Thursday February 21, 2008 - Snowboarding

This morning I woke up at 5am to head with my Dad up to Bretton Woods for a day off of snowboarding.

The conditions were ok. It was a beautiful clear day which was nice and there really weren't that many people there, but it was somewhat icy. The glades were impossible, they were a complete sheet of solid ice, they looked like glass. The sides of trails were also solid ice so they weren't fun to ride, you pretty much had to stick to the main parts of trails so my Dad and I just raced a lot.

After having spent time at Neely's place in Sun Valley and on that mountain I am so spoiled and such a snow snob. The east coast just doesn't cut it anymore. The runs are too short, the snow is too packed, icy, and hard, and the mountain is too small (and Bretton Woods is one of the bigger Mts in the northeast with 110 trails). The black diamonds on the east are REdiculously easy. Most blues on Sun Valley would be considered blacks or double blacks out east.

I did get somewhat daring though, despite the ice and hard snow to fall on. I got myself across several rails and jumps without falling. On my last attempt of the day I caught the most air to date for me. I was at least 15ft in the air and it wasn't in the park, it was a ledge I caught going down a regular blue trail and I could hear this woman down to my left who saw it and was clearly a beginner skier saying "oh my god, oh my god, don't fall, be careful, don't fall!" I was like lady, please shut up. It was also my smoothest landing of the day so I was excited about that. I only fell once and it was because i tried to come off a lip off two merging trails and didn't get high enough and my board hit the tip of a small tree sticking out of the ground. I spun and landed on my left ass cheek and it hurt.

The funniest thing I saw today was when I was on the chair lift. This little girl, looked maybe 5, was absolutely flying down a trail. She was freakin moving. And behind her, her mother, who was clearly not as skilled as her 5yr old was a good 20ft behind her screaming, "ELIZABETH! ELIZABETH! ELIZABETH! SLOW DOWN! BE CAREFUL! STOP ELIZABETH! STOP ELIZABETH! STOP!" I imagine this woman took a spill at some point after she was out of my view.

When I got home I took it easy with just a 2mi jog to keep the legs going and my bicep workout and abs at the gym. Snowboarding is quite an ab workout too every time you have to strap in, so I got a double ab workout today.

Quote of the day:
Harry "I expected the rocky mountains to be a little rockier than this"
Lloyd "I was thinking the same thing.......that John Denver is full of shit man"

Being in the mountains I can't help but think of that scene and this one:

Harry: "I can't feel my fingers Lloyd, they're...they're...they're numb"
Lloyd: "Here, take these" [gives Harry extra mittens] "My hands were starting to sweat anyway.
Harry: "You've had these extra gloves...this...whole time
Lloyd: "Yeah........we're in the rockies"
Harry: "I'm gunna kill you Lloyd.....I'm gunna kill you"
Lloyd: "Harry! You have that crazy look in your eye!"
Lloyd: [being strangled by Harry] "HARRY! You're hands are freezing!"