long overdue snow stories, part two

The day after my fresh powder riding experience, I got a call from Snow. No, really, that's his name.

Anyhow, he was stuck at home due to the snow and wanted to go snowboarding. Free riding fresh in my mind, we set out for the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Netherlands Carillon in search of a slightly taller hill with a less exhausting approach than the one I'd tried 24 hours prior.

He packed a shovel to build a learning-sized kicker on the side of the hill we found. A hill that many gather on in July to watch the fireworks over the National Mall. In view were the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and U.S. Capitol. Clear, blue skies above, and nary a soul nearby.

As we hiked and rode over and over again, we got a few curious stares from passing cars and a few walkers. Before too long, I was getting better at catching air, though my landings were still spectacular failures. My partner-in-crime slash instructor was hitting all of his 180s, but couldn't quite manage the 360s he was working on.

After a while, an SUV rolls up, and two guys get out. They say their from the BBC and want to take some footage of us on the hill. Um, sure?

To be honest, I wasn't exactly jazzed with the idea. Cameras intimidate me in my best pursuits, which is why perhaps I hide behind mine while shooting my favorite hobbies. After a dozen or so falls on my part and much better success on his, they pack up their gear, stick a microphone in our faces, and ask us a few off-the-cuff questions. Our answers were less than eloquent, but we were apparently on that night's news on BBC. Too bad we never got to see it, despite giving the crew our email addresses.

The story's not done yet. A guy in a Navy (capital N for branch of service, not color) sweatshirt shows up toting two better-than-mine Nikons. He sets himself up for some photos of our view and also asks if he can shoot some of us. Content to be captured by still frames this time, we both think, "Why not?" I think I was more excited for this prospect because even if I fell every time, there were bound to be a few shots that at least made me look like I knew what I was doing.


I was not disappointed. By and by, he emailed me the files, and they were excellent. Check out some more of Justin Sen's photography, featuring yours truly at his website.



...and now you know the rest of the story.

long overdue snow stories, part one

With the snow fast receding, I feel the urge to share two D.C. snow(insert-second-half-of-portmanteau-related-to-disaster) stories.

After the Saturday storm on Feb. 6th, she and I were suffering from a bit of cabin fever. I decided to take a walk to a park near Seven Corners. In the summertime, I spent a few afternoons at the park playing on the waterslides, reading in the sunshine and playing minigolf with various too much free time afflicted friends. After this storm, it was a considerably different landscape.



It doesn't look it, but the snow was nearly waist-deep in spots. It took quite a bit of effort to trudge through with my camera and tripod, but I did manage a few striking shots with the polarizing filter on my lens. This, however, is not my photo blog, and neither the point of this post.

As I was about to leave in a sweaty heap from the unfortunate lack of snowshoes, I saw two guys walking into the park with their snowboards. Curious, I tailed them to the lone hill in the park. These two clever guys had found a small, hidden gem to ride for distraction. I struck up a conversation with them. I quickly hurried home to get my board and join them.

My better half dropped me off on her way to the gym, and I got my first experience in riding fresh powder.

Not out west. In a county park. No lift ticket needed, but I had to earn every twenty second run with the hike back up.

Absolutely worth it, though.

snowtiquette?

This Florida boy is not really up on his winter rules. This winter has given me a few clues into rules of engagement.



Get after the shoveling while it's still falling. It makes it much easier when it finally stops.

Salt works, but only to a point. When it exceeds more than a few inches, the only thing salt does is make removal easier when you can finally find sidewalk underneath. I can't believe that I've gone through 50 pounds already this year. This winter decided to go big to make me go home.

On to etiquette for snow, snowtiquette if you will. Most people seem to have the common decency to not park in spots that were cleared by the sweat and muscles of another. People who are new to snow obviously don't know this. Compounded by a complex that was wholly underprepared and underfunded for this winter, parking spaces are at a premium indeed.

Yesterday, I spent about an hour for the common good clearing some other spaces out with my neighbors. The two spots that we use were finally clear of snow and ice after some heavy duty salt application. Upon returning home from work yesterday, she discovered someone had parked in her spot.

I don't mean some random spot that we "claimed" with a bucket or chair, saying don't park here. I mean a paid spot in our complex that our landlords included with our rent. There's few of them, and we have the right to tow from the spot without warning.

Angered at this breach of snowtiquette, I quickly texted my landlord for the phone number for the towing company and scribbled a terse note for the offender's windshield. Calling the towing company did me no good. They said they weren't towing from paid spots, "per management". My guess? Management knows that there aren't enough spots now for residents because their snow removal budget was blown in December.

We hemmed and hawed about whether or not to call again. Conditions worsening, we were of the opinion that it seemed awfully selfish to tow someone because they're in "our spot." On the other hand, I shoveled out the spot; I put in the hard work; I salted it to clear it completely. Am I completely off-base to expect that I should be able to park there instead of some jackass stealing my hard work? Would her car get keyed after the offending SUV was snatched by a tow truck? I tend to hate tow trucks for being nothing more than glorified car thieves, slightly less so since moving out of Gainesville.

Waking up this morning, it appears that the spot is now empty, rendering my indecision a moot point. If that's not the case, what should I do? It's whiteout conditions; I doubt a plow has been through yet.

In the comments, tell me what to do. Comical, ridiculous responses always appreciated.

bring on the snow!

I was out walking the District today. Nothing like an unplanned and unwanted snow day to kill any sort of momentum you have in the classroom. At least I won't have that pesky three-day weekend for Presidents' Day like I was planning! I just hate time off.

I was quite impressed with the snow removal capabilities in DC. The streets were cleared, including side roads and alleys. Sidewalks, for the most part, were also salted and shoveled. On my normal side of the Potomac, VDOT was a little slower to act, as usual. By the time I got up at 7, the temperature was already above freezing. Shoveling was a breeze today, as was getting the snow off windshields and whatnot.

I come home to find this message from the NWS:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS...THIS STORM IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE 12 OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW IN THE WATCH AREA...WITH A GOOD CHANCE FOR LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OVER 20 INCHES.
* TIMING...SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATE MORNING FRIDAY...CONTINUING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.
* TEMPERATURES...HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S FRIDAY. FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...TEMPERATURES WILL BE 25 TO 30 DEGREES.
* WINDS...EAST 5 TO 10 MPH FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...BECOMING NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH SATURDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE SIMILAR TO THE DECEMBER 19TH STORM. PLAN FOR SUBSTANTIAL DISRUPTIONS TO TRAVEL FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

Oh, goody! If you work for VDOT, please go talk to someone in the snow removal department for the District. I'd really like to go to work next week. Judging by your efforts after December 19th, I'm not really confident you'll get the roads cleared before Punxsutawney Phil's six weeks of winter are up.

At least my camera still functions, and I can take some more pretty photos...

sleepy little seaside

Every time I come back to Florida through a sleepy little seaside town, it makes me miss Florida just a little bit more. Being near the beach is as good for my soul as being near the mountains. I need sun and sand just like I need snow and sandstone.

I was walking along Flagler Avenue this morning in New Smyrna Beach. The little tourist shops are just opening up, the locals are going about their business, waiting for the tourists to arrive. Me? I set foot in one of those little tourist traps that I'd never have ventured into except when drunk to get a trinket for m'lady. Joking with the storekeep about that fact, she laughed and said she gets more business from locals than tourists. Go figure.

So how to remedy this little problem in my head? I need to move to Springfield. The beach is a day trip away. Capitol City is field trip accessible. There's an elementary school with inept teachers, a moronic principal, and a bumbling superintendent. I'll be running the joint in six months. Mount Springfield has snow for that fix; it snows often enough to start my own snowplow business on the side. Minor league baseball, kids' sports teams, hiking trails, all-you-can-eat seafood restaurants and a top-notch watering hole called Moe's.

I am of course referring to the Springfield with Evergreen Terrace and a Kwik-E Mart and Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge, and Maggie. Too bad I'm not a cartoon...

weather adjustments

From today's Post:

President Obama might have taken note after grousing last month when Sidwell Friends School, where his children go, closed for a smaller storm. "This might be what the president considers a serious snowstorm," his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said. Sidwell was closed again yesterday, and public schools in the District opened two hours late.
Schools were closed in Montgomery County for the third snow day this year and in Fairfax and Prince George's counties, for the second. All three school systems announced two-hour delays for today.
Virginia declared a state of emergency, calling it the worst storm in eight years. Local airports saw numerous delays and cancellations, although operations were mostly back to normal by late afternoon.

I figured it out. There's a reason why six inches of snow snarls things to a halt around here. The road crews and residents just aren't used to it. The road crews in all the lands that laugh at Beltway residents when a few flakes fall have far more practice at clearing up wintry precipitation. They get it at least yearly, if not several times a year. Twelve solid hours of snow would be cleared quickly by their more experienced crews and their more numerous trucks.

I think from here on out, I ought to expect a day off for a good dose of snow and a two-hour delay for the day after. Today marks the second such string. It'll all be gone by the weekend according to the weather reports. Wonder if that means I can hop on my bike and ride around this weekend in the called-for sixties.

We'll see.

march comes in like a lion...

Finally, we get some serious snow. In March. Go figure. It was ankle deep when I got up, drifts up to a foot. Took me a few minutes to dig out my car to drive to the store. Sadly, I've spent the majority of the day indoors catching up on work I should've done last week.

That said, I sure wish I could've found a person or two to go snowboarding with. It would've been a helluva cold day. They got no snow, but they made a bunch. I hope someday I can live where there's real rocks and real snow in the proper seasons to feed my outdoor addictions.

It's supposed to stay cold today and tomorrow, so maybe I can make a proper snowman this evening. We'll see.

wisdom of the sages

Sage generally implies that someone is aged and has gathered much wisdom in their many years on the earth. I have no idea how long Anne Applebaum has been roaming this sphere, but she's got some pretty good thoughts about weather and extremes. I wasn't sure where she was going beyond making fun of Londoners and Washingtonians, but she sure hit the nail on the head with her take on perspective.

This winter has been one of getting it from both sides of the aisle in my family. My mother on the southern end, complaining it's too cold; me laughing because above freezing is turning balmy in my perception. My aunt on the northern side, asking me if it's cold enough yet. I'd say that I'm dealing with the extremes of this winter pretty well. At least for a Florida boy, my blood is thickening up quite nicely with the antifreeze. Sure, I wish we had more snow, but we have been blessed with some gorgeous sunny days this year. A stark contrast from last year's cold, rainy, London-esque days for sure!

I just hope when summer rolls around again, I haven't lost my Florida tolerance for heat and humidity. My perspective, it barely gets to hot 'round here...

common sense

Common sense would dictate that after a week of being severely tired, I should take it easy this weekend, no? Common sense would not say, "The weather's great. You should go outside and play." That's the yin to common sense's yang; the Tom to its Jerry; the Bluto to its Popeye.

Of course, that is the one that I listened to. Honestly, I'd have to change the name of this here blog to "Sit Around and Be Lazy" or "Couches and TV Rule!" As I stated on Friday, I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Saturday found me strapped to the board. Again. She was impressed with this season's progress. The case used to be, she'd coach me on the easier runs for part of the day, and I'd send her off to run her crazy hard and steep trails. For the first time, we spent the entire day carving down the same runs together. Even in less than ideal conditions yesterday, I managed to stay upright for the majority. Oddly, the flat sections of the bookend runs were what gave me the most trouble. Gimme something steep! Am I turning into a real deal shredder? I think a trip out west is a definite possibility for next season. Fresh powder. Real mountains. No ice. [insert Homer Simpson drooling sound]

This morning found me slip sliding around Carderock looking for the boulders and the sends. We found both and a good time in a half day of climbing. I'm toting the computer to the Super Bowl festivities this evening to edit them with some offbeat soundtracks and throw them online for the world to see.

Go Steelers!

slip and slide

all the local blogs are simultaneously freaking out about the weather and decrying the local news media for doing the same. it's pretty funny actually. myself, i said the hell with it and rolled with the punches. for those of you out-of-towners, it snowed here most of the day on tuesday. it was a teacher workday, no kids. the county sent me home at noon. for light, fluffy, pretty snow.

i was glad to go home early, since i was going to try to sneak out anyhow. i'd run out of things to do. grades were due that morning at 8:30, so i'd finished them the day before. i spent the day working on smartboard lessons with a teammate.

i ate my lunch when i got home and stomped off into the snow to snap some photos. this new camera is a lot of fun, but i probably ought to read the user's manual a few times to figure out all the bells and whistles. i found my way to lubber run park near my house. it's my go-to wilderness spot in my urban landscape. against norm, there were many kids roaming the park with their sleds and snowballs and classmates. i wanted to take some fun action shots of kids being kids since it seems so rare these days, but i thought better of it. it's sad that it takes the local anomaly of snowfall to get lazy adolescents and younger kids out of the house to play in public with their friends. x-box and playstation and wii have ruined this generation.

yesterday, more of the same with far more than snow on the ground. the treachery of ice prevented most districts in the area from having school. instead of heading to the slopes to ride, i took off to the city for some urban winter shots. i threw out about 95% of what i snapped. i'll try some of the in-camera editing features to make them black and white or color balance or filter to tweak them before i post some more.

as of this morning, ice had refrozen on many sidewalks and roads. some of my sidewalks were never cleared by our management company, and my neighbors are understandably upset. we got a two-hour delay out of it, turning our already short week for the kids to barely more than a day and a half. i sure hope tomorrow is a normal-length day. i'd much rather have them in a normal, structured day than one that i've had to modify in the wee hours of the morning before school starts.

next week, forecast is calling for another dose of the white stuff. i'll deal with it with a grin and a grimace. the grin for the beauty and florida boy in me that enjoys the novelty of the seasons. the grimace for all the morons on the road and locals (who are mostly transplants to begin with!) who bitch about it. it's january folks. shut your mouth or move to brownsville, texas.

comatose

food comas are best enjoyed after a long day climbing or outdoorsing. case in point, today.

left with the two chucklehead copilots today 'round about eight. hit their parking lot a little after 9:30. we expected single digits and were pleasantly surprised with the teens for most of the day. translation? only three layers and none of them heavy insulation. as long as i was moving, i was doing alright.

fortunately, today was yet another snow day spent on my feet more than on my tail. big progress today. big props to snow for helping me improve all day long. no, i'm not personifying precipitation. for those of you that don't know, a pledge brother of mine's last name happens to be snow, and oddly enough, he also shreds the gnar. quite well, in fact. good pointers from him had me falling all over the place in the morning to confidently running all of the blue trails by the end of the day. i was linking turns quickly and falling rarely. when i did fall, i bounced right back up again and kept on cruising.

right now, it's turned into a mind game of enjoying the adrenaline from the speed and still building the muscle memory to make turning at higher speeds second nature. turning off the anxiety with speed is the first step towards getting better and quickly. fear does funny things to your brain in so-called adrenaline sports. with some, it makes you overly cautious and second guesses your every move. on a snowboard, that can be pretty dangerous. it was the same with climbing; the fear of falling makes you overly cautious and sketch out on moves you can make. the fear takes over, and shuts you down.

i noticed last night at the gym how much my climbing technique has evolved over the years. some movements are so second nature to me that i forget how difficult it was for me to learn them, let alone build the core to make them. i suppose the same is true for snowboarding as well when friends are trying to help me straighten out my game strapped to a 154cm waxed piece of wood.

twelve hours later, and one cracker barrel coronary special, i am all sorts of comatose from fatigue and food. catch you on the flip side!

crushed hopes

every time we get our hopes up and try to plan for weather, it crushes our hopes. it's like a perfect game. from here on out, no mention of snow or rain or sleet or ice until it actually happens.

i guess i should go get dressed. wearing pajamas to school is generally frowned upon when you're the teacher.

no pain, no gain

as i sit here, back at work for the first time in the new year, my legs hurt. so while i wait for videos to upload to my school website for the parents, i thought i'd fill you in on a highly successful and hilarious trip to white tail.

for those of you not in the know, white tail is the closest decent resort to us. there's 20 trails, 16 of which are open currently. yes, more than half of them are out of my reach. for now. one resort is closer, but that was the site of my first trip to the slopes. it was painful. it may be time for a return trip.

anyhow, she and i left for our day trip, arrived to a packed house, and i strapped up warily. i will say one thing about this season that i already like better than last season. once i get my lift ticket, there's no fussing with changing into proper clothes, no waiting in line for rentals. just strap up, and hop on the lift. that's pretty much amazing.

let's go back to that wariness. i was skeptical of the quality of the snow. granted, it's all gravy because it's cold, and i was at least familiar with the resort. no mistakenly going up the wrong lift and being in over my head. after the bruising season debut, i wasn't real confident from the get go. fortunately, the snow was softer and the temperature was warmer, so the ice was pretty much nonexistent.

my heel side turns got easier as the day progressed. the links were coming smoother. the only times i was falling was to avoid people that weren't being particularly prudent in their rocketing down the mountain. a few times, that left me on my tail for a little bit longer than i wanted as i waited for a clearing to merge back in. i saw an "i'm proud of you" smile on her lips as we were actually able to ride down a few trails together. by together, i don't mean her stopping to encourage me every 10 yards or so. granted, they were a little bit too easy for her, but they were right where i needed to be. on my feet.

...and then my confidence (and my better half) convinced me to go up the lift to the more advanced terrain before the day was through. peering out over the edge, i got that same uneasy feeling that had all but disappeared with the successes of the day. after a few false starts, i sheepishly admitted that i was in over my head, sent her on down the mountain, and trudged my way down 900+ vertical feet on the side of the trail, dragging my board alongside. when i got to the bottom, she was there, waiting to apologize. i ran over, stopped her with a kiss, and said, "i'm tired. can we go home now?"

so instead of bruises this time, i left with weak, tired legs. they still ache today. two more weeks 'til a four-day weekend. i hope there's some good weather!

matching bruises

against my better judgment, i went down the blue run to warm up. i had second thoughts, but she said i could do it. turns out, that run was pretty much ice. my heel side turns had become nonexistent in the off season. toe side, i picked back up pretty quickly, but finding that soft(er) patch of ice to make the turn proved more difficult than expected.

as i've been told repeatedly, when the conditions are good on skis, they're great on a snowboard. conversely, when they're bad on skis, they're horrible on a board. proven right yet again.

i smartly made the best of it by working on linking my turns on the bunny slopes before attacking anything more challenging again. i think i got my turns back to where they were at the end of last season. i attacked a long, narrow green repeatedly by the end of the day. it was different every time. i used the terrain to my advantage to make those heel turns, but i'll need to get them solid before i get comfortable with any speed. i'm more or less plowing the whole way down any semblance of a steep grade.

all things told, i kept it together pretty well for the amount of falls i took. she was awesomely patient and ditched me for a while to ride two runs to my one. she always met me at the bottom and told me funny stories about gumbys hitting on her on the lifts. at the end of the day, my final fall to my knees left me with a sore neck...and a hankering to get back out there for some more.

snow day tales

i realized that i hadn't gotten a good story out of my budding writers in quite a while. i gave them a prompt today along these lines, "The weather forecast for today called for seven inches of snow. Boy, were they wrong! What would you have done if today was a snow day?" so while their little pencils are scratching out fun kid stories, i told them i'd pound out a big kid story too. here goes:

I woke up this morning and looked out my bedroom window. Snow was everywhere! I hurried out of bed to turn on the television to see if we had school. After a few minutes, I got my answer. SNOW DAY!

First, I called my friend Jedd. He's a teacher, too, and he wants to go play in the snow. I think I woke him up, but he said he would be ready when I got to his house. Next, I got all my snowboarding gear ready. New pants, warm hat, dry jacket. Oh yeah, and my snowboard too! I picked him up, and we began to drive to White Tail. Just like last year, the park was empty when we got there. There's nothing like not waiting in line and getting to ride everything I want. One time, I fell and did a cartwheel with my snowboard on my feet. That hurt! Finally, at the end of the day, Jedd and I got some chicken fingers and tomato soup at the restaurant. When we finished eating, we loaded up the car and drove back. We had so much fun; I can't wait to miss school again!

so, this little work of fiction, i'll share it with them. what would you do if you had a snow day? oh, you live in florida? too bad! move where the snow is, and take a snow day...

east coast shreddin'

this is what we have to look forward to when it ain't quite snowing, but the weather's cold enough to keep the snow around.



soon, i will regale you with tales of injuries and triumphs on the man-made snow-covered slopes of extreme southern pennsylvania. joy!

here we go again!

there's nothing like the excitement of a roomful of eleven and under students, already at free rein to talk amongst themselves. what my normal florida, excited-at-the-prosepect-of-snow reaction should be turns to, "there goes the rest of the day!"

of course, even with flurries, it's no different than teaching when the weather changed during the school day in florida. the same lecture applies.

"y'all have seen rain/hail/thunderstorms/snow/flying pigs/raining frogs before. let's all take a look out the window for a minute, then we're done being excited about it until school's out. capiche?"

i had to conceal my excitement over the weather change. of course, it's a lot easier when the flurries aren't sticking. now, when we get some measurable snow, i just might pee my pants this year because i've got a snowboard, waxed up and ready to go.

finally!

all day thursday, we were praying for the worst weather imaginable so we could have a weather-induced three day weekend. i woke up yesterday morning, with a feeling of dread. no snow on the ground. what looked like wet roads out the bedroom window. turned on the tv. as it scrolled through the districts canceling school, my hope grew. montgomery county maryland--no school. arlington county virginia--no school. alexandria city public schools--no school. loudoun county virginia--no school. fairfax county virginia--no school! yippee!

walked outside. slick, wet, icy, nasty. ugh!

i decided the night before if we had the day off, i was going to go play in the snow while the rest of my sucker friends had to work. her roommates are teachers too, and one of them likes the snow. actually, she grew up in vermont. it's kind of in her blood. she agreed that it was a good idea.

we set out on wet roads, hopeful that the conditions on the website were in fact awesome. i know you rocky mountain or other "real" mountain people scoff at this, but 2-4" of natural snow and some manmade too is worlds better than the slushy, icy mess that beat my butt (literally) on my first excursion.

fluffy, white powdery. no lift lines. i could actually turn 9 times out of 10. when i fell, it was easier to bounce back up. i conquered the green runs, and my fellow shredder convinced me to get on a blue run. mind you, visibility was a little less than ideal though the slopes were pretty great. getting on a steeper run with worse visibility...let's just say ahead of time, i was apprehensive, but i did it.

and survived. yes, i fell more often, but all i had to do was try to discern the baby blue figure carving just barely in view to make sure i was headed the right direction. progress! let's see if i can get one more full day in before the close of the season. it was a helluva lot better than working yesterday, that's for sure!

old man winter...

he's an orn'ry fella. i wish he'd make up his mind. i was excited to see the lunar eclipse tonight, but old man winter decided to snow all over my plans. monday i was short-sleeved. today, somewhere between flurries and actual snowfall. overcast skies as it were so there will be no gazing at the heavens this evening.

i've got chili in the crock pot and an 80s movie from netflix. hoping for the nastiness to dump some real weather on us on friday. just one snow day, dammit! that's all i ask...

third time's a charm

yesterday was my third outing on a mountain with my feet strapped to a plank of wood. well, at least something that resembles a plank of wood but is probably carbon fiber, fiberglass, or other equally high tech strong stuff. i took the first timers class...even though that was a lie. i felt out of place with the true beginners in my class. funny how much changes in just two short trips. i'd like to think that at least i had a little bit better balance on my first trek before new year's, but something tells me my judgment is clouded. i did pick up a few good tips in the class on how to maneuver on the ground after falling or before getting up. something she shared with her roommate upon returning. it helped a lot!

confidence is coming. i'll still confine myself to the greens next time i go to keep myself from getting hurt. i made a few runs where i was able to carve and discern the difference between a good spot to try turning. coincidentally, those spots were the ones that hurt a lot less to fall on. stopping and slowing myself down is getting easier, which is a huge improvement from the first time out! then, i was a rocket sled on rails. if i could stay upright, i was going to go go go. i like the boots i bought, even more so after smelling the rental building after returning my board. manky, dank, locker room humid. i honestly don't know how the kids working were able to stand it.

the lifts are full of interesting characters. some talkative, some downright mean. the guys in my class, pretty funny. some kids, not so funny. yelling at people skiing or riding in the terrain park like they own the damn place. they were going up the lift for the green, pimple-faced little chumps. there was a mountain patrol guy riding up with us one time, talking about this and that. not unlike climbers talking about where they've climbed, golfers where they've golfed, surfers where they've surfed, drinkers where they booze.

we met jedd & wyn up there. wyn's a skier. jedd went for his first time. a lot overdressed and overheated in the upper 30s, i can't blame him for wanting to stay warm. they were intent on night skiing. after she'd ridden every run in about an hour and a half and helping me after my lesson, we were done. jedd wanted one more run on the bunny slope. she and i went with, discovering on the lift that the run was essentially a sheet of ice. i managed to stay in control, stop without falling and steer like i wanted to. way to end the day on a good note!