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Many backpackers have polarized themselves into one of two camps: the light travelers and the heavy travelers. The lights think that the less you bring with you, and the lighter that stuff is, the better time you will have. After all, it can be a real irritation to have to lug what feels like a soldier’s ruck up a mountain. While it’s great to experience a challenge, there is a fine line between “a challenge” and “a death march.” The heavies are quite the opposite, though. Not only do they thrive on the challenge of carrying plenty of things with them, they can also live like trailside royalty on what they’ve brought.
Ski holidays inspire a similar divergence of thought. On the one hand, some people like to cross country ski for days at a time, as if they were a spy during the Second World War, escaping the Nazis across the Alps. Some other people prefer to travel as lightly as possible, and even go so far as to take one of those tents that weigh less than a pound as their only means of shelter. While this is very efficient, it can also cause them to be a little wanting for supplies. This may just be the difference between knowing that your car is a mile or two away, versus wanting to go off the trail for a couple of days and see where you can end up.
There is plenty of validity to the ideas of both camps. If you have anything on your back, you have a chance of getting some blisters. And after a couple of hours of skiing, wearing a piece of paper on your back would be an amount of weight that your muscles would certainly notice. It may just end up coming down to wanting two different kinds of experiences. You can always take another trip later.
