Winter: Yessss.

I love winter. I enjoy wearing puffy jackets and heavy, insulated boots. I find satisfaction in shoveling snow. But most of all, it's snowboarding that gets my heart. And by that measure, this was an excellent weekend.

Our new Thanksgiving tradition is to take Eddy on the sleds and out for a big day of backcountry skiing. Eddy is great at sitting on my lap and balancing. I also have his harness hooked to the chest strap on my backpack to make sure he stays safe when we hit bumps and chunder. Sweet little dude. 

Taking dogs in the backcountry is kind of a controversial topic. Some people are really against it because it's just adding an element to your trip without the addition of another body that can save you, just one more thing to take care of. I am a huge fan of letting dogs be dogs, and I cherish days where I get to romp through snow with my pup. (My O.G. dog, Scout, summited more peaks in his nine years than most humans do in a lifetime.) I don't take dogs in the backcountry when the avy danger is anything more than low, and we never do anything strenuous or sketchy when the dogs are around. No chutes. No cliffs. We stick to mellow tree runs with lots of breaks for treats and pats. Eddy seems to love chasing my snowmobile on the road just as much as anything else, and this was a happy Thanksgiving.

A few tricks I know for dogs in the backcountry:

1. Carry a mini can of cooking spray in your pack. If you spray your dog's paws, he won't get snowballs between his toes. 
2. A bandana down the front of your dog's chest is also very helpful for deflecting snowballs. And it's adorable.
3. Dogs use a lot of energy, and statistically average 4x what you walk on a hike, so it's nice to carry a little bit of food or treats for your buddy, but make him hang out for at least 15 minutes before he runs again. (If you have a bigger dog, I would avoid feeding him mid-activity to avoid his stomach flipping. If you own a large-chested dog and don't know about stomach flipping, you should read about it.)
4.  If your dog is going to pull you on skis, get him a pulling harness, which puts less strain on him.
5. If you have never skied or snowboarded with your dog and are taking him out for the first time, make sure you are prepared to stop mid-ski. A lot of dogs get so excited, they run in front of you and then your ski edges accidentally cut your dog's legs. This is bad. I've seen this happen a lot. So be ready for that, and happy shredding!