Nov 29 2020 - GoPro Down and Out

The Outpost Gondola was running today, which may be the first time this season and Prospector was open... so I figured I'd go check 'em out. When I got off the gondola I saw that a hiking trail open at The Outpost (red line 1.5 mile and 0.5 mile sections). I probably should have read where I was heading before starting the 2 mile (1.5 straight up the mountain) trek but my eagerness got the better of me. After several stops, of which a few were to gasp for air like my life was hanging on a thread, I finally made it up to the top and walked across the mostly flat half mile stretch to gain access to Alhambra.

The bowl was adequately deep and it felt amazing to sail down the fluffy slope into a wooded Jane's Journey trail...

Since I was riding a park board (Gnu Headspace) today, stopping was not really an option because this board tends to sink in deep snow... so I barreled on through as best I could. But alas, somewhere on this epic run my GoPro (Hero9 Black) fell off. For several days now, I have been riding with it clipped to the shoulder strap of my backpack but I suspect that at some point my knees came up to my chest and unclipped the GoPro mount.... talk about heartbroken...

When I got to the chair lift, I looked down and realized it was gone... stunned and in disbelief I replayed the run in my head and decided it most likely fell off in two or three locations, 1. in the deep powder of Alhambra where I reached max speed, 2. at the entrance to Jane's Journey where I took a quick detour and had to hop uphill a little to avoid descending into a ditch, and 3. in the middle of Jane's Journey on the flattest part of the path where I caught an edge and tumbled.

I went back to retrace my steps starting with the arduous hike. I managed to stay positive and began to reflect on all the things I was thankful for... the weather, my board, my health, etc. The second time up was not as bad since I was able to pace myself much more reasonably. Part way up I stopped and realized I could see my trail on Alhambra!

The 45 minute hike went by pretty quickly and its memory started to fade as I absorbed the views from the top. They were quite spectacular and a great reason to take an extended break.

On second pass, I didn't see any signs of the GoPro and started to head home pretty downhearted. After reporting the device to lost and found, I went back up the mountain to ride over to Peru Express where my car was parked... what a day!...

Nov 27 2020 - A Walk In The Park

Today was park day, the most terrifying day of the week. It is here that I am really pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and it usually results in many many falls... Last season I tried rails for the first time, which is surprisingly less nerve-racking than boxes. It only took a couple tries before I got my first 50-50

Shortly afterwards, I got it switch (stance), which made the park crew watching go nuts... they had given me some pointers for a first timer, but since I'm so late to the game, my switch game is on point (or so I'd like to think). Shortly afterwards, I was at Stevens Pass and rode a down rail (not flat, but angled with the slope) that was much longer and scarier, giving me some increased confidence that I can progress safely in the park.

This season, in order to keep the momentum going, I want to train in the park more regularly. The park at Keystone only has a few features right now and most of them are outside of my entry level status... lol... so I thought I would try learning a backside boardslide because that should be simple enough 0_0 ... which might have been the case if I had a plan and maybe even prepped with some YouTube videos but I decided I wanted to just figure it out this time.

I went right for it and slipped out falling backwards; thankfully I had on crash pants making it quite manageable. Then I tried just simply doing a 50-50 on the next couple boxes which helped me focus better on keeping my base flat.

Next time around I practiced a bit on the flat tube, which apparently is a good place to start when learning to ride on rails... I'm doing everything out of order #_# oh well...

To steady my nerves a bit, I rode back down to the lift, rather than hiking up to keep attempting the box... and got a couple 180s in to settle my legs. But I was also messing around with sliding my board on the snow toe-side, which led to another crash... maybe in part from the fatigue of riding goofy yesterday. Either way, it's pretty wicked to catch an edge like this.

Ok, back to the box... I continued to fall but each time holding out the slide a little longer, so I tried just lightly shuffling back and forth, which gave me a better feel for how to keep my board flat... this box was angled with the slope and I think that's where I kept misreading the surface, so the shuffle really emphasized the angle as I rotated. I got a couple jumps on to the flat tube just for an extra confidence boost, whenever I could.

And then... finally... I almost got it!!!

...hiking up and down this slope was pretty tiring so I took a lap down to the lift... managing to pull off a 180 in every direction... which is working towards one of my goals for this season: to comfortably 180 any which way at any time.... fronstide 180, switch frontside 180, backside 180, switch backside 180, and a little hop to celebrate ^-^

one...last...try

and I stuck it! sure, the style could have been better, but at this point I was happy to end on that note... well not exactly, I needed to see what it was like to mount that flat tube switch... X_X what a bad idea...

the fall is kinda comical, so don't feel bad if you laughed out loud just now... I keep watching it over and over and find it quite humorous. thankfully I left with a sore shoulder and no serious injury. after this tumble I decided to call it quits at the park and work on something safer and slower. still trying to get a workout in, I slowed down and did anything I could to make balancing harder... occasionally having to stop and catch my breath. spinning, squatting, sliding, buttering, trying to jump back and forth between butters... and of course dipping into the woods whenever possible...

then I had a little fun on the way to the bottom. it was a pretty enjoyable ride....

Nov 26 2020 - A Goofy Day

Today was goofy day on Spring Dipper at Keystone Resort; a full day committed to a directional board in the goofy stance. I still find the lift experience a bit unsettling but it definitely gets better each year. Getting off the first few rides invoke a sense of peril that I revere as I stave off the onset of panic. After two days of charging and then a day off, today seemed the right time to pace myself. I started with slow, smooth turns that gradually built up to carves with a fair amount of lean.

Once my turning was feeling steady, I took a quick breather in switch (regular) stance before charging straight into the next set of moguls. Keystone is one of my favorite resorts because of the sheer number of moguls available throughout the terrain. After dodging some partially covered saplings, it's back to turning, getting the legs more conditioned to an increasing force as I become more aggressive. I opted out of a tree run at the end to think over what to do next.

It didn't take long to regain my confidence and venture out into the trees. The wooded section I visited on the 24th was challenging and fun, albeit risky with early season conditions. I found myself back in the mix jumping small logs and dodging rocks and other exposed terrain as I navigated familiar terrain. Once out, I made a few cooldown turns and tried to jump right back into the next patch of trees but ended up changing course last second because the entry wasn't welcoming. After a little bit of switch (regular stance) riding to pick up speed, I got back at it, dodging exposed terrain and whittling my way through the forest. The exit shot me straight into a patch of moguls on the side of the hill, which I was happy to engage.

There were a few side runs that dipped into the trees, one of which ended with a bike bridge that is always fun to hop over. I cut back over to the left side of the run for another short jog through trees that ends with a launch off/over a bike ramp for about a 12 foot drop. Unfortunately, the GPS signal was poor for this run so the speedometer wasn't available.

After a safe crash landing I was ready for another round of turns... 

The following run hit a rather quick dead-end in the trees at the terrain park entrance...

... I found my way back to a more manageable area. Shortly after exiting the park there are some paths that dip out into the trees lining the left side of the trail. I was pretty cautious, scouting out where there may be safe routes to revisit as well as flattening out some powder in the way to widen out the paths.

Back to the fundamentals, slow smooth carving and then moguls... progressing into dodging exposed terrain, weaving in and out of trees, and jumping over obstacles as needed; a continual training for the more difficult terrain available later in the season.

After a bit more of the same training, I was ready to call it a day. Fatigue had started settling into my back and sides, letting me know it was time to go...along with a patch of rocks in the forest that I failed to avoid but thankfully came out unscathed. After this run I took the easy way home (not too easy because that is a 3.5 mile route).

I haven't really ridden this early in the season and the limited trails available are helping me focus on some fundamental skills and techniques that will be necessary on tougher terrain.

Nov 24 2020 - A Regular Day

After an initial day to get settled a bit, I like to start training on my Regular stance (left foot leading). It's been around 5 years since I last visited Keystone but I left with very fond memories, as well as a bruised hip bone. I've had my confidence broken here at Keystone, where it took several days to recover... but here I am, back at it. All my boards are better equipped to handle icy runs thanks to recent technological advances but I can't shake the memory of the spills that shook me up a while back.

I've grown a lot as a rider over the past few years tackling steeper and steeper terrain, but in order to get here, I spent a lot of time in uneven/bumpy terrain working on my turns. It is at Keystone that I became a mogul fanatic... they're everywhere. It's hard to go down the mountain and not see a large patch of moguls. Shortly into my first run, there they are.

Moguls are a great warmup for maneuvering in the trees and I just so happened to find a forest off of Spring Dipper to be my early season stomping ground. The first run in was a bit rough because I was cruising through a little too fast for exploring unknown terrain safely. I ended up jumping over the first of two logs and landed on the one behind, but came out intact.

Next time around, back in the trees. I found an entry that has two logs in the path which were fun to jump over. Small jumps help my feet wake up so they're ready to maneuver *-* This next round was a lot smoother since I managed to avoid the parts of the trail littered with debris.

After a flurry of quick turns to loosen up the hips, knees, and ankles...

...I'm onto a bike trail that ends with a ramp; it seemed about a 10-12 foot drop that I almost landed!

Now that I'm all worked up and wanting to explore more wooded areas, I venture out to a different area and encounter a lot of exposed terrain as well as a hidden tree stump... a nearby skier pointed out the fact that its early season conditions, thanks for the reminder ^-^

I left that area and headed back to the infamous double logs that I spilled over on that earlier run... this time I got through it pretty smoothly and left feeling redeemed.

All that work starting taking it toll and it was time to head home. I decided to take the hardest route possible - The Edge: the only black diamond run available right now, littered, no doubt, with moguls... tons of them.

I'll almost definitely need a day off after charging this hard on day two... x_x

Nov 23 2020 - First Day of 20/21 Season

 Last year's season got cut short thanks to covid-19 and although we still don't have it under control, the resorts have put in new policies that allow them to operate anyway. With such uncertainty around operations, I decided to start the season early this year and drove to Colorado, one of the few places operational in November. The ride from the parking lot down to the lift was short and mellow but still afforded me the opportunity to slip and impact my wrist... afterwards I put on my wrist guards, reminded that I should always have them on because falls are unpredictable.

Early season conditions add to the danger on the mountain as there are exposed rocks and branches littered about the terrain. Venturing out into the trees is generally unadvisable because there isn't really much snow covering the forest floor. Mostly Beginner runs are open with a couple Intermediate trails as well, which tend to be slicked-out from all the novice riders that go down terrified of the slope. I rode around the mountain looking for a run that might give me a good workout and came across a patch of moguls... perfect!

Switching Sports Wasn't Easy

As a footballer for most of my life, aggression has been a central theme. Even during a light scrimmage, most put their pride on the line. Cross that line and be ready to body or get bodied. If you go in soft then you get rocked so 'get stuck in' and try to come out with the ball rather than a card. The more competitive the games, the more physical they become (without too much interference from the referee). The passion I once felt for my sport has slowly shifted into a winter sport; snowboarding.

Similar to the feel of landing a solid two footed sliding tackle, the force of the snow under the board (on sharp turns and steep cliffs) is what really drew me in to the sport. There are a lot of similarities between the two, as they both heavily involve footwork, leg strength, and surefooted coordination. Failure to train one's upper body also has similar consequences... body or get bodied.

On the snow, I'm a self-taught "expert" yet still very amateur, eager to learn and improve each day. "Aggressive Stances" sums up my riding style, whether in a regular or goofy stance because after all, there's only one way to go, forward. I am often looking for challenging/technical terrain to test my techniques and recently started posting some of my training on YouTube.

How it all started...

My family got together for a Christmas [2007] in Portland and decided to be tourists for a day at Mt. Hood. Having never truly experienced snow; I had on a light jacket, beanie, and jeans... perfect gear for hanging out in the lodge by the fireplace. Along the way, we stopped to buy some winter boots and gloves... we were solidly underprepared. My dad spent most of the time complaining about the cold and after a brief stay at the Timberline Lodge we decided to head back.

even in the Timberline parking lot...
pops found a way to threaten me...
you're welcome for the jacket

On the way down the mountain we saw a small [Cooper Spur Mountain] resort with tubing and pulled over to check it out. My brother had taken a snowboarding class in college and was an intermediate level rider... actually, he took the class twice; the second semester as an instructor, just to ensure he was out on the mountain every weekend. It didn't take much to get me excited to try it out and we scored a deal [$20] on the lift ticket and rentals since there were only a couple hours left in the day... I think the guy at the shop seeing us in jeans did us a solid.

In a rush, we geared up and headed straight to the lift... yep, straight to the lift! On the way up I only wanted to know one thing... how do I stop? After a quick verbal explanation, I felt I was ready to go. Just before we reached the top, I realized we might have missed a few details and asked how I was supposed to dismount... which he quickly explained just before we had to unload.. whew! It didn't take much to come to my first stop and that little boost of confidence was all I needed. I skated over to the slope, chucked the deuces, click-clacked into the clip-in bindings, and pointed my board straight down the hill. Straight and fast then smash the brakes... rinse and repeat... lap one complete.

The first run down was exhilarating and I even popped one foot out of the bindings from the chatter of the board at high speeds. I immediately got back on the lift and went for another round... and finally a third. By the end of the third run my jeans were soaked and my body temperature was starting to drop... so I returned the gear, grabbed a hot drink, and ran to the van to warm up. The whole ride home was full of excitement as I had just discovered and new journey to embark on...