“Buy the fucking ticket”. Item 1 of Jim Donini and Jack Tackle’s Alpine tutorial on how to plan an expedition as shared in The Tower. We can talk and train as long and as hard as we want. Enough to make us feel good, get motivated, feel important, and impress our friends (Editor’s note from Matt: box steps impress no one). But the first step in truly committing to a trip is to just buy the fucking ticket and the rest will fall into place. Once you have your ticket, thats it you’re committed.

Matt and I have BTFTs (bought the fucking tickets) to Calgary Alberta, the first stop on our way into the Rockies. We are going. Into the alpine ranges of internal BC. Now that we have our tickets and the dates are solidified we’ve been able to book camping, huts, and even a glacier travel and crevasse rescue course (on our skills hitlist) before heading into glacier terrain.

If you ever dream about a destination, buy the ticket and your stoke will bring you the rest of the way there. Ours is through the roof.

What are your plans for the summer? Do you find it hard or easy to dive in? What is the longest in advance you will plan for a trip?