See What I See

Avalanche Danger - Extreme

2012-01-26T12:10:00.002-07:00

The excitement of all the new snow in the Western half of the U.S. has caused a lot of people to flock to the mountains for their first pow turns of the season. However, it is without understatement that I say that the current snow pack with the addition of the new snow is extremely dangerous. In the last week there have been three deaths in Colorado due to avalanches, and many more people injured.

One avalanche death included one of two brothers who were snowmobiling through Buff Pass in Steamboat. Another death included a 13-year-old boy who triggered an in-bounds avalanche at Vail after ducking a rope. It happened the day I rode there with Dania, in the same area we were riding, when we were riding. It's pretty scary to think about. The trail is called Prima Cornice, which is a double-black diamond run that was closed because of the avalanche danger. Wanting to get some fresh pow lines, him and his friend decided to duck the rope, something Vail strongly discourages. It's really sad such a young life was taken, but it's a harsh reminder that even when you're in bounds, it's still a mountain.

I was pretty upset with the comments regarding Vail's lack of safety on their facebook page. The ski patrol at Vail and every other mountain out here do as much as they can to warn people of the dangers and keep them safe. This is a mountain, not a playground. The run was closed for a reason. You have to take responsibility for yourself and your kids to know the conditions and know where you should and shouldn't ride. If you don't feel comfortable with that, you shouldn't be up there. Being a local, I'm sure he knew the risks... But he was just a boy who wanted to have some fun. Horrible accidents happen, and I blame no one for that avalanche... especially Vail ski patrol.


Prima Cornice can be seen in the center of the map.

Here is a short educational video you should watch that shows just how dangerous the snow pack is right now. This video was taken in Utah, but the snow pack is quite the same. Go ahead and fast forward to :55 to see the main point of the video. It will send shivers down your spine. Stay out of the backcountry folks, it's not worth it!

Sarah Sent Snow!

2012-01-23T17:27:00.002-07:00

The evening of Sarah's death I had a friend of a friend print out some die-cuts I designed to put on my helmet. Me and my boyfriend had planned on going to Vail all week since he has never been, and I knew the best thing I could do to honor her was to go and enjoy it the way she would have. So the next day we went to Vail, just as we had planned.

It wasn't supposed to snow much that day... but it did, and it absolutely dumped. It snowed for hours; the biggest flakes I have seen in months, that fell from the sky like the clouds had accumulated the entire sea. It was beautiful. I haven't felt that much joy and happiness skiing in a long time, and I know it's because she was there. I couldn't stop laughing as the snow shot up into my face, turning my black face mask into a bumpy white beard. I even hucked some cliffs I wouldn't have dreamed of... I guess she left a piece of herself in everyone of us when she left. She probably figured since I had enough goofiness she'd leave me some of her courage.

Two days ago one of Sarah's best friends and teammates, and one of my dear friends, Dania Assaly flew in. She had been home recovering from a knee injury and decided to fly in early to be with the Canadian team and us girls. We had a day to kill before all the girls got back from Dew Tour in Killington, VT and headed to XGames in Aspen, so we decided to go to Vail yesterday. We enjoyed a foot of fresh powder with more that fell all day, and had so many smiles reminiscing. Sarah started a website a couple months ago called Scarah.com with videos of her scaring her friends. She loved to scare her friends... "Okay, ask them exactly when they're going to be here!" She'd say, and proceed to stand behind the door giggling like a little kid, for as long as it took to get in a scare.

Sarah was so much more than just a friend, though. She was a daughter, an aunt, a sister, a wife. The love her and her husband shared is something I can only dream of someday having. They absolutely adored each other. She was the pioneer for woman's freeskiing - The first woman to compete. She is the reason female's are in X-Games, the Dew Tour, and is one of the main reasons men and women's freeskiing is in the Olympics. That was her dream after all, to win an Olympic gold, and she never stopped fighting for that chance. She was the backbone, the voice, and the leader of woman's freeskiing. She believed in the girls when they didn't believe in themselves... she had a heart of gold. Above all else, Sarah's talent on skis unarguably succeeded any other woman's in the world. She pushed us all to better ourselves, for ourselves... Something I know we will continue to do, but something I know will be difficult without her support.

I always believe everything happens for a reason, at least I did until Sarah died. I know it's all the emotions that come with grieving, but I can't help but feel a little angry. I feel like someone somewhere really messed up. She shouldn't have died, not yet. She did so much, and at the same time left so many things unfinished. Sarah was meant to go to the Olympics, and she was meant to win.

The girls had to compete at the Dew Tour in Killington the day after she died. They did a tribute to her before the competition by all riding down the pipe together, they called it the "Sarah Train". I can't imagine how hard it must have been to have to drop into the pipe without her being there, but they all did a great job.

We miss you Sarah. We miss you a lot.

RIP Sarah Burke

2012-01-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

September 3, 1982 – January 19, 2012

My hero, my inspiration, my friend. Words cannot describe my grief. I am so blessed to have been graced with your presence during your short time here. Your passion, drive, and dedication is the sole purpose for where female freeskiing is today. You will forever be the icon, the goddess, and the guardian angel of our industry. Your legacy will live on. My thoughts are with you, my prayers are with Rory and the rest of the family. Every run, I'm taking it for you...

Until we meet again.

Ullr - Pleased by Ullr Fest?

2012-01-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

I made another entry dedicated to someone special below this one. Don't forget to check it out!

This past weekend was Ullr Fest in Breckenridge, which is the wackiest festival here all year. Ullr is "the God of snow", so of course we have to throw him a festival to please him. Usually I'm not stoked on Ullr Fest because of all the crazy people dressed as Vikings running around. This year I wanted to go down and watch the opening Ullr parade because we need all the support for snow we can get, but of course my car battery decided to die.... Anyway, the festival is filled with bonfires, crazy floats, "Ullympians" flinging frying pans for prizes and much more.

*Photos courteous of Nathan Bilow at Westworld.com, view the rest of the photos here.

I think we may have please him because on Monday we got hit with a pretty good unexpected snowstorm. Breck and Keystone only faired with 5" because of the wind, but Vail got up to 10" in spots. I decided to ditch everyone (as the saying goes, 'There's no friend's on a powder day!') and made the drive to Vail yesterday... so glad I did!!! Apparently it was as windy as a hurricane in Breck all day, but it was a sunny, beautiful, calm day over in Vail with hardly any lift lines! I'm really learning the mountain well now... It's by far my favorite mountain period. Here are some pictures from my day.

I dedicate my shred day to you Sarah!!!

On another note, school has started again for the semester! I'm taking Accounting II, Consumer Behavior (300 class), Avalanche Safety II (extremely excited for), and I still have to sign up for another... (Yikes and Oops!)

Believe In Sarah

2012-01-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard, since it has turned into national news, professional skier Sarah Burke is in a coma at a Salt Lake hospital after a crash in Park City's pipe. After talking to a few people who were there it sounds like a freak accident, since most have said it wasn't an extravagant fall. She landed her trick, caught an edge in the bottom of the pipe, and fell over hitting her head. Unfortunately it twisted her head in the perfect position to tear her vertebral artery causing a brain hemorrhage. She had a successful surgery, but we haven't heard much since.

Sarah is my idol, she has been ever since I started skiing. The last time I saw her was during the with Grand Prix at Copper this year. She was telling to me about how excited she was to go visit her sister and nephews in Denver, and it's hard to know that the Sarah we knew might not be that Sarah anymore... especially because of the impact she has had on the industry. She is, in all actuality, the reason female freeski exists. She is also one of the main reasons female freeski is now in the Olympics, and she pushed so hard because it was her dream to get a gold medal... My heart is breaking for her.

Please take a moment to watch this short excerpt from The Ski Channel's feature film, Winter.

Keep her, Rory (husband), her family, and friends in your prayers! Believe in Sarah!

I have other things I want to blog about, but I felt she deserved an entry all to herself. We love and miss you Sarah, hope you're shredding pow in those dreams. Please wake up soon!

Where's the snow?

2012-01-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

A belated Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc to everyone! I guess I'm just updating to say that there's officially nothing going on in the western half of the U.S, including Summit County. I was just skimming some of my favorite snow sport enthusiast websites and a few of the headlining articles were: "Snowboarding on Sand | It's That Bad in Utah", "Alpine Meadows Conditions, Welcome to June-uary", and "Reno = Driest December Since 1883". This is where I could whine for a good paragraph about how bummed I am that I spent $600 on an Epic Pass to ride powder at Vail and Beaver Creek all season. But when you live in the mountains, you're at the mercy of mother nature. You have to take what you get and go with it, that's what makes mountain living so exciting, through the good and the bad.

When all is said and done, it's the tourists (particularly the ones from overseas), I feel bad for; Who spent thousands and thousands of dollars only to come and find 30% open terrain with crusty, wind-blown snow, and hour-long lift lines. I'm especially sad for those from Europe, seeing as they've been getting dumped on over there.

While driving through town I saw a number of trailers with dirtbikes. It seems like a lot of the locals are trying to find other activities to do so they can leave the mountains to the tourists. We had plans to go to Jackson Hole and Silverton this winter, and I think we're going to be canceling both. Both places are among the few places with snow, so it seems like a good idea, until you consider the immense amount of people who are probably flocking there in storms.

What's wrong with this picture? From Copper Mountain, CO

On another note, I've been trying to make the best of it and enjoy what open terrain I can. I decided to put my GoPro on the end of my ski pole on Christmas Day and take some footage at Copper Mountain. It's nothing special I guess, but it's a fun perspective for those who aren't skiers/snowboarders. I'm still working on trying to figure out how to upload higher quality videos... I'm kind of video-illiterate.

Grand Prix, Dew Tour & Rev Tour

2011-12-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts this month! Finals with school, work, and skiing have kept me beyond busy. Two weeks ago Copper Mountain held the annual Grand Prix ski and snowboard halfpipe competition. The Visa U.S. Freesking Grand Prix is an Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) "Platinum Level" event and opens the International Ski Federation's (FIS) FIS Freestyle World Cup every season. The World Cup is especially important for skiers this year because it now qualifies you to get on the U.S. Olympic Freeski team. I was actually wanting to compete in the Grand Prix this year, but work, school, and then a couple weeks of Bronchitis kept me off the hill. Fortunately I was able to be there the day of the woman's qualifiers and finals and men's finals. There's something about watching and riding halfpipe that makes me so happy... it's just so FUN!

Breckenridge local and CMC student Duncan Adams in the Men's Final!

Last week was Dew Tour at Breckenridge, which unfortunately wasn't at all like past Dew Tours. The lack of snow and open terrain made the crowds at Breckenridge very congested. The design of the course made it very difficult for spectators to get to viewing spots and the little festival tent area they put up every year was just short of a disaster. On top of that, they took out female freeski again this year, and they were really strict about giving out credentials, so a lot of the female athletes couldn't even get guest athlete passes. I guess you can't win 'em all, I just hope this isn't a trend!
Here's an awesome GoPro video from Dew.

On a brighter note, last Tuesday at Breckenridge Ski Resort was an extremely exciting day for the Ski/Ride community as Kevin Pearce spent his first day back on a snowboard after nearly two years. Kevin was a halfpipe rider and Olympic medal hopeful when he received a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) two years ago at Park City, Utah while training. At the time, Kevin was said to be the one who would take the gold from Shaun White. Since then, he has spent his time relearning how to eat, talk, walk, and dealt with seizures, eye surgeries, and balance problems. I saw him quite a bit lapping the park chair. He was like a little kid at Disney World. It was so awesome to see.

The quote "I Ride For Kevin" seen all over the world turned into "Ride With Kevin."

Shortly before his accident in 2009 and first day back on his board in 2011.

There are countless videos about that day, but this is a really good one.

Finally, this week is the USSA Revolution Tour aka Rev Tour at Copper Mountain, which is an amateur version of the Dew Tour. The talent is still insane with a bit younger participant crowd. Copper has done an awesome job with all the competitions and rail jams so far this season, especially with the lack of snow.

You Know You're A Coloradan When...

2011-12-03T10:10:00.001-07:00

I've read a few of these "You know you're from Colorado if" things on Facebook, so I decided to make my own version.

You know you're a true Coloradan if...

It snows 12 inches and you don't expect anything to be cancelled.
You know who Ullr is.
You have to get a new windshield once a year and have snow tires year-round.
You would rather be freezing outside all day than sitting inside, and think it's morally wrong to not enjoy a beautiful day.
You think people that don't participate in outdoor activities are weird.
You think it's hilarious that people in other states waste their time cutting their lawn, blowing leaves, and plowing 3 inches of snow off their driveway.
You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's and make fun of them.
Your sense of direction is based off what ski resort you're driving towards.
Going to the gym, yoga, etc are to get better at your regular activities, not be your regular activities.
You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard, and getting stranded because I-70 closed is put into your weekend schedule by default.
When someone says "it's going to be a fun year," you know they actually mean the span of time between the first resort opening and the last resort closing.
Halloween is during the winter, not fall.
There are three seasons: The Season, Not-The-Season, and Mud Season.
You know that also means: Jobs, Some Jobs, and No Jobs.
You think Urgent Care is for people who hurt themselves and feel weird about going when you're sick.
75% of your friends live in a different house every season.
The most important thing when choosing a new house is how close it is to the mountain, how many people you can hold, and how cheap the security deposit is knowing you're going to lose it.
If you're originally from another state, you're ashamed to admit it.
A goggle tan is a status symbol.
You don't put the bar down and you spend the entire chairlift ride silently hating whoever did.
You know what the Continental Divide is.
You have at least two friends who have or have attempted their own hat-knitting or sweatshirt-making company.
You prefer to work Thur-Sun and have off Tue/Wed.
You ask other locals their home resort before you ask them what town.
You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.
You go out and live in the wild without internet or cell phone service for fun.
You always know the elevation of where you are and anything below 8,000ft is low elevation.
You know what dog belongs to what local store and find it shocking or confusing when you see "no dogs allowed" signs.
If you live in a resort town you're lucky to have two year-round neighbors.
You'll stomp and destroy an invasive flower plant, even if it's in front of tourists in a public place or in another persons yard.
You actually know that South Park is a real place, you've been there, and you catch all the Colorado-references on the show.
You know that Aspen looks nothing like the scenery on the movie "Dumb and Dumber" and it was actually filmed in Summit County.
You would rather get pulled over by a cop on the road than by the Forest Service patrol on the trails.
You base someone's driving ability by what state is on their license plate.
Ski and snowboard instructors are not professional skiers and snowboarders.
You wonder what the heck people in the South and Midwest do for fun.
If a website doesn't tell you how its packages are delivered you can forget about getting it.
You know what a "Trust Fund Baby" is, and you know its natural habitat is Aspen, Crested Butte, and Telluride.
You avoid the white ribbons of death and rocky backcountry during pre-season.
The yellow parking lines in parking lots are completely irrelevant.
You hate ski racks at night because they make every car look like a cop car.
You believe that "Gaper" and "Tourist" are actually ethnicity's, and that they generally come from Texas and Overseas.
You think jackets are for skiing and sweatshirts are for daily winter activities.
You drive with your brights on before it's even dark during migration season, but you feel like you don't even need headlights in the winter when the moon is out.
You know that there's no point in scraping your car off after a snow storm when you can open and close your door for the same result.
You base your entire years plans on whether it's going to be a La Nina or El Nino season.
"Humid" is over 25% and you think the only other state this dry is Arizona.
Even if you had important plans, you're slightly depressed when you wake up and realize there's not enough new snow to alter your daily routine.
You know that the ones who complain about "tourists and gapers" all season are always non-native, new, seasonal ski bums from the Midwest.
You laugh at people who are "fishing" in any water source visible from a road.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T12:25:00.001-07:00

Hello from Wisconsin! I think it's official, Thanksgiving in Wisconsin is going to be annual for me. It's been the best trip back (not counting my Minocqua visits) since I've left. I flew in Wednesday evening and went out that night with a good 40 kids from my high school to 4 different bars in town. I hadn't seen them all in years so it was good to catch up. Apparently it's going to be a yearly event, very excited about that!


Courtney, Mallory, Kelly, Me, Sydney

The next day was Thanksgiving and we had most of my mom's side over at our house. Can you tell we're Packer fans?

Me and two of my aunts.

Ethan, Aiden, and Eoin with their mom Robin and cousin Maddy in the back.

Me and my beautiful Grandmother!

Me and my older brother. My mom: "Be serious!"

Then yesterday me and mom went shopping on Black Friday. I have worked retail since I've been 16, so it was really fun to be on the opposite end of things for a while. Me and my mom both scored some awesome deals. She definitely spoiled me a little bit and I'm so thankful! Today is a laid back day until I fly out tomorrow. I'm excited to get back to the mountains, but I look forward to all the festivities again tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Gingras Family!

- John, Linda, Eric, Ali, Dillon & Dan

Moving Forward- Danny T's Recovery

2011-11-16T10:43:00.001-07:00

You may remember my (blog post) last year about pro snowboarder Danny Toumarkine who was in a riding accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury. 10 months out he's doing awesome and released the trailer for his new documentary. Check it out and remember to wear your helmet!

"On January 3rd, 2011 Danny Toumarkine took a horrible fall while snowboarding in Montana. Danny was care flighted to a local hospital where he spent the next 33 days. During his time at the hospital Danny underwent 4 brain surgeries as a result of impact trauma to the left side of his head. Danny is very lucky to be alive.

This video is a trailer to the full length video which will be released on January 10th, 2012. It documents the time before and after the injury and will come out a week after Danny's return to the snow.

For more information on Danny's story check out:
http://www.dannyisthebomb.com"

Bragging Rights & Blizzards

2011-11-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry that this entry and the last were so close together. Sometimes things just come up and you have to blog about them! So, NOT TRYING TO BRAG OR ANYTHING.... (Okay, yes I am), but my best friend Ashley is A POSTER in December's issue of Freeskier Magazine, and my dear friend Angeli is ON THE COVER of November's Issue of Skiing Magazine. AS IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH... four of my dearest friends (Ashley Battersby, Grete Eliassen, Keri Herman and Devin Logan) were officially announced as 4 of the 10 members of the first U.S. OLYMPIC FREESKIING SLOPESTYLE TEAM! And Devin was also announced as a member of the halfpipe team, what an accomplishment! Guess I will have to start saving up to go watch them in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games!

I am BEYOND proud and so so SO honored to have such talented friends!!!

In local news...
If you don't live in Utah, Wyoming, or Colorado you probably didn't hear about the crazy blizzard that has been blowing through since yesterday evening. Up to two feet of snow was supposed to drop in places, yet my drive to the grocery store this morning revealed that we currently have less than we started with, haha! From 9News.com:

"DENVER - After wind gusts reached over 80 mph in some areas on Saturday, it will be another windy day on Sunday, including in the mountains where the wind will combine with snow to create blizzard conditions in some areas.

9NEWS Meteorologist Ashton Altieri says a second surge of energy on Sunday will create more powerful wind gusts up and down the Front Range.

Saturday afternoon winds hit 99 mph 7 miles northwest of Berthoud in Larimer County and 90 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab on the south end of Boulder.

Here is a list of the most extreme wind gusts observed in Colorado through early Sunday morning...

Tenmile Peak: 115 mph (5 miles south of Frisco)
Peak 9: 115 mph (Breckenridge Ski Area)
Berthoud Pass: 113 mph
Kenosha Pass: 101 mph
Loveland Pass: 100 mph"
(Read more of this article here.)

There are also three other things I want to mention that are going on in Summit, but I thought I would just link you to The Summit Daily, where they tell the story best!

Breckenridge Plans 50th Birthday Party For Ski Resort.
Old CMC Breckenridge Building New Home of Peak School
A two week old article, the castle has since started coming to life: Ice Castle Coming to Silverthorne

Blog Updates & Breck Opens

2011-11-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Breckenridge opened yesterday on 11/11/11 for it's 50th Anniversary Season. (I had to work and I'm super bummed about it, so we're just going to pretend that I was there.) It was an absolutely beautiful day and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. (Check out the opening day video here.) (And check out the opening day album here.)

Courteous of Breckenridge Ski Resort's Facebook Page.

On another subject, I added the "labels" feature on the right of the homepage for anyone interested in reading about certain subjects. I also added the "Places To Go, Things To Do" page which has been and will continue to be a work in progress. Not sure if it will ever be of use to anyone, but hey, you never know!

First Shred of 11/12!!!

2011-11-05T10:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Keystone and Copper opened. I've gone to Keystone the last two years in a row and the lift lines have been crazy, so me and my friend decided to switch it up and go to Copper... Glad we did!!! The lift line was very pleasant compared to previous years at Keystone, so we got to take around 10 runs in the few hours we were there. The weather was absolutely perfect. There wasn't a cloud in the sky until around 1:30pm and it was in the mid 40's all day. It felt a little funny when I first got on my skis, but half way down the run I was linking turns like skiing never ended. Copper also had an awesome opening day park with several jibs AND two impressive sized kickers. Big props to Copper for that one, it's hard to get two jumps up this early! I didn't really ride anything in the park, mostly because I'm not ready to fall on my newly-healed arm after surgery, and also because I have this weird theory that riding park on opening day is bad luck. (My worst nightmare is to fall and break something during pre-season. Haha!) I enjoyed watching everyone else though!

Here are some picture's of opening day and Copper's "Bouncer Park" courteous of Woodward at Copper and Copper Mountain!

A sequence of my friend Dave, who is also a coach at Woodward at Copper.

On another note, a few of my friends went to Keystone and also had a blast. They said the lines weren't as bad as previous years and the opening day park was awesome (as always). The new EpicMix photographers were also out in action, which you can read more about here.

Here are some pictures courteous of Keystone Resort!

Open For Season!

2011-10-26T13:59:00.002-06:00

I haven't updated in a while and I apologize for that! I had surgery last Wednesday on my arm (long story), and midterms were keeping me busy! Arapahoe Basin opened on the 13th and Loveland opened on the 14th. They duke it out every year to see who can open first, and this is the first year I've been here that ABay opened first. I actually haven't ridden yet, so I don't have any of my own photos to show you... Here's a quick video though!

After two years I can say that I am honestly unenthusiastic about the 45 minute lift line plus the lift ride up for one short "white ribbon of death" run. I guess I am too impatient these days... I'm more about the skiing than the waiting. I did however buy an "Epic Pass" for the first time, which is pretty exciting for me. I had previously bought the local pass, which only gave me 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek, so I have only gone to Vail a few times. It's not that I'm sick of riding Breck, but I am very much looking forward to spending lots of pow days at Vail and Beaver Creek and exploring new mountains (praying for another La Nina season). Vail is so big!!! It was quite a bit more than I have previously spent ($500 vs. $650), but $650 for unlimited and unrestricted access to 7 resorts is pretty insane. If you live by any other big resort in the U.S. you can expect to pay $1,500 for a season pass to one mountain, ouch!

Ignore the 2-year-old photo! Hahaha!

We got our first big storm of the season last night, which is affecting most of Colorado and not just Summit County. Pre-season storms are always bad because the snow is still wet and heavy, which makes the roads a lot more slippery. Not to mention it's not any fun to ski in... unless you like quicksand!

Out my living room window.

Photo courteous of Snow.Com's facebook page. Breck Main St.

Catching the Quickest Season of the Year

2011-10-10T10:31:00.004-06:00

I'm not even sure that fall can be considered a season in Colorado. One day the leaves are green, the next day their yellow, the next day they're orange, and the next they're gone and there's 6" of snow on the ground. All of these photos were taken within two weeks time, most of them taken within a week.

Country Boy Mine, French Gulch, Breckenridge, CO

French Gulch, Breckenridge, CO

Boreas Pass, Breckenridge, CO

Goodnight!

Good Morning!

Vail Pass, Vail, CO Courteous of Vail's facebook page.

Vail, CO, courteous of my friend Nicholas Eubank.

After the first winter storm, Breckenridge.

Currently Breckenridge... fall, where have you gone?

And oh yeah, winter has officially arrived at Wolf Creek Ski Area, check it out!

Aspen Adventure

2011-10-01T11:50:00.003-06:00

About a week ago my boyfriend called me and told me he fell off a roof at work and was on his way to the hospital with an ankle the size of a watermelon. Luckily he didn't injure any tendons or ligaments (which is worse than a break), but he did have a really bad sprain. After the initial worry we were both pretty bummed because we had planned on doing a lot of hiking this fall.

Two days ago we decided that we would rather go to the Maroon Bells and not really hike than not go at all, so we loaded up, crutches and all, and made an adventure out of it. We went to the Maroon Bells that morning, shopped around Aspen, and adventured (as much as we could) around the Highlands and Snowmass Village. The weather was absolutely superb, we couldn't have asked for better. We definitely should have worn shorts, though!!!

We got lucky that we went on a day when the buses weren't running so we could drive right up to the Maroon Bells parking lot. The staff was also extremely helpful and courteous. We didn't have a handicap pass but they let us move up from the overflow lot to the front lot and park nice and close. Unlike Hanging Lake, you don't actually have to hike to the lake at the Maroon Bells, it's only a short walk from the parking lot. (There are some pretty awesome and lengthy trails past the lake, but obviously those weren't going to be happening.) This was a good thing because he was on crutches, but a bad thing because it was kind of crowded. We made it down to the end up the lake which was good enough for me. Here are some pictures in no particular order of the Maroon Bells and the road up to them! I'm bummed we didn't get to actually hike, but it's something to look forward to next summer/fall!

It's no wonder than the movie Dumb & Dumber was all filmed in Summit County. Aspen doesn't really look anything like most people think it looks like. It's not "village-like" at all, but more so a small city. If you're from Wisconsin, it reminds me of a mix of the 3rd Ward in downtown Milwaukee and the town of Lake Geneva mixed together. I could never live there, too much traffic. It was fun to shop around there nonetheless.

Last but not least, Snowmass Village. Out of the three Aspen Mountains I haven't ridden in the winter (Aspen, the Highlands, and Snowmass), I think I would like Snowmass the best. It was beautiful with all the changing colors.

Climbin!

2011-09-27T15:16:00.002-06:00

A year ago this time I posted an entry about hiking Baldy Mountain with three of my friends. Unfortunately we got to just over 13,000ft and decided we were exhausted. This year however, I not only made it to the peak, but I also had plenty of energy to spare! I've been working really hard this year to eat right and stay in shape, and it really paid off. Unfortunately I didn't bring my GoPro like an idiot, but here's our adventure in iPhone photos and some of my friend Kate Payne's photos. Remember that when I state a phrase like "a couple hundred feet from the peak," that's vertical feet... not how many feet we actually climbed, which can sometimes be 6x the vertical feet. Another misconception about climbing a mountain is that you climb up on the way up, and down on the way down... but that is so not true. On top of the switch backs below treeline, there are a ton of ( what I like to call mini mountains) on top of the actual mountain, so you're constantly climbing up and then back down while gaining altitude. This makes climbing Baldy really fun, but I guess also exhausting for some.
*Don't forget that you can click on the photos for bigger versions.

Tripod photo by Kate. So high, yet the hike only really begins here.

Me claiming 13,000ft. This is where we stopped last year, but it's only the beginning of my entry this year.

Kate checking out the view.

Up and down and up and down.

Can you find the path?

How about this time? Constantly looking for those blessed rock stack markers.

That's a long way down...

Finally over that hill, not surprisingly the peak doesn't look any closer.

One last photo from her camera before the gnarly final accent to the peak.

These rocks are really grippy, but also loose and fragile.

Since they were grippy, I chose the "move quick so they don't break" method.

You can't look at your feet when the path gets narrow, the dropping on both sides of your view creates a tunnel-vision like effect that makes everything get distorted.

The last photo we took together before I departed on for the peak.

She had fun while I was gone...

After two more humps I reached the final climb!

I was so excited that my "hike" turned into a slow jog at this point.

Almost a 360° panorama from the top. The 10 pics are below.

4. My personal favorite.

10.

Oktoberfest, Snow & Fall

2011-09-20T11:34:00.000-06:00

This past weekend Breckenridge held its annual Oktoberfest on Main St. which I was very excited about. Because I'm finally 21, it was my first Oktoberfest I didn't have to walk around just watching everyone drink. I proudly bought a 1 pint mug and filled that sucker up with the most delicious German Lager Weizen (wheat) beer. Unfortunately the only day I could attend Oktoberfest because of my work schedule was Saturday, which happened to be the one day it was stormy. I thoroughly enjoyed myself nonetheless, and look forward to hopefully enjoying it the entire weekend next year, with nice weather as well.

Sunday Morning, picture courteous of Breckenridge Ski Resort's facebook page.

Photo courteous of Breckenridge Ski Resort's facebook page.

The trees have only just begun to change but there's been quite a bit of snow on the peaks around Summit County the past two weeks. It reminds me of two winters ago when the snow came early and got everyone excited but ended up giving us a pathetic winter. It makes me wonder what this winter will really be like. I've read a lot of different things online. Some say La Nina comes in two's and will be back for another round, while others say La Nina has only struck in two's a few times in history and to expect a more average winter. As much as I'm still cringing at the thought of snow, thinking of a steep and deep powder run always makes me excited. I would honestly rather have another La Nina season... but only time will tell!

Photo courteous of Breckenridge Ski Resort's facebook page.

Enough about snow, fall has just arrived! I recently found a really cool article about some of the best places in Colorado to catch the colors, and Boreas Pass Rd. between Breckenridge and Como made the list. (Read the full article here.) If you've skimmed around my blog you've probably seen the three pictures my old roommate took from Boreas Pass. There are a few other places I plan on visiting in a couple weeks for hiking and pictures, I'm really excited for this fall!

A New Year, A New Look!

2011-09-13T08:19:00.000-06:00

I actually have a pretty extensive html/css and graphic design background for never taking any classes. I decided that since you're all going to be stuck reading my blog for a few more years now (due to my acceptance into the four year program), I better give you something nice to look at. It took me about 4-5 hours total to put this new look together, and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out! I will definitely be adding and changing little things here and there, so bear with me.

I'm really enjoying my classes so far this semester. I'm taking Music Appreciation, Algebra (my worst enemy, which is actually treating me well so far), Conversational Spanish, and my first four year program class, Contemporary Marketing.

It's been VERY chilly in Summit this week, and incredibly, several of the peaks in and around Summit County have been covered in snow for the last week or so. There have been rumors of another La Nina season on the way... so I'm trying to prepare myself for another 50 feet. I can't say I'm too upset, I can never have enough powder days. I really wasn't excited for winter to come because I feel like I got shafted on a warm, sunny summer (check out the entry from late June when I woke up to 8" of snow.) But I have to say that thinking of shredding the steep & deep (the deeper the powder, the steeper you want your run to be... you have to ride it to know what we mean) is making me excited. I have a lot of friends who are living in Vail this winter and riding Vail and Beaver Creek, so I think I'm going to finally go with the Epic Pass so I can ride more than 10 days out there. It sounds like this season is going to be just as epic as the pass!

Fishy Business

2011-09-05T12:03:00.000-06:00

The Dredge is a restaurant in downtown Breck that floats on a section of Blue River that is more like a little pond with an entrance and exit to the Blue River. The pond was stocked with Rainbow and Brown trout so you can feed them off the bridges leading out to the Dredge. I decided to attach my GoPro to a probe and test out the underwater footage since it's waterproof, I got some pretty cool shots!

Here's a little footage. It's starts off with a fish that mistook my GoPro for something edible, HAHA!

Colorado - A Biker's Paradise

2011-08-30T10:37:00.000-06:00

This past week the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge rolled through Colorado and ended up being a massive success. Richard Scharf from Visit Denver noted in a news article that tens of millions of people from 160 different countries watched the race on television, and towns like Breckenridge reported their largest crowds in history. While expected revenue for the state was estimated around $70 million, rumor has it that it ended up being closer to $100 million. The race highlighted 11 cities this year, including Colorado Springs, Crested Butte, Salida, Steamboat Springs, Vail, Breckenridge, Golden, Denver, Avon, Gunnison, and Aspen. The 11 different cities for next year won't be chosen until December, yet the committee is already getting overwhelming amounts of bids, which they say, "is a good problem to have". Excitingly, the first five overall winners were all from the USA, with Levi Leipheimer coming in first.

I was kind of bummed I had to work because I really didn't want to miss the race and all the action that went along with it. Luckily me and a fellow co-worker (because of our good work ethic) got to go out with two of our managers and watch the race go by on company time, I was stoked! There was an insane amount of vehicles, including police cars/motorcycles that started driving down the road a good 10 minutes before the first group of bikers cruised by. What was even more surprising was that once the first 5 bikers went by with their entourage, it was a good 5 minutes before the next large group came through. Below is a video I took with the first 4 leaders, followed by the next group (which was also the largest). The video below that are the highlights from TV of stage 5, that ended in Breckenridge.

Colorado doesn't just cater to road bikers though! The week before the Pro Cycling Challenge Breckenridge hosted the Breck Epic, an annual mountain bike race that has began attracting riders from as far away as British Columbia and Puerto Rico. As described from Breck Epic's Facebook page: "Are you tough enough? The Breck Epic is a 6-day ultra-endurance mountain bike stage race held in the sprawling backcountry surrounding the Victorian mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado. If the course were a person it would be dressed in black leather and brandishing something nasty, but it does have a tender side – proceeds from the B.E. benefit local open space initiatives and trail improvements." (I actually just got the statics on this race: 6 days - 251 miles - 42k vertical... wow.)

The Breck Epic was also a success, noted in The Summit Daily by Mark Halwa from British Columbia: "Eight of us from British Columbia just came down to participate in the 2011 Breck Epic. On behalf of all of us — we're very impressed! We experienced a first-class event, well built and challenging trails, very nice, helpful people in all the shops and restaurants, and all eight of us left behind a bundle of our disposable income.

We, too, live in a mountain biking/outdoors community, but the level of cooperation to build the mountain bike trail network you have — as well as that great paved trail between Frisco and Breck — is very apparent, and I'm sure you folks are very proud of what you have.

Some time ago I'll bet the question was asked, “If we build them (mountain bike trails), will they come?” Well, you did build them, we came, we'll be back, and we'll probably spend even more money next time. Congratulations to Mike McCormack and his team for putting on a world-class event in a community that has something very special — you rock Breckenridge!"

Okay, okay... So you're not a road biker or a mountain biker, I get it. You're apart of the younger generation whose into the dirt jumping, race tracks, pump tracks, and more... Don't worry, we covered that for you this summer as well. A project that has been three years in the making, also known as the Frisco Peninsula Bike Park, that started last fall, has exploded into a plethora of jumps, wood features, twists, and turns at Frisco's Recreation Center. This may not be completely accurate, but as of now, the bike park consists of three different pump tracks for different levels, a slopestyle mountain bike park, a pump track, and I believe a race track is underway. Here are some pictures from their blog, which you can check out at www.friscopeninsulabikepark.com. Oh yeah, did I mention that it's free?

Summer Recap: The Goliath Entry

2011-08-22T18:43:00.000-06:00

I really intended on updating more than twice this summer. Once July came around I became so busy it got away from me, and now here late August is with school starting next week, yikes! I was officially accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program which I am very excited about! I got really lucky to have my intended major be one of the first four year degrees offered at CMC. It would have been hard to leave Summit County to go finish at CU Boulder. Anyway, about my summer!

If you don't already know, I am and have been a motocross fan my entire life. On June 25th the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship race took place at Thunder Valley in Lakewood, which is just outside of Denver. I got to see the biggest baddest racers in motocross for the first time in my life. I was so excited I felt like a giddy school girl! We also bought pit passes so we were able to go in to the pits and look at all the bikes while they weren't being raced. Seeing these bikes up close made me even more giddy. It was easily one of the coolest experiences of my life. It was our first time to an event like that so we were pretty unprepared, but we found a nice spot up on the dirt in front of the biggest jump and sat there all 5 hours! Next year we're definitely going to make it a bigger event and be more prepared.

Here's a couple pictures followed by a short video clip I put together. If that video doesn't make you smile or say "woah!" in amazement I don't know what will.

*Don't forget that you can click on any of these pictures to make them a lot bigger!

My two heroes: Ashley Fiolek and Jessica Patterson duking it out for 1st!

Here's a short clip of some of the men's 450cc class.

Lucas Oil Nationals from Ali Gee on Vimeo.

Then two days later I flew home for the 4th of July and my favorite week of the year. Part of my enormous family on my dad's side all go to our family house on Minoqua Lake in northern WI. It is easily my favorite place in the world. There is never a shortage of love, food, and fun, yet it's so peaceful all at the same time. Last summer I was lucky and got to spend nearly a month there, so this summer a short 5 days wasn't nearly enough. I've definitely been feeling homesick for the cottage.

All of these photos are courtesy of my brother and his amazing photography skills!

Me relaxing on the couch after a long day on the water.

My cousin Alison and the dogs... because what's a cottage without dogs?!

Me and my cousin James... we might as well be brother and sister.

Nothing beats fireworks over the water!

The day after the 4th we drove back to Milwaukee and I flew back to Colorado the same day. The next morning I started my job at the Nike Factory in Silverthorne at 8am. I thought I knew what busy was when I worked at a fast-paced mall in Milwaukee for several years... Holy crap do the outlets get crowded!! Sometimes it seems like there's at least 10 different languages in the store at once. Almost all of my co-employees are bi-lingual. One of my co-emloyees from Ukraine speaks Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and English fluently and is getting there with Spanish. It's funny that people get the impression that our small little mountain towns are in our own little bubbles excluded from the world, when really the world comes to us!

I decided to treat myself with my first paycheck by buying something I've wanted for so long, a GoPro. A GoPro is a little waterproof/collision proof HD video camera that can be mounted to anything imaginable. I wanted to give my readers a more "See What I See" experience, and what better way than this? Expect a lot more action footage this coming year! So far I've only taken it dirtbiking and hiking, but here are some cool shots and a short edit thus far. (Sorry I go fast at the beginning mom and dad... I gotta look cool, right?)

What I should have done with my GoPro was gone rafting! If you didn't hear, the water levels were the highest they've been in almost 20 years this summer. The massive melting snow pack on top of the monsoon moisture with upwards of 3 straight weeks of rain caused some pretty severe flooding. In fact, the flooding made it pretty difficult to get to CMC for those taking summer classes! There are two ways to get to CMC- Airport Rd. or Coyne Valley Rd. (off of Hwy 9). Part of Airport Rd was closed for several weeks due to flooding, so a make-shift road was made through the dirt parking lot off to the side. And then on July 11th, sometime between 12am-3am, Coyne Valley Rd. literally washed away! The road didn't reopen until last week. Check out the video below.

HIGHLIGHT* Hanging Lake / Spouting Rock
One of the main things I wanted to go and do this summer was hike Hanging Lake/ Spouting Rock in Glenwood Canyon, and man am I glad I did!!! If you plan on doing it, definitely do it early in the morning! Regardless of the fact that we live almost 5,000ft higher than the trail, it was still a steep and decent hike. We trucked past the tourists, but I give them credit for doing it! I'll definitely put it on the difficult scale for those not acclimated to Colorado. Every inch of that trail is so breathtaking (in every respect, lol!) though, so the work out is well worth it!

The trail itself is a steep and rocky 1.5 mile climb that follows along side Dead Horse Creek, the falling river that stems from Hanging Lake. After several river crossings and harsh switch backs below treeline you meet the short upper section of the trail, which has handrails (for good reason) and some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen. (Though if you are scared of heights, you may not want to look for this portion, ha!) We'll just say that you'll really be living life on the edge. When you finally reach the top of the trail head you have the option to go right to Hanging Lake, or continue up a little further to Spouting Rock. Spouting Rock (consisting of two waterfalls), is directly above Hanging Lake and got it's name because the water literally spouts right out of the rock (as you'll see from the pictures). Some of these pictures are courtesy of my GoPro, hence the wide angle shot!

We also plan to hike to a few other places before summer is over, but I'll save those for another entry! I'm sure if entries reach a maximum length I'm getting darn close to it, so one last thing to share!

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is in Colorado this week. Taken from the website, "Breathtaking altitudes, treacherous climbs and 128 of the worlds best riders. It’s the most challenging race held on American soil. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is the most demanding bike race ever held on American soil, with racers experiencing breathless altitudes, day after day. The race is on the level of the Tour de France, bringing the high speeds, danger and adrenaline of professional biking to elevations over 2 miles high in some of the most picturesque terrain in the world—the Colorado Rocky Mountains."

The race is estimated to bring in $70 million dollars of revenue to Colorado this week and Denver Airport has RUN OUT of rental cars! In all honesty, I'm kind of freaked out about working this weekend, and getting to and from work... this county is NOT meant for that amount of traffic. Scary! To learn more visit http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/.

June 20th, 2011

2011-06-20T10:29:00.000-06:00

I would have put a more interesting title, but I don't even know what to say... Last night was pretty cool. It was the first thunderstorm here in the mountains (with sleet instead of rain). I guess I didn't think I would wake up to this, though.

Here are some pictures some kids took shredding Loveland Pass today.

Summer, What's Summer?

2011-05-27T16:57:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if Colorado has decided to play the longest April Fool's joke known to man, or if it's just decided to exclusively host winter. If you haven't heard the word, Colorado has A LOT of snow. Not the "a lot of snow" where the peak hiking trails won't be open for another week... It's a lot of snow to the point that Keystone Ski Resort, that has been closed for 6 or more weeks, decided to reopen this weekend. It's "a lot of snow" to the point that ABasin has extended it's closing day into July. A lot of snow to the point where cities down river are planing for catastrophic flooding. And even a lot of snow to the point where Mother Nature said forget it and decided to just keep sending snow instead of rain.

Below is a collection of all things snow. The first is a video taken May 5th of Loveland Pass, Colorado, from the Loveland Ski Area parking lot to ABasin's. A few feet of snow have actually fallen since this video was taken. *Note that the real snow doesn't start until 1:35.

Next is an article from Weather.com about the flooding concerns in the west... something I never thought I'd have to worry about.
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/flood-fears-west_2011-05-20

The next is an article that actually concerns the state of Washington, but I found it relevant. It seems like the whole West is dealing with snow concerns right now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387344/Washington-State-Route-20-Highway-buried-75FEET-snow.html

And lastly, some pictures Keystone posted on their facebook of their reopening this weekend... Absolutely insane.

Best of 2010/11

2011-05-06T13:19:00.001-06:00

This will be my last post for the end of the school year. Last year I ended with my favorite photos from the year, so I think I will do the same for this year- it will be a tradition! Keep checking the blog this summer though, as I will be posting through out with all my summer adventures!!

As always, I apologize for the quality of the pictures... 98% were taken on my iPhone. And don't forget to click them for a larger view!

Best of Sunrise / Sunset / Sky Photos
At home in Breckenridge.

From my house.

Coming home from class in Dillon. Looking at Buffalo Mountain in Silverthorne.

Coming down from my house, looking towards Frisco/Silverthorne.

In Breckenridge.

From my house.

Looking at Breck Ski Resort.

Even caught a few sunrises in Salt Lake City!

Even the not-so-colorful ones are cool.

A mountain peeking through the low spring clouds at Copper Mountain.

It snowed for three days straight before I took this picture. We got a quick glimpse of the sun before another storm moved in in April.

The most recent sunset, taken last week at my friends house.

Earlier this season driving to Copper Mountain... this isn't photoshopped.

After an early season storm in Breck.

Best of Winter
My roommates made a snowman after the first real snowfall of the season.

Breck's new 22ft pipe that I fell in love with.

Me, disappearing in a plum of powder!

See that girl on the top of the podium? Yeah, that's my bestie!

Denver Big Air, funnest event of my life. Look at that crowd!

My mom coming out to visit and learn how to ski!

Best injury of the season: My friend Matt's face. Three broken bones and a surgery later, he's doing fine!

Out of bounds between Peak 6 and 7 at Breckenridge on a pow day... one of the funnest of my life!

Along the road leading up to my house. CRAZY!

Driving through the desert on my way to Utah.

An extremely fun mountain. Snowbasin, Utah.

Best of Fall/Spring
Fall in Breckenridge.

Hiking Baldy Mountain with some friends in Breckenridge.

Hiking Peak 10 with some friends in Breckenridge. Standing at 13,250ft.

Now that's what I call a true friend!

Off-roading in Breckenridge.

I fell mountain biking this past fall. (The snowflake is part of my tattoo.) The scar is just as gnarly.

A monumental photo, though simple, taken last week. My first ride on my first dirtbike that I've waited for for over 11 years.

What Month Is It?

2011-04-30T12:27:00.000-06:00

Thursday was the first sunny day in a long time, and thankfully it was decently warm too. I got to ride my dirtbike for the first time and it was beyond fun. It took me a while to get the clutch down the first time... it's been a while since I've used one, and I've never used one on a normal sized motorcycle. I would move maybe a foot and it would stall out, HAHA! It was very frustrating, but after about 20 minutes I finally got it and didn't stall it the rest of the day!

Then yesterday it decided to cloud up and start snowing again... And not just snowing... it was DUMPING. I woke up this morning and was almost confused about what month it was.

500"

2011-04-23T11:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it's official- Breckenridge hit 500" for the season!

That is approximately:
12.7 meters
13.9 yards
41.6 feet
1,270 centimeters
12,700 millimeters

Or in other words...

A LOT OF SNOW!!!!

Loveland Pass, CO

On the note of a lot of snow, I found out that A-Basin's closing day is June 5th, which is my 21st Birthday!!! I am beyond excited that I will be able to ski on my birthday! I'm hoping a good amount of my friends are still in town... that will probably be the best Birthday of my life!

As much as I love the snow I was really looking forward to a nice day today, though. I'm picking up my dirtbike later this evening and I was really looking forward to being able to ride it. I've been waiting for this day for 11+ years and now I have to wait even longer, gah! It's been dumping on and off all day... but that's April in CO for you!

I also just thought I would thrown in a picture of my mom (left) and I from her trip out here. She looks like she could be my sister, huh? Love you, mom!

Green Runs and Dirtbikes

2011-04-15T18:28:00.000-06:00

The last two weeks have been crazy, so much going on!! My mom was out in Colorado this week visiting and learning how to ski. She couldn't have seemed more happy when I picked her up- exclaiming how awesome it was to get away from the political drama in Wisconsin. My poor dad and brother had to stay behind! She's been a water skier her whole life so I wasn't surprised when she was basically parallel skiing by the end of the first day! Her second day she did even better! I'll post some pictures in my next entry when she reads this and sends them to me. I also took a day for some sight-seeing and drove her through Glenwood Canyon. We stopped and took pictures around the base of the Hanging Lake hiking trail with some beautiful little waterfalls and streams. We both would have really loved to hike the trail, but it's a pretty gnarly 2-3 hour trip and we were completely unprepared! I look forward to going back in a month or so with some friends when everything is green and blooming. Me and her both agreed that Glenwood Canyon is probably what heaven looks like.

I googled some pictures of Hanging Lake and the trail leading up to it:

On another note I am SO excited for this summer!! I have wanted a dirtbike my ENTIRE life and I finally got one! Me and my friend bought our friend's dirtbikes. My dream brand too: Yamaha!! It's going to be a fantastic summer of hiking, dirtbiking, and all the other activities in Colorado.

Not a very good picture because they're still in our friend's garage, but his is the front one and mine is the back one!

Euphoria

2011-03-30T13:13:00.000-06:00

School is coming to a close for the year and I'm having a really hard time staying motivated lately. I have such high standards for myself and my grades that I feel like such a horrible person when I can't get motivated. (I know that sounds silly, because I think that's called being human? Ha!) Up until the last month I didn't get to ski that much because of school work. Once the weather started getting nice all I wanted to do was ski, and now it's hard to get back on track. When you have something that you're so passionate about it's hard to balance it with the rest of your life; I see now how people can become workaholics.

On that note, this is a well overdue entry about the way I live. I was talking to my friend Rachel whose high school best friend attends a highly regarded college. Over the last two years they have become estranged because of her friend's demeaning opinion on our way of life, which is massively misunderstood. I think college is very important, I just think it's important to get out and experience the world as well. I'd honestly like to have a good chat with the idiot who decided it was a good idea for humans to spend their entire day inside a building. The sun rises everyday so you can see things... you know, outside. Some people may call us "ski bums", but it's so much more than that.

Me and my brother, who is studying medicine, talk quite a bit. I ask him about my injuries from skiing and he often wonders why I'm so in love with it even though it can be risky. Contrary to popular belief, I actually have a nerd side to me. I read this article in Time Magazine once about how the chemicals of love, happiness, and joy in a mothers brain after childbirth make the pain of pregnancy and delivery obsolete. That's exactly how skiing is for me, it's like a euphoria. The first thing I do when I wake up is think about skiing. I eat a good breakfast so I have energy for skiing. I don't drink, or smoke, or party so I can get a good night sleep and be well rested for skiing. I go out of my way to learn about nutrition so I'm that much healthier for skiing. I'm 20 years old... Really, you're going to look down on this?

I'm at one with nature and the mountains, and there's something so powerful about that because as humans we're so small. What's so captivating about skiing is how such a simple piece of fiberglass, wood, and metal can turn me into a superhero. I can move at highway speeds in complete control, jump heights with ease that would normally kill people, and cover thousands of feet through snow deep enough to halt transportation- all without the power of an engine or even the wind. Skiing has made me realize that I'm far more capable of feats that were ever deemed possible for humans. Yet there's something so natural about having skis attached to my feet, so much that it requires little to no thought while gracefully carving down a groomed path or trekking through the back country. My mind is clear from the worries of reality. I hear the snow under my feet, the wind through the trees, and the occasional hardy bird who stuck around for winter. There is nothing but tranquility in that.

I will never make a massive impact on this planet, but as a mountain girl, maybe the purpose of my life is just to enjoy it and make no lasting impact at all. I may never be rich with luxuries, but I know I'm always going to be rich with faith, appreciation, and humility. I may get hurt once in a while, but that's the price I'm willing to pay for the joy and happiness that skiing gives me. I can honestly say that I would rather die tomorrow skiing than to have never skied at all. I hope everyone finds something they love as much as I love skiing, otherwise I don't think life is worth living.

So before you judge someone based on their education, income, or way of life, remember that we are all out on the pursuit of happiness. And thank the Lord we don't all find happiness in the same thing... Otherwise you would all be stealing my fresh snow on powder days!

32 in 3 Days

2011-03-30T09:49:00.000-06:00

It has snow 32" in the last three days. Here are some pictures from my powder day yesterday at Copper. Sorry they're not the greatest quality... I took them on my iPhone.

Fire & Snow

2011-03-28T18:12:00.000-06:00

It's been snowing non stop here in the mountains for quite a few days now and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight! Breckenridge has hit 428" this season and that number is quickly rising, which is INSANE seeing how the season average is 300" and we still have another month left!

We're in winter wonderland here in the mountains, but unfortunately not all of Colorado is so lucky. High winds and extremely dry conditions started a number of wildfires in the front range. I wish I could be more exact as to where they were, but honestly I lost track. I know one was near Golden because a girl I grew up with is now going to school in Golden and posted the below picture to Facebook. I can only hope these fires aren't signs of things to come! If they are, it's going to be a rough summer...

Bye Bye Winter!

2011-03-19T17:26:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day of winter!!! I can't believe it... this season went by so much faster than last season! My mom is going to be coming out in a few weeks to learn how to ski and I'm very excited. Two days ago I got to ski with a friend that I knew all through school. She has been a skier since she was 2 and her and her dad came out to Colorado for a ski trip like they do every year. It was so fun catching up!!!

I've been thinking about what I'm going to do with myself this summer for a while now. Since I wasted last summer because of surgeries I want this one to be EPIC! I gave myself two choices:

1. I could stay in Breckenridge, get a full time job, make a lot of money (well, a lot more than choice 2) and find summer hobbies.
2. I could go to Windells in Oregon (A summer camp for skiing and snowboarding) and work with all my friends all summer and get to ski all summer. But that's IF I get the job.

I'm leaning more towards number one because I've fallen in love with another expensive extreme sport (this is where my parents cringe). A few months ago I saw this short edit filmed in Utah with skiers paragliding on skis. There are many names for the sport that combines the two; speedgliding, speedflying, skigliding, etc. Ever since I've seen this I can't stop thinking about it! I don't think I would ever jump out of a plane to go skydiving, but this is a very happy medium between leaving the ground and being thousands of feet up. It's very expensive initially, but once you have the gear and you're certified it's free!

Anyway, I really want to take an introductory course this summer just to cure my curiosity. There's one that will teach you the basics and getting you flying 5 times for around $300. I looked it up and of COURSE there's classes in Boulder and Golden!! (I sure do love this state!) This video just makes me get butterflies of excitement! I get the biggest smile when I watch it.

Secret To Longevity: Skiing

2011-03-14T09:56:00.000-06:00

This is the cutest news story I've seen in a long time!

"At 100 years old Lou Batori is still skiing -- and still ski racing -- and he has no plans to stop. Bill Geist caught up with Lou on the slopes of the annual gathering of Midwest chapter of the 70+ ski club in Nubs Nob, Michigan and watched as he hit the racecourse."

Click here to see the video if it doesn't show up right below!!

Spring Break?

2011-03-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe March is already here. This season went by really fast... a lot faster than last season. This week was our spring break, which I appreciate since next week is spring break for everyone else. I did a lot of skiing this week at Copper. The lift lines were nonexistent and the weather was beautiful, so it was probably one of the best weeks of skiing for me.

Next week is the busiest week here in Summit County I have already given up on doing much skiing at all. Here's a picture from Spring Break at Breckenridge last year. YIKES!

I'll probably walk around Breck and take some pictures of all the action. If I'm in a really good mood I might try to take a few laps.

And on a side note, here are some breath taking pictures of the tragedy in Japan. I happen to have a friend who is studying abroad in Japan. He was on the local news in Wisconsin via Skype (live interactive video program). Glad to hear he's okay!

The Post Office

2011-03-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today I had to ship my old computer to my cousin who is anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I carefully planned my day around a one hour time block that wasn't at lunch time or before dinner- the busiest times at the Post Office. As like most other cities in the U.S, the Post Office is a dreaded place here in Breckenridge, but I actually find it quite amusing.

Before you go, be prepared to have a lot of things to think about. You're more than likely going to be standing there for a minimum of 45 minutes. If it's around the Holidays, say goodbye to half your day. Don't walk too quickly through the entrance; I can only faintly remember a time or two where I actually got into the Post Office before I hit the back of the line. If you run into the last person, you're bound to create a mass domino affect of tumbling packages and angry part-time residents.

There are always people who will swiftly and passively walk past the line up to the envelope drop boxes. You'll notice a sea of judgmental eyes turn to them as they walk by as if they're being accused of attempting to sneak in line. They'll start to reach for the drop box a good 5 feet before they get to it and quickly walk away without ever making eye contact with anyone.

As you stand in the silent line there will surely be that guy in his mid 30's to 40's whose ring tone is obnoxious in every way possible. The call is always from a relative and always goes the same way. He promptly answers, ducks his head, and plugs his other ear as if he's in a loud room (that always gets me). He'll try to talk quietly, not realizing his ring tone already grabbed the attention of 20+ bored bystanders who are itching to get in on the conversation.

Then there's always that one older lady that's absolutely appalled by the long line, as if she's surprised. She'll express her frustration with grunts and gestures of disapproval while looking around to see if she can recruit anyone. Sometimes there are a few other crabby females her age who will join in with shaking their heads and rolling their eyes at each other. Usually one will finally be brave enough to say something super clever like,
"They should have somebody else helping people!"
The comment creates their own little peanut gallery with the quick classic one-liners:
"Now this is just ridiculous, just look at this line!"
"Yeah, you'd think they'd have someone helping that clerk!"
"Now look at him, what's he doing? Why isn't he taking people?"

Perhaps the most stimulation occurs when two friends or acquaintances awkwardly run into each other at the back of the line near the entrance. Oblivious to the silent line of 20 people to their direct left, they start a 5 minute dry conversation in normal volume about how they're re-tiling the floor in their kitchen or selling their vacation home in Austin. Pay close attention now as 3/4ths of the line shifts their stance so they can not only glace at, but half-watch the two talking as if they were an uninteresting TV show. The majority of those who turn to watch are in the front of the line; they've been bored the longest and have the least chance of being caught staring by the unsuspecting chit-chatters.

Lastly there's the mom who gives up holding her toddler 10 minutes in, and instead lets him wander up and down the line. The response from the rest of the crowd is 50/50. Some are delighted and entertained by him, while others give an over-the-shoulder glare at the "bad mother" who isn't watching her child. Either way, the entire line will be on a first name and nickname basis with the baby by the time they leave because of the number of times he was called by his mother.

If you're one of those people who gets really worked up by nothing, you can turn to the door and blow off some steam by hating the people who are walking in and out to grab the mail from their boxes. You can always see the "I'm laughing at you people in my head" look on their face. Sometimes if you're lucky you get to laugh back when they discover a parcel slip in their box and have to shamefully walk around the corner and into the line they just made fun of.

And oh yeah, I forgot to mention the sucker with the heavy package who's been standing in line for 15 minutes only to realize he forgot his wallet. Everyone knows he forgot his wallet but he's too embarrassed to admit it, so he boldly walks out like something much more important in his life just came up. The only person who feels bad for him is the person who was directly behind him. They never know whether to move up and fill his spot or wait in case he returns. Their sympathy always gets the best of them though and they end up leaving the gap in the line for the duration.

You're finally next in line, but with your luck all but one of the clerk's get occupied by other things. One goes on a lunch break (it doesn't matter what time it is, this is going to happen), one is on the phone with someone who doesn't speak English, and because it's the Postal Service one of them is off wandering, probably doing nothing. The only available clerk is helping the stamp collector in front of you who happens to be buying a plethora of them. By this time you're emotionally drained and end up staring in space for an extra 10 minutes while life at the Post Office just happened.

Anyway, the next time you're stuck waiting somewhere you have two options; You can chose to be pissed off and think you're wasting an hour of your life, or you can be like me and spend an hour watching a live version of Seinfeld.

Cha-Ching!

2011-02-25T15:51:00.001-07:00

This post is far overdue, and I apologize for that. The last two weeks have been crazy! I spent last week in Utah to watch my friends compete in the Dew Tour Championships in Ogden, UT and spent a few days riding at Park City Resort. Oddly enough most of my close friends live in Utah. They come out to Colorado in the early season (which is how we met) to shred before their resorts open.

It was an incredibly fun trip and I'm so glad I went. I can't explain to you how thankful I am that I get to take road trips like that. I have a lot of close friends out there that mean the world to me, and it means a lot to me that my parents support my traveling. I really got around to exploring Salt Lake City that week. It was fun to spend time there, but it made me realize how much I love living here in Summit County. I'm sure SLC is beautiful in the summer, but man is it ugly in the winter, ha! There's no snow on the ground until you get up to the actual resorts, and hardly any evergreen trees! It's very... brown. On top of that, it's way too city like for me, that whole area. I like my small little town, it's much more homey! I'd like to think I'm a people person, but that was way too many people for me! Or maybe just too many buildings.

I took a different route on the drive out this time. I usually go up through Steamboat and then over, but a section of that route is very, very, very desolate. In fact, there's a stretch of about 120 miles where there isn't one house, gas station, or building. I took I-70 over through Grand Junction and then up this time. It was still desolate, but not nearly as bad, and a lot more desert like which was cool. I wasn't far from Moab at one point. I also got to drive through some beautiful canyons. I will definitely be taking that route from now on!

I would love to show you pictures, but unfortunately last night my hard drive on my laptop died - I lost everything. It's quite ironic really. Just the day before my best friend spilled nail polish remover on her laptop and lost everything. I gave her the whole "you have to back up your stuff..." lecture, all the while thinking to myself that I should probably do the same. But I didn't, of course. And the next day my laptop died, abruptly and unexpectedly. I'm upset... but this has happened to me twice before. It's my fault for not backing everything up. So I made an impromptu trip to Denver this morning to buy a new laptop. Times like these make me so thankful for the unconditional support from my parents, and also made me realize just how important a higher education is. Life is expensive!

Right after I got back from Denver I had a doctor appointment. I have been having some pretty bad spine issue for the last few years that I am finally fed up with. Chiropractic care has always helped, but it has never been a permanent fix. I went to see a primary care doctor and he referred me to a Spine Specialist in Frisco. I'm really hoping for another solution.

So I apologize again for a lack of posting and pictures lately, as you can tell my life is a little chaotic right now. It happens to the best of us. I'm just going with the flow!

Oh yeah, fortunately I do still have all my pictures that I have posted to facebook. Here's a picture I took of the snowbank on my road before I left for Utah. That's a lot of snow!

And here's one picture I uploaded from my phone of Snowbasin, where the Dew Tour Championships were held. I'm hoping to be able to recover some of my photos from my hard drive. So maybe details on the Dew Tour will come in a later entry!

Denver Big Air

2011-02-05T11:27:00.001-07:00

This past Tuesday and Wednesday was the first annual Denver Big Air competition in the Civic Center Park in the heart of downtown Denver. I was lucky enough to be apart of the set-up and therefor got the best seat in the house during the skiing competition on Tuesday.

The total purchase of the scaffolding alone was $600,000. The set-up was 300 feet long and 110 feet high. To get to the top of the ramp I had to climb 15 flights of scaffolding stairs. To say the least it gets very disorientating after a few times. There's so many bars going every which way and the constant spinning up the stairs gets to you. Getting the snow on the actual ramp was a process. It consisted of a crane lifting snow to the top and dropping a little down a time. Or the crane would drop snow at the take off down lower and we would bring it up. Someone would hold a piece of ply wood across the ramp to catch the snow. Then lift it up over the pile and the people behind would pat it down. I'm sure this was done at least a hundred times in the course of a few days.

A crane dropping snow off at the base.

This is what 15 flights of scaffolding looks like.

This is what it looks like looking down.

Here are some views from the top!

In this picture you can see someone with the piece of ply wood on the far right, and someone helping pack snow down in the center of the ramp.

Will had to paint the wood around the take-off. He took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to claim it!

The best groomed jump I have ever seen!

Tuesday finally came and I got there around 1:00pm to help with a few last minute things. Snowboard practice started at 3:00pm and here's a little footage from that. (You can hear Switchfoot doing their sound check in the background.)

The public was allowed to start rolling in around 3:30, and there was some last minute grooming right around then.

6-7pm was skier practice and then it was finally time for the show to begin! The guys did some quick grooming before the show began.

Instead of every rider for himself, this was the first ever competition that was battle of the brands. Big ski brands like Armada, Line Skis, Nordica, Full Tilt and others sent 2-3 riders to work as a team. Each round two teams would go up against each other to do the best tricks for the best overall score, and the best team would move on.

Here's some footage of some of the skiers.

SIDENOTE: During the first round I was standing on the flat part between the take off and the landing. A group of guys came up the stairs and were watching in amazement next to me. They weren't dressed like skiers or snowboarders but I had a peculiar feeling they were important. They introduced themselves and we got talking and they were really, really nice. Jon was the most talkative one. He was asking me a lot of questions about skiing and the event and asked me to explain the tricks to them. After about a half hour a photographer came up to us and goes

"Oh my gosh, it's so nice to meet you guys! I can't believe it!"

They talked for a few minutes and after the photographer walked away Jon smiled at me. I paused for a second and go,

"Youuuuuuu guys are Switchfoot, aren't you?"

"Haha, yeahhh..." He said and smiled. (I later found out that he was the singer.)

Switchfoot has been a pretty big band since I was in middle school, and they were definitely one of my favorite bands in middle school. They were scheduled to play the live show that night for the competition. I'm kicking myself in the BUTT now for not getting a picture with them.

ANYWAYYYY... The competition ended up with two teams left, Armada (my favorite company in the world) and Line Skis. Switchfoot played between the last elimination round and the finals. I got to stand on the landing and get the best seat in the house! It wasn't too warm and wasn't too cold, and right as they started playing it started to snow very gentle but big snow flakes... the perfect setting! It was also so cool to see the state capital light up like that.

Overall it was one of the funnest events of my life and I can't wait for next year!

Snow Sports Gallore!

2011-01-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

This past week was probably the busiest week for the snow sports industry, and it was all in Colorado! Earlier this week was The Denver Big Air which will be airing in my next entry (it's taking a while to put together). Later that week was X Games and the Snow Sports Trade Show in Denver to show off all of skiing and snowboarding's next year's gear.

This week was also the annual International Snow Sculpture Championships here in Breck. I missed the annual amatuer competition this year because it ended up being the same week as finals and Dew Tour, but here are some pictures that I took last night of the Pros!

(Sorry their not the best quality, they're from my iPhone. My camera is still dead from The Denver Big Air and I forgot to charge it!)

My favorite, which happens to be from a sculpture out of Franklin, WI. It's a Ullr face with Acorns for eyes, leaves for the face, and logs for mouth etc.

A swimming boy with his brother (shown in the 2nd picture from a different angle.)

My 2nd favorite, which happens to be Team Breck! Under water world.

Medusa. You can't see it here that well... but her hair is snakes.

Take a wild guess where these sculptures were from...

Backcountry and Big Air

2011-01-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

The last few days Breckenridge has gotten a few feet of snow, and I've really REALLY been enjoying the back country. My favorite spot for back country is... Well, I'd tell you where it is but then I'd have to kill you. I will say that it's convenient because it's near Breckenridge, so I've been cutting over in-bounds to ride one of Breck's lifts up instead of hiking up, ha! It's been absolutely amazing back there the last few days... So much snow and NO people! Today was beyond amazing because it was a bluebird day after a snowstorm. It just doesn't get any better than that. Here are a bunch of photos I took. (These are definitely photos you want to click on for a bigger view. The small view just doesn't do justice... but then again, neither do pictures.)

Next week Tuesday and Wednesday is the first ever Denver Big Air Competition. A massive ramp is being built in the heart of Denver for a professional ski and snowboard competition. Here's a computer animation of what it's going to look like:

Here are some recent photos that were taken during construction

Saturday through Monday I will be working on the ramp helping sculpt the snow etc. I'm very nervous and excited! On Tuesday is the Ski Competition and on Wednesday is the Snowboard Competition. Both are followed by music concerts. It should be awesome!

Breck Safety Week

2011-01-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

The next two weeks involve a lot of big events here in Summit County, including, but not limited to, Breck Safety Week, The Gatorade Free Flow Tour at Vail (Amateur version of the Dew Tour), the beginning of 2nd semester, the Denver Big Air Competition, the X Games in Aspen, and the SIA (snow sports) tradeshow in Denver.

This entry is about Breck Safety week!

As said from their Facebook event page:

In honor of the upcoming National Ski Area Association’s National Safety Awareness Week, Breckenridge Ski Resort announced plans for a series of events titled: “Breck Safety Week 2011: Safety At Its Peak.”

The resort will hold a week’s worth of fun and educational activities for all ages starting Saturday, January 15, including an Avalauncher "Tour" and Firing Demo, Avalanche Dog Demos and a Flight For Life helicopter landing on... Peak 8. Guests will also have the chance to stop by the “Open House” at all Ski Patrol huts and meet patrol members, as well as perform trail checks and end of the day sweeps with them.

The full schedule is as follows:
MLK Weekend Kick-off
Saturday, January 15th- Monday, January 17th
10am -2pm:
• Tent Village at base of Peak 8
• Think First: Helmet Fitting
• Patrol, Mountain Safety, Guest Services: Responsibility Code and Raffle

10am-12pm: Ski safely through the Springmeier or Bonanza slow zones and share three Skier Responsibility Code points with Mountain Safety to be entered in the daily raffle.

12pm: Avalauncher “Tour” and Firing Demonstration (Peak 7 avalauncher- located on skiers left of the run Lower Forget Me Not, easily accessed via the Independence Chair)
1pm: Avalanche Dog Demo at the top of the Colorado (The best part of safety demos in my opinion... so fun to watch these guys do what they do best and have a blast doing it! I've never seen happier dogs than these guys.)

(This picture is from Copper Mountain.)

(This is Tucker, one of Copper's Patrol Members riding up the chairlift!)

(This is 2-year-old Henry, Vail's newest Ski Patrol Member.)

(Born and raised a mountain dog!)

Immediately Following: Beacon Demo and Avalanche Awareness, same location

Tuesday January 18th -Friday, January 21st
There will be an open house at all Patrol huts throughout the week, where guests can come in and meet members of the Breckenridge Ski Patrol, do trail checks with patrollers, accompany patrol on end of the day sweeps.

Patrol huts are located on the bottom floor of the Vista Haus, and at the tops of the Independence, Mercury, and Falcon chairlifts. In addition, If guests get “caught” skiing safely by Patrol or Mountain Safety during the week, they will become eligible for additional prizes. Terrain Park staff will also be available at every terrain park to talk to guests about how to be safe in the parks.

Prayers for Danny Toumarkine

2011-01-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yet another tragedy has struck in the ski and snowboard world. Though I do not know him personally, a lot of my friends do, and it hits really close to home. On January 3rd, pro snowboarder Danny Toumarkine was on a trip with friends in Montana when he sustained a traumatic brain injury. They built a backcountry jump with a landing that flowed near some trees. Danny overshot the jump and tried to gain control, but against all efforts, he ended up flying headfirst into the trees. Unfortunately, he wasn't wearing a helmet.

He had two emergency procedures, one of the left, and one of the right side of his head to relieve pressure. He has since been in a medical induced coma in the ICU, and the website http://dannyisthebomb.com/ has been created for constant updates on his condition. I must say that his brother Conor, and girlfriend (pro skier) Michelle Parker are fantastic writers. It's very obvious how loved Danny is, and I've become very attached to him through their words. I've heard from a lot of Windells campers that he was "that guy" who made sure all the campers had the best time they could possibly have while they were at camp.

Accidents like this are very controversial in this industry. The pessimists will show anger for his decision to not wear a helmet, while family and friends will show the deepest support. It's obvious that his family and friends show remorse for their decision to not wear helmets that day, and his brother has swore to always wear one from now on. I know it's a personal decision, but I believe that we all think differently... And sadly sometimes it takes a tragedy to open up your eyes. Regardless of his decision, I think this was a horrible tragedy. I'm keeping Danny and his family and friends in my thoughts and prayers.

EpicMix

2011-01-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

This entry is long overdue, there just hasn't been a lot going on around here. Breckenridge is still pretty busy with holiday travelers, it even seems to be busier than last year. I've been riding a lot of superpipe lately. In fact, that's really all I do anymore, ha! I'm just really addicted to it! I'm hoping to do my first competition at the end of the season, very excited!

This year Vail Resorts introduced their season pass holders to EpicMix. Basically, EpicMix tracks your daily vertical feet, total vertical feet, and other fun facts. You can also see how many vertical feet your friends have made, when they "check-in" to a resort, and the all-time leader board for most points. This would have been awesome for me last year because I did a lot more actual riding than just hiking the pipe, and this year I also have been riding at Copper as much as I have Vail Resorts, so my vertical feet isn't that accurate. It also doesn't include A-Basin which I rode a lot during pre-season. You can check out my EpicMix profile by clicking here (I'm guestimating my actual vertical feet is about double what it shows since I ride Breck and Copper 50/50.) It also shows all the "pins" I've earned for different accomplishments. It's super awesome, I just wish it was for every resort in Colorado!

This coming week is also Ullr Fest, unfortunately my least favorite of Breckenridge's festivals. It seems to attract more drinking than usual and all the people dressed as vikings kind of freak me out. (Some people get reeeaalllyyy into it.) Luckily I don't live right along Main St. this year so it's going to be easier to avoid.

Dew Tour and Award Shows

2010-12-20T12:16:00.001-07:00

To say the least, the last two weeks have been the busiest weeks of my life. I wanted to write about the Grand Prix halfpipe competition at Copper Mountain and my final day of Avalanche Safety, but there's too many other things!

This past week was Dew Tour here in Breckenridge, and it wasn't at all like last year. Unfortunately semester finals and Dew Tour ended up in the same week, so there wasn't a lot of picture taking. The course was also entirely different. The halfpipe was moved to the top of the run and made into a 22 ft pipe instead of an 18 ft pipe. They also added another jump to freeway, making 4 jumps instead of 3, and I swear they had to have made these jumps twice as big!

This is the first jump of the four. This jump is also the smallest.

It was supposed to snow Thursday and Friday, but it ended up being absolutely beautiful for those two days. My very good friend Dania won the halfpipe competition, I'm so proud of her!

Saturday and Sunday a huge snow storm moved in, and instead of taking pictures I ended up riding the slope style course all day which was awesome! Me and my friends Anna and Angeli, who usually compete but are out because of injuries, "slipped" the course and helped move the snow for the competitors. They ended up closing the last two jumps on Saturday because the heavy amount of snow was making speed and visibility impossible.

(There's me at the top in the hot pink and lime green jacket.)

My good friend Keri killing it!

Ashley

Devin

Sunday was finals and Ashley ended up winning and Keri got 2nd! I've never been so proud in my life!

Somehow during this crazy week I was also able to attend a few different award shows and go out to dinner quite a few times with all my skiing friends. The first was the 1st Annual Summit Film Festival Award Show, where my friend Grete won best performance for female skier, and a movie that a few of my friends were in called Eye Trip won quite a few awards.

Anna, Anais, Ashley, Jen, Me, Angeli, Keri

My friend Anna introducing a movie.

On Thursday we all went out to dinner at Empire Burger and then attended the AFP awards (AFP meaning Association of Freeskiing Professionals) where quite a few more friends won awards.

Kaya

Roz and Jen

Last night a group of about 18 of us went out to Taipei Tokyo to celebrate everyone's success. I don't have pictures yet because I wasn't the one taking them, but it was definitely a blast. Dania, Angeli, Erica, Ashley, and Emily are all driving back to Utah today so I got to have all their leftovers. Looks like I'm going to be eating Japanese for quite a while!

I'm so proud of all my friends, and watching them compete has really inspired me to push myself more in the park. I really hope to compete in the Dew Tour someday!

Avalanche Safety Field Day 1

2010-12-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

On Friday my Avalanche Safety class spent the day hiking in the back country. We met at 9am in a town (more like a small collection of houses behind Keystone in the boonies) called Montezuma, and went over the day's itinerary and checked safety gear. We then split up into three groups with three different instructors and began our hike up the switchback's of Webster Pass. To say the least, this isn't a good class for someone who isn't in remotely good shape. We were out for a total of 6 hours, and around 4 1/2 of those hours was hiking up a snowy mountain.

We were hiking through the woods and our instructors were pointing to other peaks across the valley from us, explaining the different avalanche paths and the current conditions. It was interesting observing them from afar, but it really hit home when we came to our first avalanche path on our trail. The thick forest abruptly turned to a 100+ yard wide field of nothing but snow. We executed safety procedures by crossing one at a time, and it was crazy how long it took each person to get to the other side. As I crossed I took a picture looking up the path, and as you can see it starts at the peak of the mountain. The mass of this path was astounding, and it was an extremely humbling and nerve-racking feeling to hike across it.

We continued hiking and all of a sudden hear a "BOOM" with a rumbling in the distance. My instructor, who was directly in front of me, turned around in horror. After a few seconds we realized it was thunder, but it definitely freaked us out! After a mile or two my group stopped to dig some snow pits. Snow pits are dug to research the soundness and strength of the surrounding snow layers. Every snowfall leaves a different layer, and because there are so many types of snow, every layer is different. Avalanches occur for a number of different reasons, but what an avalanche is, is the failure of one or more weak layers in the snow pack, called facets. By doing a number of different strength tests on the snow pack, we were able to determine if there is any faceting, where it is, how it's going to react to pressure, etc. We also learned about the reactions of different combination's of layers, such as hard layers on top of weak layers.

(Not a picture from our actual hike because flat light made it hard to get good pictures of the layers. )

We then kept hiking up, observed a few more avalanche paths, and finally stopped for lunch. After lunch we continued up the mountain and stopped to do more digging. Instead of digging a pit this time, we cut out 2x2 meter blocks in a few different spots. By doing this we were able to have a skier stand on top of the blocks to test the real strength of the snowpack and possibly create a mini-avalanche.

HAHA! Look how deep that snow is!

It was really windy, and I was really chilly!

It was a really eye-opening day, and it made me realize how real avalanches are. Unfortunately an avalanche took it's 2nd victim of the season in Colorado yesterday, and it's only December 6th. Read the article here.

Thanksgiving and Avalanche Safety!

2010-12-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, my Thanksgiving pictures are a little late. But better late than never, right? Thanksgiving was super fun this year. We had it at our house and we cooked the Turkey and a bunch of food. We had over another house of our friends so there was about 10 of us, quite smaller than my Thanksgiving last year. I think the biggest difference from last year was that last year it was about 20 guys, me, and one other girl. This year it was 8 girls and 2 guys!

(Sorry they're not the most high quality pictures, they're all taken from my iPhone.)

On Monday I had my first 4-hour avalanche safety class to get Avalanche Safety Level I Certified. That class we talked more about weather than avalanches, because of course without weather, you can't have avalanches. We learned a lot about forecasting: Wind direction, what causes snow, different types of snow, etc. We learned about fatality rates with and without safety gear and other statistics. Frighteningly, we also learned that Summit and Aspen are the most dangerous locations in North America for avalanches, for a number of reasons. It was extremely interesting, and I'm very excited for my next class tonight!

Then on Friday we have our first field day in the back country, thank God the weather is going to be nice! We are going to hike up Webster Pass in Montezuma, a little town hiding behind Keystone. Webster Pass is an old mining road that I've actually off-roaded on in the summer, that has access to some awesome back country in the winter... which is also very avalanche prone. We were told to bring all our hiking gear, a shovel, a lunch, and even toilet paper!

Next Friday is our second field day off of Hoosier Pass, which is the road that leads south of Breckenridge, from Blue River to Alma. I'm assuming this is going to be the sketchier of the two days, seeing as we were told we were not allowed to go if we showed up without a beacon. Then after the day is over we go back to Breckenridge for our written test.

I'm really glad I took this course, and I highly recommend it to everyone who skis or snowboards. I have a phone interview with Vail Resorts tomorrow for a weekend job in ticket sales. I'm really hoping I get it just so I can afford a beacon this season... I'm now learning just how important they are! There have been two fatalities in North America for avalanches already this season. The first I have already mentioned in a previous entry. The second was a snowmobiler in Utah. Him and his friend had safety gear with them but decided to leave it in their car because "they weren't going to be doing anything dangerous." One of them ended up being buried in an avalanche only two feet deep and suffocated. Had he had his beacon, he would have walked away fine.

Risk Taker

2010-11-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today I was supposed to go to a much needed doctor appointment in Golden. It snowed last night, and the single digit temperatures make the roads extra icy. As I was making my way to Frisco from Breckenridge my car slightly fish-tailed twice on the same road I totaled my car on last year. Though terrified, I decided to get on to the highway anyway, only to soon realize the highway was just as icy. I wish someone could have taken a picture of my face, because I'm sure it looked like I had just seen the devil. Every muscle in my body was tense, both my hands were clenched so hard to my steering wheel my fingers were probably turning purple, and I could feel the anxiety carving wrinkles into my face by the second. I usually talk myself through things I'm scared of, but I didn't even give myself an option. I got off on the next exit, Silverthorne, and took Dillon Dam Rd. home.

I've been a risk taker my entire life. My parents tell me that when I was little I would always say,
"I laugh in the face of danger," a quote I learned from one of my favorite movies, The Lion King. In middle school I made a beaded necklace that said "No fear," and wore it proudly. I've participated in almost every extreme sport known to man, and I've never let a boy tell me he was better than me. Being a skier in the mountains, I take risks everyday. And it's not even the type of risk that a normal person is in everyday, like the risk of getting in a car accident on the way to work... I literally go out of my way everyday to put myself at risk, for fun.

I have always believed that those who live in fear for their lives are the ones that never really live at all, and I always told myself I would never be "one of those people" who had petty fears that controlled their lives way more than they should. But sadly, ever since my car accident on January 2nd, 2010, I have become that person I said I would never be.

It's amazing to me how one event can have such a significant impact on a person's life. For the first few months after my accident it haunted me, and I told myself within time it would get better, but it hasn't. To this day I still have vivid memories: what I saw out my windshield, the sound of my car smashing to pieces, and what I was thinking as it was happening. I could pick the face out of a crowd of the paramedic who first opened the passenger side door, though I saw him for no more than 20 minutes in my life.

I've gotten myself into a lot of "Oh S**t!" moments though, which has really made me ponder why this one is any different. I've been in worse sports accidents that physically affected my life a lot more. I walked away from my car with no injuries, and all the came from it was a new car. So why should something so insignificant affect me on such a deep level? It bothers me that I can no longer be on the road without being scared. It bothers me that I don't trust my friends who I know are good drivers. It bothers me that I don't trust or feel safe in my own car. But most of all, it bothers me that all of this bothers me.

Condolences to the Wolf Creek Family

2010-11-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

As you all may know, the west has been getting hammered with snow the last few weeks. Tahoe got a storm that dropped 3-5 feet, Utah got a storm that dropped 2-3 feet, and Colorado has already gotten a total of 8 1/2 feet! All the snow has been beyond our wildest dreams as skiers and snowboarders. Unfortunately, will all the fun that amount of snow brings, it also brings dangers.

On Monday, November 22nd, Wolf Creek Ski Resort in Colorado closed due to a fatality of one of their own. Director of ski patrol, Scott Kay (seen to the left with wife Chantelle), was caught in an avalanche around 7:45am "while working to protect others," a Wolf Creek representative said. "To our great sadness, he did not survive." The 41-year-old was a long time employee at Wolf Creek and leaves behind a wife and two sons; 6 and 8. If you would like to leave a message, you can do so on Wolf Creek's facebook page.

My sincere condolences go out to his family and friends at Wolf Creek. You will all be in my thoughts and prayers this Thanksgiving.

I have expressed my strong feelings for safety equipment a lot in the past (avalungs, beacons, probes, etc). So many riders think they are safe when in the ski area boundaries because of avalanche control. But when such large amounts of snow falls in such a short amount of time, it doesn't matter where you are. It is true that sometimes safety equipment won't save you, but it's worth every penny to give yourself that chance.

I hope you all have a safe and fantastic Thanksgiving, and please continue to be safe the rest of the season!

UPDATE!

2010-11-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I've updated, and I apologize for that. It's been a very busy few weeks! Since I've updated we have got snow, snow, and more snow! There have been a lot of records that have been set in the last few weeks with early openings of certain runs etc. Keystone and Breck have opened and it's been so fun to be skiing again. My best friend Ashley has been staying with me for the past two weeks from Park City, Utah. Her and my roommate Elise are going to be in Dew Tour in a month so they have been working hard on the jumps and rails.

My friends Ashley, Angeli, Riley, and Oakley came from Park City for opening weekend of Keystone. I hadn't seen any of them in months besides Riley, so it was really awesome to see them. That's the hard thing about being a skier... you have so many great friends that you don't get to see to often because of all the traveling and living in different states. It was our friend Ryan's Birthday so we made him a Birthday Cake with a Tall Tee on it (it's a style thing for skiers, don't ask). We also made home made pizza's and salads and had a great night.

Oakley and Riley being goofy

Ash the pro skier trying to be a filmer... haha!

Angeli hiking some features in the park.

Ryan's Birthday cake!

Angeli cutting the pizza!

The next week Breckenridge opened and it couldn't have been a nicer day. There was fresh snow from the few previous nights and it was beautiful out. All my roommates were there and it was probably the most snow Breck has ever opened with.

This past week we had a storm that dropped I believe around 46" in 72 hours. It was a crazy storm that moved in really quick and CMC ended up canceling all classes for the Summit and Eagle campuses.

My friend actually took this picture but I happened to be driving at the same exact time this picture was taken... the storm moved in so quick and visibility quickly turned to practically zero!

This was actually taken a little bit before the storm hit... you can imagine what it looked like after.

The night the storm rolled in I parked on the street so my friend Ashley could park in my spot. Never in my life have I had to walk up a snow mound to get inside my car. I almost got out... until I backed over a huge pile of snow that bottomed out my car.

Luckily one of my neighbors was out helping other people, so he stopped and pulled me out. As he was driving away he yelled "Go bears!" and I was confused until I saw a Chicago Bears sticker on the back of his SUV. He must have seen my Wisconsin plate... HAHA!

Just as the first storm cleared up another one started to move in... This is going to be an amazing season for snow!

Me and Ashley took a day off skiing yesterday and went out for lunch, shopping, and then dinner. She is going home Wednesday but will be back in a few weeks. I love having her around. She's one of those friends you don't find very often- the kind you meet and you instantly know you have a friend chemistry. We have the same values and beliefs about religion and life and the same taste in food, clothes and music. We went to one of our favorite stores Claire's and after an hour of debating, ended up leaving with almost all the same jewelry as each other. She is an incredible skier, one of the best pro's in the world actually, and my hero. I wish we got to spend more time together, but she's busy traveling to all the places I'd kill to go. I'm so blessed to have her as a friend. You can actually check out her website and blog here.

Ashley being goofy at Claire's trying on glasses and ear muffs.

Oh yeah, it's not even Thanksgiving yet but my friends all decided to get into the Christmas spirit! I came home to find a Christmas Tree and Stockings in our living room!

Double Take

2010-11-01T10:34:00.000-06:00

The 2010/11 academic year marks the fourth anniversary of the common reader program at CMC. Every year a book is chosen from those books nominated by faculty, staff and students across all campuses. Last year we read the book The Translator by Daoud Hari, a native Darfurian who intimately describes the terror and horror he witnessed of the genocide in Darfur. He then came and spoke at the Breckenridge campus and answered many of the questions we had.

This year the book was called Double Take by Kevin Connolly. Kevin Connolly was born in Helena, Montana in 1985. He was also born without legs. He went on to win the X Games in mono skiing, and with his earnings, decided to travel the world... via skateboard. He traveled to 17 different countries and took 32,728 photos of people starring at him as he rolled past. Unfortunately I have not had time to read the book yet, but from what I have heard, his journey will change the way you look at the world and yourself. This week he is traveling and speaking at different CMC campuses, and will be in Breckenridge on Wednesday from 7-9pm. If you're a student at CMC and are free, make sure you pick up tickets at the front desk before tomorrow. After that, tickets will be offered to the public and they will sell out.

Blue Skies

2010-10-28T10:34:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to a beautiful blue sky and a sea of white waves. The three day storm is finally over, and ended up dropping a total of 29" here in Breckenridge! On Monday only the peaks had a little bit of snow, and now here's a picture from 8am this morning.

Yesterday I drove me and my roommates up to A-Basin for a pow day, here's a picture Rachel took on the way up!

It's safe to say Colorado is making up for the poor snow season last season and late start to this one. What an amazing season this is going to be!!! I had money saved up last year that I put in a "fun account", and I finally spent it on some much-needed snow gear. It's going to be a season with way above average snowfall and way below average temperatures. If you're a new rider in Colorado or a parent with a kid in Colorado, here are some fantastic gear ideas.

What I bought:

Demon Snow Impact Shorts: $55.00
This is the unisex version of Demon Snow's impact shorts. These are great for any season... and I should have invested in these a long time ago. I was going to get the female version, but these offer a lot more hip protection, which is mainly where I need it. If you don't want this to happen, get a pair!

Black Diamond Covert Avalung: $220.00
The most money I have ever spent on something I hope I never have to use. If you like to go out of bounds into the back country or hike up peaks, this is a must-have. For some odd reason I have noticed a large amount of riders who have beacons (mentioned later), but not avalungs. The average time it takes to find and dig out someone in an avalanche is about 20 minutes, and without an avalung you can only survive being buried for 15 minutes. What's the point of having a beacon if they're going to find you dead? An avalung allows you to breathe for 60 minutes, and also doubles as a backpack for all your gear.

Under Armour Cold Gear: $50 - $70 each
It is going to be a CHILLY season. If you like to stay warm and dry without looking like the Michelin Man, invest in some mid to heavyweight base layer gear.

Midweight PhD SmartWool Socks: $20 a pair
Until SmartWool, I never found socks that could keep my feet warm enough. Not only do they keep you warm and dry, they have extra padding where your feet need it most. My parents bought me a few pairs for Christmas last year and I still think that was the best present ever. ($20 a pair may sound expensive, but I think diamond earrings and designer purses are expensive... and useless!)

OTHER GEAR

Avalanche Beacon: $200 - $550

A beacon is a device that's strapped to a skier/ snowboarder/ snowmobiler underneath their jacket. If you get buried in an avalanche it acts as a personal locator, and will help rescuers and/or your friends find you a lot faster than they would without one. As soon as I get a job this is going to be my next investment.

Other Impact Clothing: $20 - $120 +
Again, great for any season. It really depends if you ski or snowboard and how you're most prone to falling. My roommate Rachel just purchased the knee/shin pads below... last season she had a bone-deep gash on her leg that needed stitches. Unfortunately it usually takes a good accident before we want to invest in protection. In words of wisdom... buy it before you hurt yourself.

BRRRRRR!!!!

2010-10-26T10:07:00.000-06:00

Well it's finally here, ski season! Sunday was opening day at Loveland, and yesterday was opening day at A-Basin! Two weeks later than last season, but I can't complain because my first day of the season was a POW DAY! I woke up at about 6:45am (skiing is probably the only thing I'll get up before 8:30am for. You know what they say... Coloradan's will drive 2 hours in 12 inches of snow to ski but can't get to work when there's 4.)
The blizzard was supposed to start at 3am, but I looked outside and it hadn't snowed a flake... and there wasn't even the slightest hint of a blizzard on the way besides the fact that it was cloudy. I had high hopes because this is supposed to be a La Nina season, but Colorado's weather is always unpredictable. I grab all my stuff, put on my ski gear and head out the door to what? Yeah, rain. My jaw dropped in disgust and I almost debated whether I wanted to go or not... but no way in heck was I letting a little rain ruin my first day of the ski season! I left the house around 7:30 and literally no more than 10 minutes later this is what the roads looked like:

As I said... Colorado is predictably unpredictable. It took me about 50 minutes to get to A-Basin though it usually takes 25-30 minutes. It's safe to say I'm one of those annoyingly slow drivers in bad weather... and proud of it. I don't plan on totaling another car this year (you're welcome mom and dad). Though just for clarification, I was not at fault for that... and they actually ended up fixing that small section of road this summer, thank God! Apparently I was one of a few cars that got pulled into the ditch there. ANYWAY, I finally got to the mountain and drove into a parking lot with around 6-8 inches of fresh snow on it.
"I knew I should have brought my powder skis!" I thought to myself. I was kind of in denial because we hardly got any snow last season, much less on the first day! I met up with some of my friends a few minutes later and we hopped in the lift line. The lift line during pre-season is usually ridiculous but the new lift they put in this summer made things so much faster. We rode until 12 and the weather got bad enough that I decided I would leave before the roads got any worse. The temperature also dropped more than 10 degrees, so I was definitely not dressed properly. Despite the blizzard and having the wrong pair of skis with me, opening day was a blast! I'm not nearly as out of shape as I thought after not doing anything all summer. I really want to go today, but it's 13 degrees outside right now, and windy! I thought it was supposed to gradually get this cold... I am not prepared for this! Yikes!

The new 4 seat high-speed quad! A huge improvement from the old 2 seater!

No More DOOD-Tour!

2010-10-20T14:35:00.000-06:00

Ahhh, finally the pictures have arrived! As I said in my last entry, my friend Riley who is a 18 year-old professional photographer was in town from Salt Lake City. We met around 10:30 Saturday morning and headed over to the Middle Fork of the Swan River 4x4 trails in Breckenridge. I have driven this trail many times, and knew it would be the perfect trail for some good quick shots since we were limited on time. The first half of the trail was full of big muddy puddles because of the recent snowfall, and the upper half still had snow on it... Off-roading over snow was definitely a new experience, but so fun! We only had time to drive up a few miles, but I made it to a mine called Tony's Mine that has some incredibly preserved mine buildings. Here are some of my favorite shots!

(I have a video on my videos page of me crossing this same river in June.

The water level was so much lower this time around!)

(I thought the hat, glasses, and boots would fit the old mining style!)

(Who said girls can't drive? I get it done on AND off road!)

On another note, news has just been released that female freeski has been welcomed back into Dew Tour! The Dew Tour, which is hosted in Breckenridge, Vermont, and Utah, decided to take female freeski out of the competition last year. The decision caused quite an intense stir, especially since there weren't any female snowboard events that were taken out. Quite a few of my good friends, Ashley Battersby, Anna Segal, Angeli Van Laanen, and Dania Assaly have already registered. I'm very excited for all of them!! It was bad enough to see the males making more than double the females for placing in the top 3 when the females are throwing almost the same tricks. It's kind of messed up how a 7ft tall guy can make millions a year for dunking a basketball and a 5 foot girl makes barely enough to survive for going inverted over a 70 foot gap.

Karma

2010-10-17T13:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a pretty good day. My friend Riley who is a professional photographer was in town from Utah. I took him off-roading and we got some awesome photos. Then later we drove down to Lakewood for the Earlybird Rail Jam. But I'll save all those details for a later entry when I have pictures.

Unfortunately I have had a horrible streak of luck the past few weeks. I moved out to Colorado last summer because I got my dream job at Woodward at Copper. I wasn't able to work this summer because I had two back surgeries, so unfortunately they didn't have any open positions for me this season. I'm bummed beyond words, I loved that job. I also won't get to go to Park City this season now (where a few of my best friends live), since I will no longer be able to ride there for free through Woodward]. Then last night on my way home from Lakewood I got pulled over and received $170 speeding ticket... I wasn't speeding. I purposely DON'T speed for that reason, and I think the cop actually meant to pull over the SUV which was in the next lane over and in front of me, blocking me from the cops radar in the first place. Then, the other night, while trying to play sober peacekeeper between some of my guy friends, after kindly driving 6 of my friends home all over town, I somehow became the target of all the mayhem... none of them have yet to apologize. On top of all that, I missed my favorite artist at a small private venue in Denver, I got the stomach flu, I spilled hot chocolate all over my favorite shorts, which happened to be white, and ruined them, and the entire sole of my favorite pair of boots in the entire world decided to peel off in a day. Not to mention the massive scar I now have on my leg from my freak bike accident, and the recurrence of the tumor in my back for the 3rd time since having it removed twice this summer.

I guess no matter how good of a person you try to be sometimes things are just going to go wrong. I'm a person of faith, and I believe very strongly that every event, good or bad, happens for a reason... even if it takes a long time to realize what the reason is. I often use quotes and songs to help me get through my rough times, so I thought I'd share two. The first is a quote from a show called One Tree Hill. I don't actually watch the show, but I love the quote. The second is a song called The Realest Song by one of my favorite (reggae) bands, the Konshens.

"Looking back on what I said all those years ago, all the hopes and dreams I had, I've come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is a measure of a successful life, then some would say I'm a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past. And recognize that every day won't be sunny, and when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it's only in the black of night you see the stars. And those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, cause most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wish for. Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you. The road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination."

Sorry it's a little hard to understand, it's Reggae so their English is a bit different... By the way, "Jah" is their word for God.

Dis is a prayer to the father,
Guide my steps as yuh sit on your throne.
Show mi di way fi get mi food an mi water,
(Show me the way to get me food and water)
And do nuh mek mi grudge nobody fi dem own.
(And do not make me grudge nobody for their own.)
Whole heap a people mek badmind tek dem ova,
(Whole heaps of people let badmind take them over)
Cah dem a try fi face it all alone.
(I call them and try to face it alone)
So mi a call pon di strength of the father,
To help mi fi work fi mi own.
Keep badmind outta mi heart,
Keep negative outta mi thoughts.
Mi know seh it easy to pree di wrong way,
(I know it's easy to pray the wrong way)
So Jah Jah please guide mi everyday.
Keep badmind outta mi heart,
Keep negative outta mi thoughts.
Most high bless me yeah, guide and protect me yeah.
Di strength that mi woulda tek fi badmind anotha man
(The strenth it takes to badmind another man)
Help mi use di strength and try find a betta plan
(Help me use this strength to find a better plan)
The time me tek I wish mi did have somebody life
(The time it takes to wish I had someone else's life)
Help mi pree mi own a life and try fi set it right yeah
(Help me with my own life and try to set it right)
Mi nuh wah fi pree nobody fi dem links
(I don't want to pray for anyone else's connections)
Help me to go out deh go look mi own a tings
(Help me to go out and get my own things)
And I'm not perfect, I'm just a man
That's why mi call on yuh Jah fi keep mi strong
Well father mi give thanks fi life as mi wake up,
(Well father, I give thanks for life as I wake up)
Cause ah yuh mek it still a gwaan.
(Cause you make is amazing)
And even when mi day nuh turn out like mi want it to,
(And even when my day doesn't turn out like I want it to)
Mi give thanks and mi move on.
(I give thanks and I move on)
Badmind live inna di soul and di heart of men,
(Badmind lives in the souls and hearts of men)
Dis fight is not an easy one.
Jah Jah elevate mi and mek mi a betta man,
Help mi to overstand.

Winter On It's Way!

2010-10-12T19:39:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to a very peculiarly bright room. Not the "it's a sunny day out" kind of bright, or a "I left a light on" kind of bright, but more of a glowing aura. It took me a second to register my groggy brain, but as soon as I realized what was happening I booked it up the stairs to our main level. I rounded the corner and was nearly blinded by the light. Our patio door curtains were left open and revealed the most beautiful sight for a skier or snowboarder- The first legit snow storm of the season!

I shook my roommate Adam awake who had fallen asleep on the couch, and he ran to the window like the house was on fire. Two of my roommates, Adam and Frank, are new to the mountains from Pennsylvania, and the idea of snow in October is extremely foreign to them. We sat there admiring the big "fatty" flakes that fell ever so gently, and my roommate Lexi started walking down the stairs a few minutes later. Completely unaware and still half asleep, she stopped dead half way down and squinted out the window. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, and got a facial expression I won't forget.

"No way! NO WAY! NO WAY! WHAT?! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!" She started yelling, and ran the rest of the way down the stairs. "AHHHHHH!!!" She screamed, and turned around and high-fived me. "Does Rachel know?" I asked her.
"No!" She yelled again, and we sprinted up into Rachel's room.
"Get up, get up, get up!" We yelled, and Rachel sat up wide-eyed and confused as ever in bed. Her dark blinds were shut tight, so Lexi ran over and pulled them open.
"AHH!!!! OH MY GOSH!" She yelled, and we all ran downstairs, joined by our newest roommate from Norway, Sig. We were like little kids on Christmas morning who just discovered a living room full of presents.

We all stood staring for a few minutes, until Adam and Rachel decided to try snowboarding. (Clearly there wasn't enough to go snowboarding, but their excitement and determination was too cute to ruin.) They ran for their rooms and met again in the living room with full snowboarding attire. Me, Lexi, and Sig watched them attempt to snowboard out back for a while, until they decided it wasn't going to work just yet. We all went out on our deck and decided to build a snowman instead.

(All of my roommates, minus Frank.)

Lexi, Rachel, Adam, Sig

Some more photos!

Later in the day the snow was still around!

Needless to say winter is well on it's way, and I can't wait to ride!

deadmau5

2010-10-10T18:42:00.000-06:00

This past Wednesday and Thursday my favorite producer/artist (not DJ) called deadmau5 (dead mouse) was in Denver. His tickets have been sold out for months, but I luckily found a ticket for Wednesday night online. It ended up being the most insane show of my life, and I decided there was no way in heck I could miss Thursday. Luckily I found a ticket online for the same price they were selling for before they sold out, AND my Thursday class ended up being canceled... PERFECT! It's safe to say I will be living off Mac N' Cheese for the rest of the month, but it was so worth it. deadmau5 is an internationally known producer, and I knew I may not get the chance to see him for a long, long time. It was definitely one of those "you're only young once" things. Both nights I had a huge group of friends raving with me, and it was by far the funnest two days of my life... as well as the best two live shows I've ever seen in my life. I would do that all over again in a heartbeat!!!! Here are some pictures from Wednesday and Thursday, and at the bottom is a video from my iphone of some clips from Wednesday's show. (It's mostly for the light show, since my iPhone couldn't really process the sound when it was that loud.)

Wednesday

Thursday

College Scholarships

2010-10-01T11:15:00.000-06:00

I was recently directed towards a website called CollegeScholarships.org and noticed a blogging scholarship. I have always wanted to apply for scholarships, and I have read through them before at my college, but I never actually applied. It was alway so confusing- Does this apply to me? Do I qualify for this? Who do I send this to? This scholarship was by far the easiest one I've ever applied for. My name, my gpa, my college, my blog, and a short essay, done! Though that would probably be one of the most exciting things to ever happen to me, there is only one grand prize winner, and I can't imagine how many people apply. Nonetheless, it was extremely worth the few minutes to take, so if you're looking for a scholarship, that's the site for you!

A 2 Peak Day.

2010-09-26T21:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was probably one of the best days of my time here in Breckenridge. My friend Mads came down (well, more like up) from Boulder with two of her friends for the weekend. I had planned to be their hiking/off-roading guide, but because of my leg I wasn't sure if I'd be able to. Not only did we end up hiking, we ended up hiking TWO; Peak 10 on Breckenridge Ski Resort at 13,615ft and Bald Mountain at 13,684ft.

Because two of them were from low altitude and not yet acclimated, we decided to take the first sections of the mountains in my 4x4 XTerra until we were above the timberline, which is a slightly ironic concept because the top is always the hardest hiking where there's no oxygen, HA! We started at about 10 am and decided to do Baldy first. I didn't know until yesterday that the off-road trail for Baldy is literally a block from my house. Had I known this when I first moved here, I can't tell you how many times I would have hiked and driven it by now! It took us about a 40 minutes to drive up and we spent well over two hours hiking.

Old mining buildings on the way up.

Stopped for a photo op once we got above the timberline. From left to right: Maddie, Me, Rachel, Ale.

Me and my baby! (The XTerra)

Mads standing with Mt.Guyot in the background.

Watch my XTerra get smaller and smaller!

Breckenridge

Maddie getting a better view from some rocks!

We didn't get all the way to the top because the path got pretty sketchy and we got pretty tired, so we decided to hike back down and do Peak 10, too! We drove down to town, got some gas, took a bathroom break, and headed up Breckenridge Ski Resort! The dirt road starts at Beaver Run resort and switchbacks up Peak 9 until you leave the ski resort territory above the timberline. To say the least, it is a pretty bumpy ride after timberline, and eventually opens up to a big plateau (4th of July Bowl) before very tight, steep switchbacks up Peak 10. This was a substantially longer drive than Baldy because we had to switchback up the entire resort from 9,000ft, and then drive about 7-15mph past the timberline.

Driving up Breckenridge, fall is so beautiful!

Above the timberline looking down on Breckenridge.

We could have drove my XTerra up to about 500 ft before the peak, but that would have completely lost the point of hiking. So we ditched the car and hiked the switchbacks up. We even had a snowball fight on the way!

About 600 ft from the peak, looking over the south side of Peak 10 down on to lower Crystal Lake (One of the few 4x4 trails in Breckenridge I have yet to conquer).

Looking over the south side at Upper Crystal Lake.

A picture of the 4th of July Bowl and Breckenridge, from about 12,900 ft.

We thought we were getting close... but when I took this picture my 6'4" friend Mikey and friends who started the hike a few hours before us were standing on the peak. Can you see them? Yeah, definitely not. How deceiving! HAHA!

Peak 9 (left) and Peak 8 look so small from up here!

Looking down from 13,300 ft.

CONQUERED!

Baldy Mountain directly out in the distance. It's crazy to think we were just on the top of that mountain a few hours ago!

We spent some time up on top throwing rocks over the edge and just sitting silently, listening to nothing but the wind. Though the saying goes a picture can say one thousand words, the feeling of actually being on top of a mountain can't be described with any. It's a very self-fulfilling experience- The sweat and energy you give to get to the top, paid off with views beyond your wildest dreams and a serenity you can't find anywhere in the world. If you're a parent reading my blog who has a son or daughter attending CMC, and you're from apart of the world with no mountains, I strongly encourage you to get out here at some point and experience it with your family. And with all sincerity, don't hesitate to contact me if you want me as your guide. This is what I'm passionate about, and I love sharing it with anyone I can, especially those who don't get to experience it on a daily basis.

SNOW!

2010-09-23T12:44:00.000-06:00

First off I thought I'd share some legitimate photos of fall that my roommate Rachel took last week with her camera. 99% of my pictures are taken with my iPhone, so you can never get the real colors out.

(Don't forget you can always click any of the pictures on my page for a bigger view.)

Yesterday evening a really cool storm rolled in. I love the storms in the mountains because they move so quickly. I could tell this one had a lot of accumulation because the clouds were really low and really high and kind of misty... which is rare for Colorado being so dry.

The word around Breckenridge was that we were supposed to get our first dusting of snow above the timberline tonight, and sure enough I woke up to a dusting! It's very exciting, the first sign of winter! The snow and cold weather is definitely late this season, but I'm hoping it's because of La Nina and she's cooking up a little more before it dumps all season. Hopefully Loveland and A-Basin won't have to keep canceling the start of snowmaking. As I type this it has started to sleet out... it's not hair, it's not snow, and it's not rain... it's kind of like a soft hail. Hopefully that means it's snowing up on the peaks!!!

UPDATE: It IS snowing!!!!

The other day I was riding my bike and took a nasty spill. It is by far the worst road rash I've ever had in my life. I'm three days into it and it's the most painful it's been yet. It's hard to decide if I should keep wrapping it because the air stings so bad, but at the same time I want it to scab up! My knee is pretty bruised and swollen too, and unfortunately I took off a layer of my tattoo with the bandages this morning. OUCH! I've been doing a good job with keeping it clean etc, but if anyone has any pain remedies PLEASE let me know!!!

Side One

Side Two

Fires and Fall

2010-09-15T13:48:00.000-06:00

This post is definitely late, and I apologize for that. The beginning of the year is always kind of uneventful. Everyone is busy getting moved into their new places, figuring out their new classes, or getting back into the school mode. I'm finally settled into my new place and I really love all my roommates. I'm also starting to meet a lot of new people this year that migrated here from other campuses or are just new to the area or CMC. I miss some friends from last year, but I definitely have room for more!

I'm sure most of you have heard about the devastating wildfire in Boulder that destroyed a total of 169 homes. A few days ago a new one started in the city of Loveland, which is north of Boulder. As of yesterday it was 35 percent contained. I thought it was kind of odd we haven't seen any smoke here in Summit County, but sure enough the wind picked up today and blew it in right around 11am. It reminds me of last year when the California wildfire smoke blew in around this time and stayed for a good 4-5 days. I'm hoping it moves through fast this year, though.

I took a bike ride this morning and snapped some photos before the smoke rolled in. It's so crazy how fast the leaves turn yellow here, I swear everything was green last week.

The 4 lane road coming into Breckenridge is finally open and almost done. The new bike path next to it is pretty awesome, as well.

Snowmaking starts in a week at a few different resorts... I can't wait to get back on my skis!

A New Year!

2010-09-03T12:46:00.000-06:00

Ahhhh the first week of school done! This semester I'm taking Accounting, Microeconomics, Small Business Management, Business Communication and Report Writing, and Avalanche Safety. Two of my classes actually haven't started yet, but I would have to say my favorite so far is Accounting, which is funny because not only do I have no friends in that class, I have to drive all the way to Dillon for it. But my teacher is fabulous- full of energy and smiles and very personable, and I really enjoy the topics we have talked about so far. I'm loving all of my classes this semester though. I'm finally able to start taking a lot of business classes, which I'm really excited about. I have really found my niche in business, and hope I make a great business owner someday. As much as I love skiing I really do like being in school, especially when I'm able to study things I'm interested in. This might be a crazy first semester, but I'm stoked for all the things I'm going to learn.

I also moved into my new place this week with my friends Rachel and Lexi. Our friend Sig from Norway will be moving in in a few months, and I guess my friend Lexi is letting two of her guy friends sleep on our couch for a while. Not to stoked about that, but it's nice to go from living with one person who was never home to a bunch who are around. We have some classes together or at the same time too, which will hopefully save on gas. I'm also not super excited about living so far up Boreas Rd this year. I'm use to being able to just walk to the store or down Main St. But I can't complain... Check out our view!!!

A Day With A Legend

2010-05-03T16:14:00.000-06:00

Before I start my story, let me say that a chairlift is the #1 place in the world to meet people. You're stuck next to 1-5 other people on a bench seat for a 5-15 minute period 30 feet off the ground. If you can't meet someone in that situation you might be a lost cause. I have always been one to listen to music while I ride, but I always take my headphones off on the chairlift. I'm not discriminatory towards race, age, or sex, because I feel like everyone I've met has had a story, and this time was definitely no different.

I drove to A-Basin this morning and planned on skiing alone. A lot of my friends have gone home for the summer or are just ready for summer (I can't say I blame them). As I was getting on the chairlift an energetic man, who had to be in his 70's, skied up next to me. He was a tall thin man wearing an older one piece suit, but his skis looked brand new. We started casual conversation and I could tell he knew a lot about skiing. "This is someone who's been skiing for decades," I thought to myself. I really like listening to the "old" guys in the industry talk (I put "old" in quotations because besides their age, nothing about these guys is "old"). The stories they have about places they've gone and how skiing use to be back in the day is so fascinating, and this man wasn't by any means short on stories. As I got off the chairlift I went straight to the next lift and he turned right and went down the run, but I really didn't think much of it. I went up the next lift, went all the way back down, came up the first lift again, and as I was skiing to the second lift I saw him.

I purposely tried to slow down hoping he'd catch up so I'd have a chairlift buddy. Not only did he catch up, but he flew past me. I caught up with him in the lift line and he nudged me with his elbow. "We meet again young lady!" He said with a big smile. We started going up the chairlift again and I asked him a question:
"So, I have a question. You seem like you've been skiing a long time and well this is my first season. Could you give me some pointers on how to keep the tips of my skis more parallel on my turns?"
"What?!" He responded, "You mean to tell me you just started skiing? Well I'll be darned! I saw you ski, why don't you come take some turns with me and I'll show you."

He continued to tell me some of his crazy stories up the chairlift, about mountaineering (the sport of hiking up a mountain and skiing back down) and white water rafting and being an engineer on the side.
"This pair of skis I use to ride, well before they put them up on display somewhere anyway," was something he said that really caught my attention. I began to grow more and more curious about who he was, who he had been, and something in me told me he wasn't just anyone. We got off the chairlift and skied over to a fairly steep and narrow run.
"Now you follow me first kid, try to keep up and follow my tracks."
I laughed in my head, I could keep up with a 70-year-old just fine... so I thought. We started off and I was only a ski length behind him, after his second turn I was 5 ski lengths back, and then 10, 15, and 20. He was waiting for me at the end of the run. I was out of breath and exhausted, and I hadn't made half the turns he had.
Then he laughed, "Looks like those powder skis are a little hard to turn on these groomed runs!"
"Yeah," I responded adamantly, needing some sort of excuse for myself and him as to why someone 50+ years older than me just schooled me. I was sure he was someone, he had to be, he was probably a racer in his younger years.
"I have another pair of park skis in my car, I'll grab them later and work on what you've taught me."
"Well why don't you just go get them now," he said, "I've got all day."
I'm always one to take advice from others on skiing. It's a very humbling sport, not like other team sports. The difference in talent from one skier to another can be the difference between a blade of grass and the empire state building. It's a sport I'm very passionate about, and I'm so inclined to learn.

I went to my car and got my other pair of skis and we met back at the bottom chairlift.
"Ahhh, you have twin tips," he laughed, "looks like I really won't be riding behind you now!"
(For those of you who aren't skiers, twin tips are skis that are curled up on the front and back, a modern ski made for skiers who like to do tricks. The purpose is so you can ride backwards without digging your tips into the snow causing you to fall. The curl on the back of the ski causes a lot of snow spray, though.) He had a very savvy personality which impressed me. We took quite a few more runs together and I was starting to keep up with him better, his pointers were really helping.

"You know, a few of those last turns were almost perfect. You're catching on mighty quick, let me tell you. Faster than I've ever seen."
"So did you use to be a ski instructor?" I asked.
"No, no, no... I just use to ski for a living, er, I mean a hobby. But it still is I suppose..."
"I knew it!" I thought to myself, he slipped. I looked down at his skis as he kept talking and I saw the name "Tom" written on the tips of his skis, often done as to not get one's own skis mixed up with someone else.
"Tom, Tom, Tom..." I repeated to myself in my head, trying to come up with a retired pro skier named Tom, but I had nothing.
"You know, I really like you Ali," he said, "you've really got something here with skiing. You've got heart. Now you just have to really put that heart into the way you ride, and not just skiing, you see?"
"Yeah, I see." I said.
"You just ride those skis like it's more natural to you then walking, but you don't give any effort. Lets go inside after this run, I've got some things I'd like to show you."

At the end of the run we walked into the lodge where his wife was sitting reading a magazine.
"Look here what I've found," he said to his wife, "A 19-year-old super star skier!"
"Haha," I laughed, "He was just helping me with my carving."
"Oh is that so?" His wife said, "That old man slowed down enough for you to keep him in sight did he? You must be something." Even she seemed to know how fast he was.
He sat down next to me at the table and pulled a stack of full paper-sized pictures out of his book bag, along with a Ski Magazine.
"Now lets see here, where is it", he said as he was paging through the magazine. "I don't usually just carry these things with me so it must be fate!"
He turned the magazine towards me to a 7 or so page ski article about a very dangerous, epic, first-accent mountaineering excursion. I'm not sure if most of you are familiar with Skiing magazines, but it takes a darn important story to make a 7 page article, much less a 4 page one.
"There, read that first sentence there," he said as he pointed to the first sentence of the entire article. They say that people lose their memory when something shocks them, so honestly I don't remember exactly what it said, but it was something like, "You never get anything less than an adventure when you spend a day with Tom Spencer."
He started paging through the article before I could process his name, pointing out pictures of this insane mountain he climbed."
"It's 13,000 feet, but it ain't like these mountains here in Colorado where you can start the climb at 9,000 feet, we started at 3,000. I'll be climbing it again next year, that'll make me 76-years-old when I do."
He pulled the magazine away and dropped a pile of 50 pictures or more in front of me and began narrating as he went through them. Picture after picture was a different magazine cover he was on.
"November 1971, see this is the first issue ever that Ski magazine published with a skier (yours truly) doing a freestyle trick on it, it was an 'aerial airplane turn'. Oh and see this here cover, I don't even know who took this picture, I sure didn't okay it to be published, but someone sent it in and then there it was. Oh and here's a picture of me and my good friend Jim McConkey."
(Jim McConkey was the father of Shane McConkey, a modern skiing legend who was sadly and tragically killed last year when a ski base jump went bad.)

It all started hitting me then, I knew who he was. Tom Spencer is one of the godfather's of skiing, one of the guys who was one of the first to do a lot of things on skis. He's one of the reasons the sport is where it is today. I know some people might wonder why I was so starstruck, since I can say I'm friends with some of the current best freeskiers in the world, but this is different. It's probably really cool to meet an engineer who builds and designs airplanes, but what if you could have met the Wright brother's who invented the airplane? I had just spent the day riding with a legend, and I was honored beyond words.

"See Ali, you didn't get to be friends with your friends so quick for no reason. I think they saw the same thing in you that I see. I'm going to get you on a real pair of world class carving skis, and I want you to keep them, for now. I can't even imagine where you're going to go on them. But let's find out, say Thursday? I'm going to bring two friends, they just might show. Two X US Ski Team racers, they have more advice when it comes to teaching."

We exchanged emails and I tried to thank him as much as I could for showing me all he had and sharing his stories. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it out on Thursday because I'm leaving for Wisconsin for a week on Friday, but I am sure that I have made a new friend. A new friend that is a legend, who has wisdom far beyond my years, who can hopefully help me achieve my dream of skiing for a living. It goes to show that you'll never know who you'll meet, and all it starts with is "hello".