking about leaping myself. Not to another country (probably), but away from the safety of a job that pays the bills but is poorly aligned with my values. Have a great 2026. Can't wait to read more about how the adventure is going.