Some of your best friendships will be built in the worst conditions. Bad weather makes good teammates.

Difficulty strips the politeness off a group, and what is left is how people actually treat each other. Good conditions let everyone get along without it meaning very much. Bad ones show you who stays near you when there is nothing pleasant about the situation, which is a far more durable thing to build on. The weather does not create the friendship, it just reveals who is there.

Think about who you ended up beside during the worst stretch of the last year, and keep in touch on purpose. These things fade without maintenance, and one message a week holds it.