Is there anything more enjoyable than sitting down with an action-packed ski tale while the snow swirls about outside and the coming days bring potential ski adventures of your own? Of all of the stories we produce here at SKI, from invaluable gear advice to travel recommendations, what we love most is serving up enjoyable yarns from our contributors around the globe, stories about skiing wherever the snow falls and the often life-changing—and always life-affirming—experiences that occur when we click into our skis and set off with an adventurous spirit.

Also Read: The Most Compelling News Stories of 2021

These stories below are our favorite reads with which to settle into your favorite comfy chair with a cup of coffee (and a splash of your favorite liqueur, if you please). Dig in and get lost for a spell. Then go plan a ski adventure of your own to celebrate the new year.

Top 5 Long Reads of 2021 To Inspire You in the New Year No. 5: This is How You Get Extreme in Taos, N.M. The author (right) and Jill Thomas scope Spitfire Chute in West Basin during course inspection before the Freeride World Tour Qualifier in Taos, N.M. Photo: Keri Bascetta

Former Skiing Magazine editor Kimberly Beekman has been on dozens of assignments for SKI and has traveled to Iceland, Norway, Chile, and beyond to get us the story. This one only required her to drive some five hours from her home in Denver to Taos, where she would compete in a Freeride World Tour qualifier event, but it would provide her with some of the scariest moments she’s had in a while. We’re glad she survived to tell the tale, and give us all a good laugh.

Now, however, standing atop this godforsaken pile of jagged rocks that are waiting to tear my legs from their cozy hip sockets, I have reverted to my awkward seventh-grade self, shuffling through the crowd sideways in too-big flats. In this moment, the only thing I am sure about is that I should never have let her talk me into this.