2016 was an eventful year and it certainly ended with a bang.

Eight of my friends and I have spent the last week in Beaver Creek, Colorado experiencing our first ski trip in the USA and celebrating both my and my friend Giuseppe’s 40th birthdays. For seven of us it’s been our first ever ski trip and what an experience it has been! The area is absolutely stunning and looks magical covered in snow.

It’s with a heavy heart that we left Arrowhead Village this morning. Except for one day that was overcast the weather has been perfect with crisp blue skies and no/little wind. The warmer weather did however result in some icy slopes towards the end so I was glad that we only had a four day ski pass. This gave us time to tour around the area and visit Vail which has a slightly more European and lively town centre feel about it. Both areas are breathtaking and well worth a visit!

Although I would love to say that I have learned to ski I think I have instead turned falling into an art form. I must have connected with the ground (or snow in this instance) about 15 times in four days. I think next time I’ll go for some lessons before hitting the slopes.

Notwithstanding my falls, I’m glad I headed straight for the slopes as I managed to see most of Beaver Creek mountain. I skied down the majority of the green runs, some blue and avoided the black runs like the plague. That definitely would not have ended well.

Below is a video and some photos of Beaver Creek mountain. I hope it gives you a taster of the area.

As I’m sitting on the plane waiting to take off back to London, I’m reminiscing about this trip and also the year that has just passed with a huge smile on my face.

At the start of the year I set a goal to have toured the equivalent distance of the circumstance of the earth by motorcycle by my 40th birthday on 21 December. I achieved my goal on 20 October when I completed my fifth solo tour, which took me from the UK through western France, northern Spain, Portugal and Andorra.

The tour also marked the start of an exciting new chapter in my life; a new job and the opportunity for a new adventure on a professional level.

Since collecting Trinity on 14 February 2015 my motorcycle journeys have taken me through 19 countries on 3 continents (North America, Africa and Europe), which is far more than I ever imagined I would do when I bought her. Let’s see what adventures 2017 hold.

To all of you reading this blog, happy new year. May 2017 be a wonderful year for all of you and your loved ones. Hopefully I’ll catch up with you soon. Until then keep smiling and don’t stop dreaming!