As the countdown to the 2010-2011 season continues (T-minus 67 days as of today) (see my previous post), I find myself not only thinking about getting out riding again, but also looking back at last year. I thought I would take the chance to share some of my favorite memories and thoughts of my 2009-2010 season.
The season started out rough. The warmer temps at the beginning of November pushed the opening date back by almost 3 weeks. For someone who Lives To Snowboard, those were a long 3 weeks knowing that historically I should have been out riding during that time. To make matters worse, there was the car accident that pushed my riding back a few weeks due to injuries. The season had finally started, and I was stuck on flat-land drills. Luckily, the injuries were minor, the healing was fast, and I was back out on the hills in no time.
As I think back on the most memorable times out riding last year, I have 4 that really stick out in my head. They're not just specific days out riding, but periods of time where I felt my riding was at its peak, and times when I was out just having a blast with friends while on my snowboard.
The first memory is the time during Christmas break. Unfortunately, the temps during that time last year were very cold. Because of this, the number of people out for lessons was down by quite a bit. Only the die-hard winter sports enthusiasts were braving the cold weather. The good thing that comes with temps so cold is that the snow conditions stay the same. The hills at Trollhaugen were groomed perfectly... as they always are! With fresh wax and sharpened edges on the board, and the lack of lessons due to the cold weather, I had time to get out and do some serious riding. I feel I had some of my best carving days during that week. Just getting out and laying down the trenches is the feeling I live for all summer long... definitely one of my best times out riding last year.
The next thing that comes to mind when I reflect back on last season, is the time spend with my good friend and fellow Trollhaugen instructor, Lisa, out at Hyland Hills. Lisa and I trained and took our Level 1 exam together. The exam was held in the evenings, and Lisa and I had never been at Hyland before. So to be sure we were familiar with the area, we headed out early in the afternoon to get some time on the hills. The area was quite small, but we found the terrain to be a lot of fun to ride. I think those 3 days of riding with Lisa (and 3 days of conversation while driving back and forth) along with experiencing the exam with a good friend is a memory I will cherish for a long time. Thanks Lisa!
Next up was the trip to Spirit Mountain. The excitement and joy of riding at a new place is always fun; but going there with fellow instructors made it even better. Nick, Kaity, Mike, Lisa, Peyton, Jeremy and I all had a fantastic time riding at Spirit Mountain. It was a long day with great weather, a great view, and great camaraderie that will make this day from the 2009-2010 season a memorable one for me. Oh yeah, here's a hint: Never call your last run. I'll just leave it at that...
Thoughts about the 2009-2010 season just wouldn't be complete without the instructor trip to Granite Peak at the end of the season. With the warm weather and the early closing of Trollhaugen, the weeks and days leading up to the trip were tense - wondering how much snow would still be left for us to ride on.
When we got there, we were happy to find out there were still plenty of runs open for us to explore. Friday morning started with an icy unloading area in which I think we all ended up bailing on - as we weren't expecting to take a sharp turn, one-footed, on ice, upon unloading. (Don't worry, we survived; but it was a good laugh for us all.) The riding that day was fun, but the daylight was flat from overcast skies and the snow conditions went through several stages with the warm end-of-March weather. It made for riding an unfamiliar area a bit sketchy at times. Saturday started slow with most of us taking our time getting to breakfast and deciding when we were going to start the day riding. A big Thank You goes out to Chauncy for getting us moving and out on the hills. The conditions that morning were BEAUTIFUL. The morning into early afternoon hours were sunny and the snow was soft, playful, not-sticky, and fun. My son Nick and I were able to experience our first "Experts Only" run and some double-black diamond runs. What a wonderful thing to experience with my son. Truly, some very special moments for me. The afternoon sun warmed up the hills and made the snow quite slow and sticky. We took a break for a bit to grab a late lunch and early supper. Nick and I decided to head back out as it was our last chance to get any runs in for the end of the year. A few of the others joined us and we tore up those hills until they shut down the lifts and kicked us out. What a marvelous way to end the season. It was an amazing group of friends to go with, and I would like to thank them all for making the trip so much fun. Nick, Mike, Lisa, Julie, Kaity, Jim, Chauncy, Earl, and Justine - thank you for such a great time!
It was a late start and an early end last year, but overall it was a terrific year. I'm looking forward to adding some more great memories out on the hills this upcoming 2010-2011 season!
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