Well, here we are, on the other side of Christmas and wandering towards new years. As the grinding horror of war continues in places like Gaza and Ukraine, I am reminded yet again of how lucky we are to find ourselves in this peaceful corner of the planet.

While ‘new years’ for me is the end of the winter snow, the public holiday and all the hype attached to it is a good excuse to reflect on life and plan some adventures as we get to the end of the calendar year.

When I check the website stats, lots of people are looking at links to things like skiing and riding films and reviews of books and films (weirdly the one for Mountain Gazette is endlessly popular, as is the review of the Valhalla ski film).

And, of course, lots of views of the walking and skiing guides – I assume people are planning some adventures or maybe getting some info as they head out on a walk.

I’m day dreaming and planning – some of my wild country goals this year include a plan to hike a bunch of the mountains in the West Coast range in lutruwita/TAS, my usual autumn road trip to a favourite place – in 2024 I’m thinking Jagungal and the mid Snowy Mountains and a revisit to Mt Pinnibar, and heaps of backcountry skiing trips and winter camps.

Hope you enjoy some good downtime over the summer break, and that your days have fresh air, good outdoors time with good friends, and a few peaceful sunsets from a mountain top.