Where we're going, we don't need snow...The original accident happened on January 20. I remember, not only because I keep a journal, but because I finished watching Obama's swearing in on TV before I left for the mountain. When I pulled in to the lot, it was empty. It was also a Tuesday after a holiday weekend, but regardless of the reason, liftlines were nil. It was the middle of Mt. Hoods June-uary and a sunny, 50° afternoon felt pretty good to me. No pow in sight, but park laps and a little work on my notoriously lagging switch riding were just fine by me. Everything was fine until one stretch of flats that I decided to traverse switch. I know now that I have some edges that I need to detune. I did that right when I got home that day. Problem is, that's the sort of thing you want to do in advance. You see, catching an edge at speed is kind of like teleporting. One second you're cruising along, the next you're taking your elbow out from between your ribcage and trying to catch your breath. Little kids and skiiers and everyone else on the slopes just happens to be on that same run. They all ride past wondering how someone could get wrecked so hard on a trail that's flatter than the parking lot. Yeah, that's me. Kids who were conceived the day I started riding look at me like I just told them Barney is just a guy in a suit. Humble pie, slopestyle. I tried to ride a few more times (for Baker Banked Slalom and the Greasebus trip), but only ended up making things worse. So here I sit, haven't seen the snow in weeks. Summary complete.
That bums me out, but it gets worse. I've got an amazing trip to Canada planned and it's only two weeks away. This trip includes four days in a row of riding at Baldface Lodge. Yup, I ponied up for a big trip this year and now I take some unexpected time off. Not what I had in mind. The good news is, I'm getting better. I'm going to try to ride Sunday. Brave the crowd and take a couple pow turns. If not, I'll be the lodge lizard. No shame in that.
Won't be long now before they tear us to shreds.So, until I get back out there, does anyone know anything about hurt ribs? My doctor (yeah, it was so bad I went to see a doctor. It was so bad I couldn't even play ski-ball without pain) was about as useful as a football bat. He poked me, I said it hurt. They x-rayed me, said it wasn't broken. Take two of these if it hurts too much to sleep. Useless. Meanwhile, I look in the mirror and my left ribs don't even look like my right ribs and I'm wondering, which ones are the spare ribs and which ones are the baby backs?
Bored Yak does not endorse cannibalismAnyway, enough self pity. I hope everyone else is happy and healthy and shredding that pow. And for those of you also hurting, I pour a little out for you, too.
attention: if you can see your ribs in the mirror, you're doing okay, don't no tubby-o's wanna hear it...unless it's on some Lohan style, then maybe you should seek counseling...
ReplyDeleteBaldface rules. Don't not go never.
Heh, point taken.
ReplyDeleteI'm so stoked for Baldface that I can't even imagine it.
how much does that cost for 4 days?
ReplyDeletei just hit a one day heli trip up at North Cascade Heli. pretty spendy.
curious if a 4 day lodge or heli would be cheaper and/or better.
goddamn that was fun...
baldface is MAD_SKRILLS, but it's one of the most expensive ones, I think...500+ a day.
ReplyDeleteI found the vibe far mellower and less salesmen style than the heli I went on...those dudes wanted mo money mo money mo money! Cats was all decent snowboarders with snowboard guides too, so that may have contributed. I liked that it's all day, not just three hours or whatever, it's all damn day and a cool explorey feeling. We had input with the run selection and shit; that was cool.
And: they fly you up there in a A-Star, so you get that part.
If you factor in hotel and meals and shit like that, it's not as bad (rationalize)...it's like if you were a cokehead from Texas and blew your tax return on a trip to Whistler or some shit.
Either way: the next time you're in a liftline with fifteen hundred assholes waiting for chair 2 to open you're going to cry.
Baldface's price breakdown is here. The price varies from 400-600 per day by time of year. If you've got a flexible schedule, you can catch some steals. For example, a three-day weekend trip (starting tomorrow) for less than a grand!
ReplyDeleteI like the comparison to a Whistler trip. After you get done paying for a lift ticket, lodge food and a room, you could drop $400 and still not come close to the Baldface lodging, gourmet food and endless, cat-accessed pow. Instead you get 1500 Texas cokeheads waiting for a tram.
Me, I just wanted to take a step away from the resorts and toward that backcountry experience. Seemed like a good first step. While it did require some monetary commitment, it didn't require selling a kidney on the black market like a full-on heli trip would. Now I just have to heal those ribs...