February 10, 2009 15:34 by
Sethso from x games we headed east to denver, it was a long travel day made more so by glennwood canyon being a parking lot when we got out of the the roaring fork valley and went to turn onto i-70. we waited that one out then after a painfully long breakfast we were on our way again. telling funny stories with palmer and nate holland. topics like what's your best story that involves beer and a boat kept us in stitches most of the way. I-70 can be an absolute mess and it still amazes me that for people who live in a state like colorado and deal with snow all the time as a population they might just take the cake for the worst winter drivers in the country.. we passed no less then fifty accidents and at one point had a funny interaction with a police officer reprimanding nate holland over his loud speaker to slow down even though we were going fifteen miles an hour under the speed limit in a four wheel drive suv and watching the cop in his rear wheel drive caprice fish tail all over the place.. who was the real safety hazard? so after having to follow this officer of the law a painful fifty miles or so we just missed flight one of the day out of denver. no big deal there was another one in six hours. movie time! one viewing of clint eastwood's gran torinno later and we headed to outdoor world to kill the rest of the time.. somewhere between the fish tanks, getting food and admiring all the things one could ever possibly need to hunt we left with only ten miles to d.i.a. and an hour and ten minutes till flight time.. when we got back on the highway it was another parking lot.. and so left our second flight of the day to reno without our seats occupied. we got rerouted through san fran. and what should have been an eight hour travel day to tahoe turned into eighteen.. at least there was no snow to miss the next day in tahoe.
so arriving to warm temps at night in reno and no signs of winter on the surrounding hills my mind switched to golf. graham watanabe and i played twenty seven holes over the next two days and switched mind frames for a minute. it was nice.. i struggled with the floppy rental clubs but the few pars i made had me dreaming of moments to come and the laps around the course at the loaf this summer!
so boreal was what it was. no snow. a course that was not fun to ride. i did alright though taking my first three hole shots of the day and ended up backing off in the finals and letting nate, graham, and nick, race it out as i had the far right hand start gate in a course that went left after thirty yards and presented no passing opportunities after that. then it was off to baker!
baker is one of my favorite spots on this planet and the ski area that takes me back to the feelings i had as a kid the most. 32 dollar lift tickets, nothing corporate, and access to some of the best backcountry terrain for very little hiking i have ever found in the u.s.. on tuesday, weds, and thursday we just hiked laps around the shuksan arm, dropping into snow on the north facing wall that had been protected from sun and wind. even though it hadn't snowed in over a week we rode snow a foot and a half deep on pitches up to fifty five degrees. it was the first real freeriding i have gotten to do since alaska last spring and it was so much fun. to be able to get your heart up into your throat before committing to drop a fifty degree line with mandatory air in the middle is my idea of having fun and it had been way too long! a highlight of the week was hiking a lap with temple cummins and tom burt. while i geeked out at the top getting some panoramic shots tom dropped into the line i had ridden the day before. a full rollover ak style that lead into a really steep ramp spotted with pepper. it felt good knowing that having looked at the mountain the day before i chose the same line tom burt did! sick.. as for the race.. well i kinda blew it which really bums me out. i had put all bets on an unseen board showing up from my shaper in switzerland. it arrived thursday, the day before the race starts. it will be the last time i ever ask for a specific board without really being specific about the side cut radius.. when i took it out for the first run on friday it simply didn't turn. ok, last minute change of plans.. i rode my unwaxed rock damaged fish that day to a fifth place qualifying time. the lowest i had ever placed at baker.. saturday i borrowed a board from nate holland and ended up third. ok i could do this on borrowed equipment i thought.. unfortunately in the finals on sunday it didn't work out so well. i let it fly first run as the course deteriorates so badly you don't want to leave it till your second run.. two thirds of the way down i came smoking into a tight shicane turn and got ejected. damn.. no my game plan was shot and my legs screaming at me.. it was not meant to be. i spun out in turn three on the second run and backed off too much after that. well off the podium i left baker for the first time without one of the coveted rolls of gold, silver, or bronze, duct tape.. next year.