Striking a Balance

Photo Essay

Emilie Drinkwater (IFMGA)

Emilie Drinkwater is the 9th American woman and 100th American Mountain Guide to be certified at the highest level of training and credential attainable by a professional mountain guide. Featured Image: Route: Tourist Trap WI4+, Ouray, CO. Featured photo by Miah Watt.

Slender Margins

The delicate balance between success and failure on a rock climb can be the moisture saturated into the air on the day you try and climb your hardest. Summiting or retreating on a peak in the Indian Karakorum can be determined by the warmth left in the sun's rays before an unplanned bivy. Skiing a new line in Alaska can feel impossible when the weather and logistics all go awry or easy when the stars align and the snowpack grants you access.

Above: Wasatch backcountry, Utah. Photo by: Pep Fujas.

Push On? Or Retreat?

Striking a balance between when to go and when to stay is never easy. The reassuring "thunk" of a secure ice tool above your head lures you into having the confidence to step upwards again and again. While the cold seeping into your puffy jacket at each belay reminds you you're getting further away from home.

Above: Unnamed Climb, Westfjords, Iceland, WI3+. Climber: Elaina Arenz. Photo by: Emilie Drinkwater.

Emilie Drinkwater is looking to find that balance; between climbing and skiing, between ephemeral ice lines and powder descents. With her winter passions requiring different muscle groups and mental mindsets, the lure of the ice and the thrill of a descent pull in opposite directions. Striking a balance between passions is never easy.

We all share the innate human trait to explore. Skiers are drawn to new descent lines and climbers seek out new routes but what we are actually discovering are our own limitations. Standing below an ice line or looking at a new peak is more of an inward journey than the required upwards steps. The balance between pushing limitations and living within our own comfort zones is a journey the mountains offer to anyone willing to enter their arena.

Above: Wasatch Ridgeline, Utah. Photo by: Matthew Irving.

📷 Credit: Photos Courtesy of Emilie Drinkwater

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