I snowboarded as a kid but relearned how to ski at 21 because I wanted to ski tour—i.e., go hiking in the winter with skis on my feet instead of snowshoes. Spec

I snowboarded as a kid but relearned how to ski at 21 because I wanted to ski tour—i.e., go hiking in the winter with skis on my feet instead of snowshoes. Specifically, I wanted to ski across the Sierra Nevada from the Whitney area to the giant groves in Sequoia (which I ended up doing twice, once in each direction!) The merits of splitboarding can be debated endlessly, but skis are IMO the best human-powered way to travel in many snowy environments. If you're interested in winter hiking—rambling, not necessarily skiing steep amazing powder—then consider starting your snow sports journey on skis instead.