The winter had just begun and there was not much snow to speak of. The mountains were calling but I couldn't quite figure out how to answer. It was too cold for proper rock climbing, and skiing was out of the question. How about a ridge climb to the top of Brana, a 7,392 ft peak in Slovenia's Kamnik-Savinja Alps? Yeah, let's do that! And so we did.

The day was super-fun, and included good crampon practice, crisp 360-degree views, fresh air, complete solitude, and the sun setting over Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital.

By the way, Mother Nature, if you’re listening, we’d appreciate some snow in the Southern Alps now. We’re itching to finally go ski some lines. Please and thank you.