I went to Baffin Island once... to climb a big wall in the Arctic Circle. I learned how the Inuit people look forward to winter all year, much more than summer. When the snow comes, everything is clean and white, it’s light 24 hours a day, and they have total freedom of movement over the frozen sea.
Living in Moab, where the summer is grueling and seemingly endless, I can relate. I wait impatiently for winter all year long! I love the bright, short days where you not only don’t have to hide from the sun, but you actually climb in it!
We love long nights in front of the wood stove, and the complicated adventures when snow coats the red rock and makes it much more interesting to get to the tops of cliffs!
The long stretches of cold, wet days cause most people to evacuate, and time feels much more expansive and less rushed: we go out to explore with one or two friends, the few die hards who stick around;-)
I love landing in new snow on the rare occasions we can navigate to the top of a cliff after a first snowfall. Breaking trail in places that are normally flat sand or slickrock slabs makes Moab seem like a different place.
Cajun of course, loves to race around in the new snow, jump in the air, and try to bite it like a wild maniac. But her absolute most favorite activity is skate skiing, up in the Lasal Mountains above Moab! Though we’ve had a very strange snow year so far: lots of snow down in the desert and virtually none in the mountains, last week there was just enough for a base, and the local volunteer crew was finally able to go up and groom a fresh ski track.
Despite the lack of snow up high, winter in the desert has been wonderful and magical, thanks to the big snow dump we got at Christmas.
Ian and I went to make a wingsuit jump together on New Year’s Eve, to usher in the new year, flying over the snowy desert. And then he surprised me 2 days later on the summit of Castleton Tower by getting down on his knee and presenting me with an engagement necklace - a gold chain with a fair trade, ethical diamond - which, was a good move and very romantic.
I said YES!, we jumped off together, and Cajun ran down from the base of the climb to meet us (I was wondering what the plan was in case I said no and he said he would have rappelled;-)
Life moves a little slower in the winter, but every day is full of magic: I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Definitely KAVU days!!!
Steph Davis
Ian Mitchard
Instagram
© 2026 KAVU
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