Life is good, says Alaskan Luc Mehl: “I like my Cheerios, I like my bike commute to work. And my main goal right now is to continue connecting swaths of Alaska that I haven’t seen.” Mehl is lucky; his three-quarters time work schedule allows him to spend more time mastering his sports and exploring the backcountry. “Most of my ‘in the zone’ moments are quick hits on the weekends, landing technical features on my bike or making sweet turns on skis,” he says. However, he gained confidence and backcountry skills while on his long adventures, such as the summer and winter Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classics. “I never would have considered trying a 150-mile route without a sleeping bag or tent, but that’s what the hotshots were doing, so I did it too,” he says. “I remember at one point falling asleep in the middle of a talus slope, curled up on football-sized rocks and instantly falling into a deep sleep. When your body is that run-down, anything is comfortable.” That confidence, he says, extends into his daily life, relationships and work. “Maybe it’s as simple as knowing that it always gets better. It does.” Read Mehl’s blog post, “How to Prepare a Lightweight Backcountry Ski Repair Kit.”
