Aside from how rewarding those first human-powered turns felt, the thing I remember most from my first time alpine touring is that I was hot -- ripping off layers and unzipping vents at a pace much higher than I had expected -- and then I was cold -- really, really, finger-freezingly, bone-chillingly cold.

After that first time out, I thought that maybe skinning just wasn't for me. I couldn't handle the swing from high-output climbing, to standing dead still, to zipping downhill in temps capable of frostbiting cheeks or a nose in just a few minutes. Fortunately, I found it in myself to take the plunge into the backcountry a couple more times. Over the course of a couple more tours, I found out that it was not that I was simply not cut out for alpine touring, but rather that I didn't really know how to properly layer my clothes for such a wide range of needs and experiences.

I’d like to start by saying I hate running. I’ve never been particularly good at it, my asthmatic lungs and I are a prime example of Darwinism, had modern technology medicine not been created. I do, however, love the Vermont City Marathon and the Patagonia Burlington 5 person relay team I’ve gotten to be a part of for the past three years.

In 2017, the first year I was asked to be on the relay team I said yes and instantly regretted it. I was hopelessly under prepared to run the whopping 3.4 miles of the first leg. I had about a month or so to train, and race day came and I would have said I was in no way ready to go. I ran my leg at a nice little pace averaging 10 minute miles, something that is unimpressive to some but the fact that I kept running for the entirety of the leg was good enough for me.

The sun’s beaming, the snow’s melting, and it's finally time to shed those layers! I love the winter, but this time of year is so special. Everyone is ridiculously happy and we get to see blue sky’s multiple days in a row. It almost makes you want to scream, “We made it!”

With the change of seasons comes a change in how we dress; especially while training in April for the Vermont City Marathon, where we get tastes of spring and flashbacks to winter. A great pro-tip would be to make sure that you keep a synthetic layer or wool and synthetic blend as your next-to-skin layer. This will help to wick moisture from your body, keep you dry, cool, happy, and out there for longer.

That being said, here are some of my new favorite pieces broken down by different scenarios.

It’s springtime in Vermont, that beautiful time of year where the snow finally melts, buds on the trees explode, the green grass perks up, and my favorite lilacs bushes are in bloom. Everywhere you go, the moment the sun comes out and the thermometer reaches 50 degrees, you see people out in their shorts, sandals, and smiles even if the breeze is chilly. This is also the time when folks get to put away their winter boots and dust off their running shoes in preparation for one of my favorite races of the year, the Vermont City Marathon, hosted right here in Burlington, Vermont.