While producing the 11^th volume of The Ski Journal, 21,183 photos from 72 different photographers passed through my hard drives. These images were taken all over the world, in places as far-reaching as Austria, Michigan, Uganda, Russia, Iceland and Turkey, covering a disjointed web of subject matter from snow leopards to go-karts to iron mines. This vast assortment of moments, some tenuously related at best, were connected by two things: skiing and greed.

Greed, excess, overabundance, too much of a good thing—call it what you want, but skiers are a gluttonous bunch. We can’t get enough endorphins and dopamine, and will restructure our lives, empty our bank accounts, and give up conflicting ambitions just for a fix. We surround ourselves with equally afflicted members of this alternative tribe, partly because of our unifying passion and partly because it makes us feel better about shirking all responsibility.

But reality is often harsh. Holding down a job, developing non-skiing-based relationships, purchasing life-sustaining necessities and otherwise maintaining some semblance of basic functionality in society require operating within certain parameters. There are only so many hours in a day, and, to survive, you can only spend so many of those skiing…

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