Shopping Therapy Mood: happy Topic: snowboarding
Didn't ride today - had to work. Didn't get out of there until 5:30, when I zipped over to pick up Joshy from daycare. Dennis went to Targhee and played on his snowbike. He told me he had a fantastic day. High pressure has begun to settle over us, and with a great day under his belt and no new snow on the way, he decided to head back to Telluride tomorrow. It's been awesome having him here and riding with him, but I'm working a lot of doubles next week so I wouldn't really have much time to hang out anyway.
Last night, after NOT finding my camera, I came to the conclusion that it's either buried in the snow and won't be found until it's completely frozen, defrosted, and useless, or someone else discovered it and is putting it to good use. I suppose they could also be publishing my photos on the internet, but since I've already done that, I'm not particularly concerned. Luckily, I had downloaded most of the pix onto my computer, with the exception of a few gaper shots of our new construction at the Trapper Inn. Ah well. As my compulsive gambling friends like to say, it's only money. Went on ebay and found the exact same model, Canon SD400, with a 1 gig card, and ordered it. Should be here via fedex in a few days. AND it was 50 bucks less than I paid for the first one back in September. I can deal with that.
After Matt picked up Joshy, went out to Chinatown with Dennis. On the way home I stopped at the post office and discovered that my Dragon goggles had arrived. SCORE! They even came with a free replacement amber lens. And a cute little Dragon pin, which I magnetized and attached to my refrigerator. Sweet. The ionized lens is AWESOME. It looks a little dark inside my house, but I have a feeling it'll be perfect against the white background of a snowy mountain. Yee haw.
How many days until Friday? Ouch. Maybe I'll find some time this week to ride Snow King. Or maybe I'll find some time to sleep. I doubt it, but maybe.
Jonesin' Mood: blue Topic: snowboarding
New Snow: 6" New snow since I was last on the mountain: 27"
The snow is relentless. Fine by me. But I'm working. Today, AGAIN we got a pile of snow, then it cleared right around the time the lifts open, and now it's a beautiful sunny day. If I were on the mountain right now, I'd go up Thunder and take a picture of the ridge where I got cliffed out Saturday so people would know where I was talking about.
Anticipation is making me jittery. Or maybe that's the caffeine. Tonight, my friend Dennis is coming into town. (He's the one on the x-bike that I posted about on November 13, 2005. He lives in Telluride, but he comes up to Jackson for about a week every year. Since he doesn't have a huge posse with him this year, he didn't rent a condo, but instead is staying with me. So I have to go home and arrange things and prepare for company (in other words, dredge the air mattress out of the closet and inflate it, move furniture out of the path of the pull-out couch... put a mint on the pillow... errr.... leave me alone. I work in a hotel. Sometimes I forget that I'm not at work. Which is unusual because I'm hardly EVER not at work. Except tomorrow. Tomorrow, I ride. Right after I get off work....
I used to be hardcore Mood: mischievious Topic: snowboarding
Not everyone in the world knows how I got my nickname. There used to be this little discussion group called rec.skiing.snowboard. I used to post lots and lots of comments there the summer after my first real season when I learned to snowboard. Well, what else was I going to do - it was SUMMER! Of course, this was back in the day when I was still using a MAC SE and checking my email with ELM and PINE. Before I knew what netscape navigator was, back when I thought webpages were just TEXT. Back when I worked at Upenn. Incidentally, this was the same summer that my skateboard got run over by a maniac in West Philly - I think she was actually trying to run ME over.... but I digress.
In this newsgroup, there was a fellow by the name of John Webster. He's the one who gave me the OFFICIAL nickname of punk rock shred grrl. I was playing around with different signatures, and he kind of combined them and helped me discover my true internet identity. An identity that has followed me through 4 states / 7 ski resorts (and that's just the ones I've lived in / worked at.) I actually met him while I was living in Vermont - he had lived at Mt Snow the year before I moved to Stratton, and he was living in Massachusettes, but he came up to visit a friend of his, who happenned to know my roommate at the time (kinda like jackson, stratton has the two degrees of separation / small town ski resort / everybody knows your name situation.) I meet the coolest people on the internet.
Anyway, back then, there was a different type of spam. Porn websites would post advertisements in every newsgroup, regardless of whether or not it was appropriate to the topic. This really irritated those of us who actually wanted to discuss SNOWBOARDING.
Which leads me to my discovery. I just knew something unusual would have to happen on Friday the 13th. While surfing the internet, I google'd myself. Yes, I know, I am a dork. I noticed, for the first time, the other links at the top of the page, and clicked on froogle. Golly, Gee, I don't come up as an item in the shopping search engine. What a shocker. Then I clicked on groups. I was shocked to discover that not only does rec.skiing.snowboard still exist, but all the posts EVER are archived. I'm pretty sure it wasn't originally affiliated with google, but it is now. Anyway, I found links to all sorts of things that I had posted. Talk about a blast from the past. The most interesting one was so hilarious that I have to share it now.
------------------------------------------------- ORIGINALLY POSTED IN REC.SKIING.SNOWBOARD 9/12/96 -------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.skiing.snowboard From: Adena Chernosky Date: 1996/09/12 Subject: Re: HOT WOMEN ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!!
DISCLAIMER!DISCLAIMER!DISCLAIMER!
If you found this message offensive DELETE NOW. DO NOT READ MY REPLY.... if this type of thing amuses you, press the space bar until you see more text....
On 12 Sep 1996, Rod Sundholm wrote:
> just call 1-800-SNO-SLUT
> and you can be hooked up witha beautifull snowboarding date for a day of > fun on the snow
Top ten reasons why snowboarding is better than sex:
1. No matter how drunk you are, the board is always stiff. 2. You and your best friend can swap boards for a change of pace. 3. It doesn't take 3 hours of foreplay to get the snow wet. 4. Boards don't go limp after the first run. 5. No one whines about not wanting to go down on the mountain. 6. No matter how many times you do it, you can always get back up for one more run. 7. It's always easy to find a screw when you need one. 8. Stopping to take a piss doesn't kill the mood. 9. You can snowboard with someone who's only 14. 10. You don't need proof of your age to buy magazines with pictures of people snowboarding in them.
(anybody got more of these?)
wait..... a word from our sponsor:
---------------------------------------- 1 - 800 - SNO - SLUT ----------------------------------------
Tired of those flat, boring, conventional rides? You know, the ones everyone's already done....
call 1 - 800 - sno - slut.
We'll hook you up with someone who knows the ropes - especially which ones to duck under to find that perfect, secluded trail - the one you've only seen in your fantasies and dreams. She'll help you explore new terrain, show you tricks no one has ever seen before, help you to injure body parts you didn't even know you used when you ride...
Our girls know exactly where to hide from nosy ski patrol officers who want to keep you out of the untamed woodsy areas. They know exactly which crevices and bumps will give you the most riding pleasure, and they are specially trained in what techniques to use to keep you going when that avalanche hits.
1 - 800 - SNO - SLUT. Get off your rocks 'cause we live for huge dumps of the soft white stuff....
-punk rock sno-slut extraordinaire
------------------------------------------------ END OF ORIGINAL POST FROM 1996 ------------------------------------------------
Yeah, I used to be uncensored. If you found this amusing, and you'd like to see the rest of the thread, (there were some pretty funny replies to that post, let me tell you!) the entire thread can be found HERE. Enjoy!
Snow in Jackson Mood: celebratory Topic: snowboarding
I woke up this morning to a blanket of snow on my car. I guess I should have expected it given the snowy drive home from Idaho Falls last night. I watched the temperature change degree by degree as I ascended the pass. I suppose I should have been watching the ROAD, but that wasn't really an option with the blinding snow that pummelled my windshield. Dimming the headlights helped, but it was still slow going. Luckily my car is much better equipped to handle the weather than I am. Luckily the snow wasn't even sticking to the road because it was just barely 31 degrees. Luckily there wasn't that much traffic at 11pm.
Rewind 10 hours. It's 1pm yesterday and I'm stopping to take gaper shots at the snow line. Half the trees are evergreen. The other half are a lovely orangey color. And the ground is white. Take a look:
Convenient that they put a pullout just across the street from a "snow slide area no stopping or parking" sign. And yes, the little white blotches are actual snow falling while I was taking the picture. Just in case you were curious.
Fast forward 22 hours. present tense. not sure what the final accumulation was on the pass, but there's no sign of the sun anytime soon and the fact that snow made it to the valley bodes well. A couple more storms like this and the hardcore will be hiking the pass. Actually, the hardcore are probably up their destroying their equipment right now. I'm not reckless enough to go it solo, but if I find a cohort or two I'll be right there with them. Any volunteers?
In training Mood: energetic Topic: snowboarding
So I'm sure everyone has heard now that the tram is closing. Which is upsetting to a lot of people. Then there are the die hard locals who are laughing and smiling. More powder for the hikers. So I guess I better get on that right now.
Hiked up Snow King yesterday, just to ease the boredom. Beautiful clear day, and the leaves are starting to turn, so I took my camera.
I guess I'm not as inactive as I thought. I was tired, but it felt good, and there wasn't a point on my journey when I thought I might need to turn around and call it quits. Ah, the joy of reaching the summit just as the sun began to set.
hiked down and enjoyed a loveley evening of csi and alias. tram or no tram, i intend to be ready.
I smell snow Mood: on fire Topic: snowboarding
80 degrees and I'm walking down the street, not a cloud in the sky. I can feel it coming. winter. I can smell it in the air. anticipation. Then again, maybe sleep deprivation is causing hallucinations. Working double shifts all summer sure takes it out of you.
Got a lovely surprise in the mail today - PPLT prices for lift tickets this winter. That's the beauty of working in a hotel - they offer special package rates to your guests. Lift ticket prices went up - no big surprise there. Should be an interesting winter since they announced the closing of the tram. Not like I ever took it anyway, but it kept everyone else off the other lifts. As for me, I'm all about the hiking this year anyway. I think a lot of the locals are saying "great. more powder for the hardcore. less tourons stealing our freshies." or maybe those are just the voices in my head.
Either way, winter is on its way. not long now. here's hoping mother nature gifts me with snow before my birthday again this year.
Night skiing at the King Mood: caffeinated Topic: snowboarding
new snow: 0 conditions: spring conditions
bluebird day but I had to work. got off at 3pm-ish and quickly geared up. went to the king with my friend in the neon unisuit (see January 15th post). It was his last day, and he wanted to get some more skiing in, and since it was so nice out we couldn't resist.
Snow King was unusually soft, with mush that you normally don't see until spring. We made it just in time to get onto summit chair before it closed for the day. Since we knew we wouldn't make it down in time for another run anyway, we decided to stop and take some gaper shots. digital cameras rock. my friends style might be from the 80's but his technology is state of the art. Note to self: get a Sony T1 instead of drooling over it every time you go to Staples. You know you want it.
Selected Belly Roll because it was there. mostly hard packed moguls. not my favorite, but cake for an east coast skier like my friend. took more pics and even a little bit of video on the way down. got to the zig zag traverse and headed over to bison, which was mush-powder and quite lovely. discovered there was no way out but through the race course, so we carefully traversed across it when there was a break in the traffic. yikes. hit cougar again then headed over to rafferty.
Two really nice kickers with fresh mushy landings were right in the middle of the trail under the lift. woo hoo! and i was riding with a friend who not only had a camera, but actually knew how to take a picture in which the subject of the photo (me) was actually IN the shot. so of course we stopped and set up and shot some video. Oh, and to the kid who threw the snowball at my from the lift - HA HA! Ya missed!
took a few runs over there and took a few more photos, then headed back to the car since I had an important meeting. if only life could be free of all obligations. ah, well. live to dream.
anticipation is making me wait Mood: caffeinated Topic: snowboarding
JHMR held it's annual pep rally (aka orientation) yesterday, so everyone's excited about the lifts opening on saturday. not that we weren't already, but around here all you have to do is show some TGR clips of deep powder and people tend to forget that we don't have enough snow to open the gondola (let alone the tram....) add our impatience to the instability of the snowpack and you've got a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. it's not that i'm cynical, i've just been suffering from a cumulative lack of sleep this week. i'm actually very excited that i'll finally be able to come out of hibernation and be sociable again (although skating definitely alleviated some of that cocooning behavior this past summer.)
Hmmm.... did I have a point? never. I have no points - I only have curves.
driving distracted Mood: bright Topic: snowboarding
early morning frost on the windshield easily dissipates with the aid of wiper fluid. side windows are not so conveniently cleared, but that's a good thing. driving down broadway i couldn't help but notice all the snow that's being blown at snow king, and it's hard to concentrate on the road with that in plain view. maybe this afternoon i'll join the sledders and shredders who are hiking the 10 vertical feet of man made snow at the foot of the hill.
white morning Mood: caffeinated Topic: snowboarding
fell asleep on the couch last night because that's where the tv is. woke early this morning before the sun and thought i saw the reflection of snow through the window on the railing of the deck. wondered if it was just the siding of the building across the way and wishful thinking on my part, but wasn't curious enough to get off the couch. got up around 6 and discovered that it was NOT a hallucination and there was, in fact, a blanket of white covering the surface of the deck, as well as the surface of the ground and the surface of my car.
yesterday's paper (which i didn't see until this morning) had a picture of backcountry hikers in a foot of fresh on teton pass. i'm not quite that ambitious due to lack of bc equipment. ok, that's a lie. i'm too lazy. i haven't bothered to buy equipment because i never go out of bounds anyway. acknowledgement is the first step. i guess that makes the second step.... shopping? mmmmm, shopping. wait, what was i talking about?
clear snow Mood: caffeinated Topic: snowboarding
miserable day here in town - 40 degrees and rained all day - but it's snowing now and YNP had to close the south entrance and my friend is snowed in up in West Yellowstone, MT. given all these variables, i optimistically checked the webplots. 10 inches today at mid-mountain, and the NOAA weather forecast said the rain will turn to snow and we can expect 6 to 10 inches overnight. looking forward to a white blanket over the valley when i wake up tomorrow.
if i still lived in vermont, this would be enough coverage to open for business. of course, if i still lived in vermont all this snow would be artificial. i knew there was a reason i moved to wyoming.
weather anomalies Mood: cool Topic: snowboarding
summer sometimes induces hallucinations, generally while i'm driving. headlights reflect off raindrops and all i see is snow. imagine my surprise when this evening, after listening to a friend whine about how it was too warm to snow in town, i began to experience this while driving out to the village. imagine my shock upon exiting the car and realizing it acutally WAS snowing! of course, you have to get halfway out village road to see it, but as long as it's falling on the mountaintops i'm a happy camper. keep it coming.
hello snow Mood: celebratory Topic: snowboarding
snow began to fall yesterday but quickly faded to rain. told my roommate it would be snowing by the time he woke up today. still raining when I awoke, but about 20 minutes after I got to work the temperature dropped and snow returned. It's been snowing for almost 3 hours now and IT'S STICKING TO THE ROAD. I don't know if my roommate is awake yet, but I definitely won this one.
it appears that the raymer webplot is not current - i imagine it's a bit early for that but I had to check. the temperature at the top of JHMR hasn't risen above freezing, though, so it's a good bet that all the rain in the valley overnight was snow up there. Apparently someone is clearing mid-mountain because at 8:30 this morning the interval snowfall changed from 8 inches to zero.... and now it's back up to 1. So it looks like 9 new inches today at MID, which means possibly a foot or more at the top. Got snowshoes? I won't be surprised to see people hiking the king this afternoon.
in other news, i ordered a new snowboard helmet and it arrived yesterday. woo hoo! already you know way more than you need to about my life.
happy
blue
mischievious
celebratory
energetic
on fire
caffeinated
bright
cool