Gloves. Goggles. Jacket. Hammock?!?
I’m sitting here on a Monday morning in Boulder, thinking about the amazingly beautiful January weekend we just had that saw temps reach into no-question-about-it shorts and sandals weather. And yet, I’m looking out my window and watching as snow continues to fall after a huge overnight drop in temperature. It’s one of the things that I love most about Boulder’s weather: we don’t just have four seasons here, we sometimes have all four of them in a single afternoon.
For many outdoor lovers that appreciate the snow as much as the sun, Colorado can be like a state of mind come to life. The first full day I ever spent in Colorado began with skiing in some deep powder and ended with putting on shorts and hanging out on my friend’s front lawn with a BBQ grill and a frisbee. That I would move out here a few months later was practically guaranteed with that one beautiful day.
This blog post isn’t about Colorado though, it’s about that state of mind, the people out there who love the idea of relaxing in a hammock during the summer as much as they love throwing a snowball or making fresh turns in knee-deep powder.
Colorado is certainly full of these ‘four season warriors’ because it’s such an easy lifestyle to adopt out here, but the universal overlap between people who love to float down a mountain and those that love to camp, surf and bike during the summer is undeniable. You’re just as likely now to see the North Face logo on a camping trip as on a ski trip and if you’ve ever lived in a ski town during the summer you know that talk of fresh pow quickly transitions into stories of mountain biking, kayaking and camping.
While some people take all their ski breaks in the lodge, there are lots of us out there who will often head straight for the trees, find a nice open spot with an epic view and break out that sandwich you packed. You’re soon laughing, resting, smiling with your friends, all the while talking about what a great day it is and how lucky you are to be there. Now, imagine that same scene, only you and your friends also remembered to pack a Trek Light Hammock for the day. It takes you less than a minute to set it up and next thing you know you’re off the ground, relaxing in a hammock and life somehow just got even better. When it's time to go, your hammock is back in its tiny pouch before your buddies even have their skis back on.
A huge chunk of my job in growing Trek Light can often be classified as education. I’m educating people about the health benefits of hammocks, the importance of relaxation and how a hammock can improve their lives. But, while you can get all that without leaving your backyard, my real mission has always been to show people that there is no limit to the activities that can be made better when you have a hammock that can go anywhere with you. I continue to be inspired by hearing passionate testimonials from the broadest range of people and activities, from motorcycle crews at Sturgis to rock climbers to scuba divers, all who swear that the hammock is a perfect accessory to their particular hobby/passion.
I often describe it as a ‘light bulb moment’ and I see it happen all the time - the moment when you realize that you could easily bring a hammock with you and make an activity that you love even better. Even a customer who has already become a hammock camping convert will often glance at a picture of a hammock being used in a totally different setting and realize that it just never occurred to them they could use it that way also.
So, if you’ve never thought about bringing a hammock with you on your next skiing or snowboarding trip, consider this your light bulb moment. I can tell you from experience, there’s nothing quite like kicking off your skis or board and chilling in a hammock on a beautiful bluebird day in the snow. The same applies to a day snowshoeing or just about any other outdoor winter activity. And if a mid-mountain hang gets you curious about staying out overnight when the temps drop, we've written a whole guide to hammock camping in cold weather.
If you already own a Trek Light Hammock, pack it on your next trip to the snow covered mountains and please don’t forget to take a picture and share it with our Facebook community. If you don’t ski or snowboard, then I still challenge you to use this as a chance to think outside the box (or “think outside the tent” as I’ve told many people over the years).
What’s your passion? What activity do you do, in any season, that is now (or would be) enhanced by bringing along a lightweight, ultra-portable hammock from Trek Light?
