Dec. 4
2nd
I just about died today! I started the day out by buying my seasons pass. I rode Blackcomb with Mike and Chris. The snow was kind of tracked out, so we went searching for some fresh lines. The search took us hiking a traverse over some rough terrain. It was steep, icey, and rocky, so I took my board off, then started hiking across a patch of rocks (right near some cliffs). I jumped down a 10 foot drop or so, then continued on... the terrain was tretcherous.

I came to a downhill section, and sat on my board instead of walking it. It was steep and I ended up going a lot faster than I anticipated. I planted my foot in the snow to stop myself before the next patch of rocks and drops. Well, my foot planted, and my momentum threw me forward onto my stomach. I slid over the rock cliffs, each time going over a rock and dropping a few feet to the next rock (ledge) below. I had enough momentum behind me to be totally unable to slow myself, and I was just trying to look forward to see what rocks to (not) fall onto. I ended up sliding off a decent-sized rock ledge and over a cliff. As I was sliding toward the edge of the ledge, I couldn't see the ground below, and knew it would be a good fall. I was just thinking, "Oh God, here it goes." I looked over the edge as I tumbled, and instead of seeing a boulder field below, I was surprised to see nothing but powder. I flipped and rolled, and ended up landing on my feet in waist-deep powder.

NOT A SCRATCH, BRUISE, NOTHING. For some odd reason, I didn't even get an adrenaline rush. As I was falling from ledge to ledge, I just simply thought that I was going to die. It was weird, hectic and peacefull at the same time as I was falling from rock to rock. I could have easily died if the situation was just a little different.

What a way to start out my first day of being a season pass holder.

Dec. 6
3rd
Blackcomb... Not much fresh, not much to comment on.

Dec. 7
4th
Blackcomb... I can't remember this day, it was too long ago.

Dec. 14
5th
No freshies, so we ended up doing speed runs at Blackcomb all day. We knew the lines from previous days, so we charged them hard and fast. I dropped into the N-64 Halfpipe for the first time today. It is much harder than it looks, as I couldn't even get over the edge of the pipe.

Dec. 15
6th
We rode Whistler's best powder day this season (and the coldest day too!). Drew came up with us today, but we didn't ride together. We thought Drew was going to try and free-ride it, so we didn't wait for him. It turned out that he bought a pass right away, but we were nowhere to be found. Up on the hill, Mike, Chris, and I found an untouched area off the backside of the Harmony chair. I learned that everything has its price though. The powder run ended up in a flat field that we had to hike out of (which took a lot of time and energy).

Dec. 18
7th
Whistler again. The pow just keeps getting better. We did the peak chair all day, and rode through the trees in nice deep fresh snow.

...the best day yet!

Dec. 21
8th
Blackcomb... Mike and Chris's uncle Paul came up riding with us. We did the glacier for the first time today. It was a "spectacular" day. The weather was nice... unlimited visibility with bright sunny, blue skies over half the sky and dark evil storm clouds stretching in over the other half. Oh, if I only had my camera.

I went over the edge of a cat-track today, due to a little kid's stupidity and my austerity. The puke was in front of me on a road, and just prior to my passing it, it turned and stopped in front of me. I could have bowled it over, but given my speed, I probably would have hurt it. I chose to avoid the collision and went over the edge of the road. I had a nice steep fall over some rocks, unstrapped, climbed back up to the road, and was pleased to see the kid getting in trouble by his parents.

Dec. 22
9th
Blackcomb... The snow was kind of old, so we stuck to speed runs and the park. I noticed a huge improvement in my halfpipe riding, as I was sticking the jumps and was getting enough speed to get out of the walls. ...a good way to retire the year of riding before the Christmas break downtime (our passes aren't valid on weekends and holidays).

Jan. 6, 2001
10th
Drew and Gio drove up to Mt. Seymour, and I went with. I had never been to Seymour, so I was looking forward to being at a new mountain. Seymour is often referred to as Mt. Freemour, and now I know why. It is easy to ride for free there, and I took advantage of that. We ended up sessioning the terrain park the whole time, and just hiked it after each run. There were 2 good hits, and 2 good rails. After riding the park for a couple hours, I learned how to stick the rails with ease. I was stoked to become confident with boardslides and 50-50's. Now if only I can take that confidence to the Blackcomb park rails, I'll be set.

Jan. 7
11th
Whistler... Mark Tompson and his friend Travis came out from Huntington Beach, CA to ride Whis/Blackcomb with us. The snow conditions were better than I expected, with only 4 cm. of fresh reported, we were able to find some nice stashes of (heavy) pow. We rode the whole mountain, giving the Cali boys a good idea of what Whis had to offer.

Jan. 8
12th
Six of us (Mark, Travis, Drew, Mike, Chris, and I) mobbed up to Blackcomb in the the little Honda that could. Five cm. of fresh (adding to the 4 from yesterday) covered the hard-packed runs with a bit of fluff. I found some nice powder in with the trees, rode the glacier, and sessioned the park. I rode a few rails and mailboxes successfully, as well as rode the pipe with noticable improvement. It was an all-around good day, despite the minor injury to the tendons in my forearm.

Jan. 9
13th
It was six of us again packing into that little honda, this time with Amy replacing Drew. There was another 15 cm. of fresh, so we again rode Blackcomb. We all found a lot of powder stashes, and had some nice runs down the back glacier. It was each man for himself... by the end of the day, we were all on our own. We all took different lines through some trees, and we all got split up. Mike called it.

Jan. 11
14th
After a day of rest, Chris and I went to Blackcomb. I finally rode my new Palmer! We were late getting up to the hill, then it took me a while to find some bolts to attach the bindings. I didn't end up getting onto the mountain until noon. Even worse, was my realization that in my haste, I put the bindings on backwards, and had to spend more time readjusting them. Since I needed to leave at 1:00, I only got two runs in: the Glacier and the park. That didn't give me enough riding to get me used to my new board, so I'm still a bit sketchy on it.

Jan. 14
15th
Bunkness! I went (knight) riding at Freemour today. My second time riding my new Palmer, and the tail got sliced right through the core. A skier tried to spray me with snow, and ran over my board. I'm supposed to go riding at Whislter tomorrow, but won't be able to because I now have to see if my board can be repaired. Lame.

Jan. 16
16th
Today it was me, Chris, Mike, and his friend Matt that went to ride Blackcomb. To escape the hardpacked runs, we tried to go do some serious backcountry riding. Matt knows his way around the mountain really well, so he was going to be our out-of-bounds guide. As we started the hike, however, we were able to see the steep rock-infested chutes that were our only exit from the backcountry. We hiked for a bit anyway, then correctly decided not to pursue it any further. There was simply not enough snow yet. Instead, we did a bunch of speed runs, and scared the lame people that got in our way.

Jan. 18
17th
Today rocked! 8 cm. of fresh in the morning, and it snowed all day. As soon as we (Chris, Drew, and myself) went into the trees, we spit up searching for our own fresh lines. We all got split up, but rejoined at the end of the day in the park. I've become much more confident on the rails, and I can stick all my landings in the pipe. Now all I have to work on is getting more height, and pulling some spins.

Jan. 22
18th
Bluebird special. Mike, Chris and I rode under the sun in Whistler's day-old powder. We did some pow runs, then took some speed runs with the aim to find a line that unified speed with lots of jumps. We met our goal. We were bombing down the roads and taking hits left and right along the way.

Near the end of the day (when our path was fast and well-known), a mother and her little puke were standing in the middle of a jump that we usually take at high speed. Mike, leading the way, missed out on the jump. I was second and yelled for them to move. They saw me coming, got scared, yet still didn't get fully out of the way. I took the hit anyway, and nearly ran them over as I took off the jump. Later that day, I saw the same mother and son on the road that we were bombing down. Again, they got in the way of a wall hit, so with lots of speed behind me, I charged the jump. I ended up needing to cut right in front of the kid to get to the wall, so I did. Besides, what is one more intimidating close call?

At the end of the day we rode Peak to Creek a second time. Definitely my favorite run at Whistler/Blackcomb! Powder and tree-runs all the way from the top of the peak chair to the bottom of the mountain. Mmmmmm... it was sweet.

Jan. 23
19th
Today was odd. It started out being crappy. First because the snow was lame, and second, because I was readjusting to riding my Palmer and wasn't landing anything. We hiked up to a kicker and launching off of it for a while, which was discouraging for me since I wasn't able to do squat off of it. Then we decided to take some speed runs down the path we did on Monday.

Now tell me, what is it with me and kids??? After taking the same path for a few runs, we were able to do it faster and faster. Doesn't it figure that when I was going the fastest I ever have down that run, a little crotch-high girl on skis cuts me off. Before she did, she was snowplowing straight ahead, and just as I approached her, she skied directly sideways on the road making for a perfect collision. I was going too fast to turn, so I turned my board sideways and knocked her off her skis and sent her flying about 20 feet. I kept sliding for another 30 feet and looked up to see Mike (who was charging behind me when the collision occured) give me the two-thumbs-up. The little kid was already yelling "sorry" to me, and right then I knew that I was going to have a good day.

I was right. The rest of the day turned out great. I was getting used to my new ride, and was landing some good spins (backside fives and frontside threes). We even found a secret stash of powder within the roped-off area beside the chairlift operator.

Jan. 24
20th
Penner came up with us today, then we met up with Amy at Blackcomb. Despite starting out with a crew of 5, there were only the three of us (Mike, Chris, and I) by the end of the day. I didn't hit any kids today, but I did take out an old man. He somehow tripped on my board as we were getting off the chairlift together (his head just about got clocked by the lift too). Am I bad luck? At the end of the day, I spotted a l o n g rail in the park that I must try to do tomorrow.

Jan. 26
21st
Whoa, talk about forshadowing! I unsuccessfully attempted that long rail that I spotted yesterday. Chris too tried it after me. He rode it much better than I did, but I fell off much better than him. He took a bad spill and knocked the wind out of himself. The pain didn't stop, so we went to the medical clinic and discovered that he separated his shoulder. Now, about me being bad luck? -naw

Other than that incident (which happened on the last run), the day went well. Chris and I were the only ones that decided to go up today. We ended up taking some speed lines then heading to the park. I didn't do anything worth mentioning other than developing harsh pains in my leg. My warwounds are adding up: sore wrist (yes, from snowboarding!), pains in my shoulder when I rotate it, and now the muscles in my calf and shin are in pain. I might need to take some time off soon. Then again... -naw!

Jan. 27
22nd
So I shouldn't have, but I did. I went up to Mr. Freemour with Kristofer Penner and Tanya. I was faded, and waw able to see a van on fire in the parkinglot. I met up with some friends that worked there, and they gave me a free lift-ticket. I then went and watched Tanya try to learn to ride (her first time). She was learning on the rope tow, as were a lot of crotch-high kids. While going up the tow, I added 3 to my kid-o-meter hit count. Combining the downward push of the rope with a sudden over-the-head manouver proved successful in prematurely helping 3 kids off the rope tow. Penner and I had lots of fun, but Tanya was a little discouraged. After riding, we then went to have a few at the local establishment with some other friends we met there. It was nearly 10pm. by the time we left, so the day definitely felt complete.

Jan. 29
23rd
Pow pow. Those words sum up my experience today. Chris didn't come up due to his shoulder injury, and he sure missed out! Mike and I hit up Creekside (Whistler) and found below our feet 25+cm. of fresh fluffy powder. We did the trees, we found some powder fields, we did the glades and bowls, and we did "Peak to Creek" thrice. This was definitely the best snow I've rode all season. Mike and I tore it up, and I think I am now twice as good at riding powder than I was yesterday. I love the feeling of going incredably fast cutting through light powder and making those soft, smooth turns. ...Mmmmmm.

Did I mention hitting my board over a helmeted crotch-high?

Jan. 30
24th
WOW! My best day this season. The snow just keeps getting better, as does my ability to ride in it. There was another 4 to 5 inches of pow today. I accidentally cleared a road right near a bridge and fell down (backflipped) a 20 foot drop during our (Mike and myself) first run. It took me about 10 min. to hike back up the steep incline to the road, and Mike didn't see me go over, so we went solo for the rest of the day. I got the first line over a whole side of the mountain (the ridge) when the peak chair opened. I had a whole run of completely untouched snow through trees... how beautiful! I finished off the day with another epic run of Peak to Creek. This is what life is all about.

Jan. 31
25th
Mike and I slept in today and didn't arrive at Whistler until 12:30 or so... well past the time we were to meet Amy. We rode pow until the mountain closed, and I was able to make my last run 'Peak to Creek,' which made my day. We then proceeded to Amy's place, settled down and had a relaxed, cozy evening.

Feb. 01
26th
After waking up, having a good breakfast and making lunch, we left Amy's place and went riding. God is it nice to wake up on the mountain and not have to drive an hour and a half to get there! There wasn't any fresh snow today, so we didn't take many pow runs. My anterior shin-splints/stress-fracture suffered as a result. Near the end of the day we decided to take a speed run down the usual hard-packed road. I said okay, but my leg seemed to differ. Half way down, I realized that I couldn't do another run. I went back to the car and partook of the sweet nectar awaiting me while waiting for Mike to finish up his last few runs of the day.

Feb. 02
27th
Today was like an unachieved orgasm. Although the foreplay was great, the anticipated climax never came to be. Whistler got dumped on (15 cm.) last night, and the snow was still falling heavily when we (Mike, Chris and I) got there first thing in the morning. We were there so early that we got fresh tracks down some of the main runs... a rare event indeed. The snow conditions were excellent, and as soon as one area got tracked out, we went somewhere farther from the beaten path. End result: we had nice fresh pow to play each and every run we took. The anticipation was building... even though we were having a great time on the runs we were taking, we couldn't wait to ride the notorious pow runs from the highest-most chairs; Peak and Harmony.

As we made plans to ride those lifts however, we learned of severe avalanche dangers and high winds (46-86 km/h) in the alpines. The only two lifts that takes you to the heavenly powder runs that Whistler is world famous for were going to be closed for the day. Boooo! That was the anticlimax for the day. After learning the unfortunate news, we took a few more pow runs (Marioland Rocks!), then called it a day. We would have kept riding, but the lineups on the few chairs that were open were way too long. We ended up leaving the hill at 12:30.

Feb. 04
28th
I went up to Freemour with Khrista, Gio, and Drew. I didn't get much park riding in, as I was (patiently) giving Kh a beginner lesson. I sessioned the rails a few times, and although I didn't stick them each time, I didn't get hurt. So no complaints.

Feb. 07
29th
I went with Khrista to Freemour for the evening. I gave her some pointers, then sessioned the rails. I totally improved on the rails tonight, yay.

Feb. 08
30th
Penner and I went to Blackcomb today. He had some troubles getting on the lift, so we didn't meet up all day (even though he eventually made it up). I found a new stash of pow between some trees, then rode the park most of the day. Double-black rails aren't too intimidating anymore... this is progress.

Feb. 10
31st
Well, I went up to Seymour again, this time with Khrista and Tyler. I had a lot of fun. The snow was soft and I was able to take my time and play on the side jumps (Kh and Ty are just begining). I've become quite comfortable with those rails and am gaining consistency in riding them. I tried my first intentional inverted spin tonight off of a wall hit. It felt awesome! I nearly landed it too, but my board hit the wall in mid spin (in mid flip too). I did a backflip while spinning 270 degrees (a rodeo?). I think that I'll dial it next time. I can't wait to be able to do spins while upside-down!

Feb. 12
32nd
I went to Blackcomb today with Tyler and his two friends Jermy and (whoops, I forgot). They were all beginners, so we did some easy runs all day. I had fun in the park, and I learned how gratefull I am to not be a beginner anymore.

Feb. 16
33rd
Went up to Freemour with Khrista and Penner. I (as usual) sessioned the rails. Not much else to say.

Feb. 18
34th
Sketchy day! I went up to Cypress with Adam and Maddy. He knows people that work there, so we tried to get passed the ticket checkers by dropping some names. We got passed the gate, and found out who was working the chairs. Adam had a friend on one chair, so we headed over and rode a few runs. Then the boss came by and we were screwed. We were being heaty by standing around the lift waiting for the boss to leave, then the boss was onto us. We bolted and got away scott free. Oh well, it was worth the few runs we got in.

Feb. 19
35th
Seymour again with Khrista and Chris. I don't know what my problem was, but I sucked today. I couldn't stick any rails, and my riding was sloppy (I even caught an edge!).

Feb.23
36th
Seymour again. This was my worst day of riding yet. I went with Gio and Penner, and on our first run, I bailed after boardsliding the hurricane rail. It was a normal-looking bail, as I went forward and landed on my arms after catching my toe edge. The main problem with my landing, was that I landed on my outstretched arm and had the displeasure to watch (and hear) my elbow bend the wrong way. It was dislocated. I ended up riding the rest of the evening, but I wasn't doing anything big.

Feb. 24
37th
Surprise, surprise, I went to Freemour. This time with Khrista, Penner, Tyler, and Jeremy. Penner and I mostly rode together during the afternoon, then I rode with Kh for the evening. I wiped her out, then rode over her face while getting closer to apologize. Whoops x2. My elbow was quite sore, but I was able to get some good air despite it.

Feb. 28
38th
Khrista and I went up to Seymour with Mike. The only thing worth mentioning about tonight was that I landed improperly on my heel. I took a jump in the park that popped me up higher than it usually does, then my back heel took all of the force of the landing. Even though I landed on the transition, my heel was in instant pain. I could barely ride on it the rest of the evening, and jumps were out of the question. Darn, and my elbow was just starting to feel a bit better too.

March 1
39th
Fresh snow!!! I went up to the usual evening resort with Khrista, and it was puking out. There was about one foot of fresh, and no one on the hill. I got some nice runs in the soft stuff, but was unable to fully take advantage of the conditions, due to my painful heel. I still can't walk on it, and I have to avoid putting any weight on it while riding (easier said than done).

March 2
40th
FINALLY! We (Mike, Chris and I) went back up to Whistler. It felt great to be back there. They had 10 cm. of fresh so we made the most of it. We did the unknown run from the T-bars to Harmony just in time to get a good spot in line and get fresh tracks down the Sun Bowl. What a run! After a couple pow runs, we headed for the Peak chair and did the ridge trees. It wasn't long before we were feeling the effects of getting up at 6 am., so we headed back to the car early. All the good snow was gone anyways. Well, I'm going up to Seymour now, so maybe there will be some more goods up there for me to exploit... we'll see.

41st
Well, Khrista and I went up for an evening session up at Seymour. We arrived after dark, and there was still lots of fresh snow to violate. I took it easy all night, and discovered that I was still not able to take any table tops after a weak (and painfull) attempt.

March 3
42nd
Saturday afternoon bluebird special. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was about 2 more inches of fresh, and still many stashes to be found right off of the main runs. The Seymour crowd must hate riding pow, because they sure left a whole lot of it that was easily accessible. I'm not complaining, as I was the powder slut of the day and carved lines where ever I could, leaving the hill blemished and scarred by my tracks. ...all in all, a great day.

March 5
43rd
I went up to Seymour with Khrista well before the beautiful sunset. While there was still sunlight left, we rode as many runs as we could that are too dark to do after sunfall. We found a few new runs that are lots of fun, and I perfected a good speed-run line. Near the end of the day, I tried the hurricane rail, and completed a flawless 50-50. Maybe I should start riding rails again?

March 6
44th
Mike and I were supposed to go up to Whistler this morning, but Mike was tired in the morning, so we didn't go. I instead went up to Seymour with Penner, Adam, Tolerancen, and met Gio, Drew, and Khrista up there. The weather was awesome! The temperature was beyond warm: I was hot even though I was wearing only a T-shirt. The snow was slushy, making for slow approaches but soft landings. The soft snow encouraged me to start taking jumps again, and to my surprise, my heal was okay. I still am not ready to try the park tables yet, but soon... soon. As for the rails, I sucked today. Lame.

March 7
45th
It was a beautiful sunny Wednesday and Mike and I were (again) supposed to go to Whis, but we had a late night, and got up too late. We made use of the nice day by going to Seymoure with Khrista. She bought a disposable waterproof camera and she took some pictures of me (doing a ballgrab) and Mike sessioning a hit. I also took some pictures of Khrista doing some jumps, here is one of them.

March 8
46th
Mike and I finally went up to Blackcomb today! The visability was poor but we had a lot of fun doing the big mountain runs. My front binding was nearly cracked in half at the beginning of the day, and after a few Blackcomb-style runs I succeeded in cracking it completely in two. I noticed the separation of my binding at the top of 7th Heaven, so it made for a long, cautious ride all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Needless to say the day was cut short for me.

47th
After buying new bindings, Khrista and I headed up to Seymoure, and I tried them out. Whoa, what a difference! Turning has become effortless but I still have to get used to the difference before taking any jumps. The mountain was surprisingly vacant with 11 people riding the hill when we arrived, which decreased quickly until Khrista and I were the only two people on the hill for the last hour.

March 10
48th
Bunkness! With the amount of riding that I have done this year, it was almost inevitable that I would get injured. But injured like this, I did not expect. Khrista and I went up to Seymoure and were meeting up with Penner and Gio. On our first run down we waited for the others in the park. After a long wait without their arrival, we decided to bomb down to the bottom. I charged the park (not taking any rails or jumps because of my unfamiliarity with my bindings) and took the last little hit at the end of the park. Well, the effortless turning of my new bindings worked against me, as I accidentaly turned at the peak of the jump (instead of popping over it), which sent me flying superman-style into the flats below.

The wind was knocked out of me, but I knew something else was wrong. After a few moments of laying in the snow, I struggled to my feet and charged down to the bottom. Khrista followed me to the first-aid station while I was peaking from my endorphine rush. I nearly blacked out, but I made it to the station. Once there, they gave me oxygen and filled out some forms before I was on my way to the hospital. It was confirmed at the hospital that I shattered my clavical (collar bone). The doc says that I can't ride again until next year. ...we'll see about that.

March 30
49th
Well, after nearly three weeks of R&R, I decided to go back up to the hill. I knew that I'd be back well before the docs said I should, but there was more than determination on my side. Rune, from Norway has come to stay with us while he visits North America. An excellent guy, and an excellent rider, he wanted to ride Freemoure on a bluebird day. I went up with Chris and Rune for that day and followed through the backcountry and photographed their session. Pix will be here soon. It was great to be up in the mountains again, and what better way to kick it off than to photograph an awsome session!

April 1
50th
Well, Rune, Kh, and myself went up to Seymour again. There was a slope-style comp today, so we abandoned our original idea of going to the back-country and ended up watching the pro finals session the hill. It was okay. I only got two runs in, but no probs as far as the collarbone goes. I realize it will only take one fall to re-brake my collarbone, so I am a nervous rider. I'm mostly nervous getting off the lift, and riding fast around other people. Even if I ride alright, I ride the risk of someone else falling into me or cutting me off.

April 2
51st
Mike, Chris, Rune, and I went out to the Seymoure back-country today. We found, built, shaped, and rode a nice kicker.

April 3
52nd
Kh and I went up to hike Mt. Seymour. As I am not doing jumps yet, and Khrista is not ready to, we went for a hike up to the top of the mountain (out of bounds) and rode down. Yah. Here is kh before the hill, me on it, and kh at the top of it.

April 4
53rd
Mike, Chris, Rune, and I went out to our back-country hit again. We spent most of our time sculpting it out and improving the approach. Everyone (but me) had their turn at it, and I captured a few jumps on film. Rune's last jump, which is better qualified to be called a flight, was a backside rodeo 720. A picture of it is right here.

April 6
54th
It is the second to last weekend up at Seymoure, so Kh and I went up and made what we could of it. There was a bunch of fresh snow up there, so it was nice.

April 7
55th
All the others wanted to sleep, so Kh and I went up for a while. It was nice, but there isn't much to tell when I can't take jumps, do rails, etc. I can feel myself healing, so it won't be long before I'll be back in full swing.

April 9
57th
Well, Seymoure is closed this week, so hiking it will be. Today was foggy so we didn't hike out to our hit. Instead, we (Rune, Morten, Sailor, and I) hiked the pipe. I watched and read the newspaper looking for work. Yeah, I know, I shouldn't mix work and pleasure.

April 11
58th
Today the whole crew hiked from the parkinglot of Seymoure all the way up to the backcountry hit. Drew, his friend Ken, Rune, Morten, and Mike went up (Chris was too tired). It was nice and sunny, so I got a bit of a tan. The ride down was fun too. Today was the most tempting for me to not take the hit. I know that I'd hurt myself on it, but since I've been feeling better, I've been wanting to take some jumps.

April 13 (Fri)
59th
Rune, Morten, Kh, and I went to Seymoure. It was a mistake. This is their last weekend of being open, and the ticket prices are reduced. Those factors insured that the lift lineups would be long, and they were. I'm still not able to take any jumps, at least not of any appreciable size.

April 14
60th
I'm writing this day down too late, as I have already forgot who I went up with, and what happened.

April 15
61st
The weather was awesome today. Nearly 20 degrees (celcius) and a blue sky overhead. The snow was slushy and slow, but still a pleasure to ride in. Kh and I went up earlier than the others (Mike, Chris, Rune, and Morten) and weren't able to meet up with them all day. They ended up hiking out of bounds to find another kicker, while Kh and I made use of lifts before they shut down. I am feeling much more confident now, and even took a few little jumps! Kh took this picture of one of them. I took some of Khrista getting some air too, check this one out.

April 17
62nd
WHISTLER! Well it has been nearly 40 days since I was last up (I think Mike and Chris only went up once or twice during that time, so I didn't miss too much). Today was awesome! Nearly one and a half feet of fresh powder, and no one on the slopes. We found fresh lines on every run we took. At first, I didn't think I was ready to go all out and ride the usual terrain with Mike and Chris. We usually ride pretty darn fast down some rough areas. But how could I not ride the usual runs? So we did the usual runs and some new ones too. I rode just as hard as the boys did, and evaded all temptations to fall. Today kicked butt, and tomorrow looks even more promising.

April 18
63rd
As expected, today was even better than yesterday. Another 15 cm of fresh (albeit heavy) powder. Mike, Chris and I ripped through the Christmas and Bagle bowls, and darted in between trees at speeds I shouldn't have been going. I did fall a couple of times today, but due to the deep soft snow, I didn't rebrake my collarbone. My second fall came after one of the best runs I've taken all year: a narrow winding gulley adjacent to the Peak to Creek run. It was like riding down a twisting tube with drops to take and walls to ride, all the while dodging holes that lead to the creek below and ducking under fallen trees. My fall came when I ended up going down rocky slopes with only patches of snowcover left to ride. I dodged, jumped, then fell over some rocks, landing my lower back on a sharp rock that was sticking out of the snow. I decided that my day was over, and walked down to the bottom. The others were waiting for me, so I went up for one last run, which turned into two. Pain considered, this day was one of the best!

April 20
64th
Chris, Drew and I went up to Blackcomb for the last time before it closed. Drew hit up the park all day, while Chris and I were being the usual powder sluts. It was no coincidence that we found some stashes on every run we took. We had to hike on each run to find the fresh, but it was worth every step. Chris took me to "the chimney," where we had to hike up a steep chute and over a ridge. There we found fresh lines and a huge powder field that I've never been to before. It was a perfect summer day of riding that left me content enough to say goodbye to Blackcomb for another season.

April 27
65th
Chris and I went up to Whistler for a quick afternoon ride. The snow levels are dropping quickly, and as a result, downloading is now necessary. It was snowing a bit in the alpine, but raining everywhere below it. We spent most of our time in the new Whistler terrain park, where they have built a few tables and spines. Nothing special yet, but the rails are a coming.

April 30
66th
Chris, Mike, Drew, Adam and I went up to Whistler in Mike and Chris' new VW. It was a nice ride up, but the riding we did on the mountain that afternoon was much superior. Fresh stashes of snow with clear skies and warm temperatures. It was beautiful. We traversed and hiked a bit and ended up riding down some nice slopes. On one of our last runs, we hiked then stopped to rest while beholding the rugged beauty around us. I think that is when we all noticed our faces getting sun-burned. Later that evening we were all sporting half red, half white faces.

May 3
67th
Khrista went up with me today. It was her first time on Whister, so she was impressed. The weather could have been much better, as it was high overcast that turned to fog and terrible visability. I didn't feel comfortable going to the backcountry in those conditions, so she missed out on most of the goods. We did, however, get to enjoy a few exellent tree runs.

May ?
68th
Chris and I went up, as Mike was a slave to his stocks. I'm writing this too late, so I can't remember many details. Chris and I found a new speed line from Emerald to the Red. Lots of fun, but not many jumps.

May ?
69th
Two carloads, six people, lots of fun. The household crew went up in one car, while Gio and his friend went up in another. Our levels of riding didn't make for a good match, and as a result, we lost half the group during our first run. What made this day good was the party after riding. There was an international skate competition at the skate park. In attendance were some pros and the little midget from Jackass. The sky was blue, the temperature warm, and there was a lot of energy in the air. We stayed a while so I missed my physio appointment. No biggie.

May ?
70th
Mike and I went up this day. Chris was too tired after his gravey shift. The weather wasn't the best, but we made what we could of it. We found some wind-blown stashes of pow on the backside of the peak chair, and rode it fast and hard -the right way.

May 28
71st
Freshies! A surprise snow storm hit Whistler and Chris and I were caught in the middle of it. Fresh tracks every run, and weather more like January than June. No complaints! We had lots of pow-covered slopes all to ourselves. Not many people on the mountain, so it felt like we were the only ones there.

May 29
72nd
The household crew -Mike, Chris, Drew and I- went up today. The storm from yesterday didn't let up until morning, giving the mountain even more fresh on fresh. The usual happened. That is, pow runs down steep bowls, fast lines, etc. One run was very deceptive, where the new snow barely covered up a bunch of rocks. Of course, we didn't know the rocks were under the thin cover of snow until we rode over them -darn. The sun came out in the afternoon, and all was awesome. Chris and I even saw a huge brown bear on the way down.

June 1
73rd
Not much snow left and more rocks exposed, so no mountain adventures for me. I stuck to the half-pipe for the day and did improve. Too bad it won't be until next year to pick up on my new improvements.