I didn't think I'd be sending it back to the Bay again until May but a death in the family brought me back this morning. The funeral will be on Wednesday so I'm stuck here again for an entire week just w a i t i n g.
I was scheduled to teach snowboard lessons for the next three days which I was totally stoked about and then I was going to keep practicing for my first weekend of competitions and start training with the Northstar team. All that changed. Now I'll get back and have something like 7 days to learn how to ride pipe and build up the confidence to hit the big jumps. I guess I'll just deal with it. I believe it will all work out.
I feel totally at home being in San Francisco again, but also completely stir crazy. Just like an animal pacing around, waiting to get out. If I bus it back next Thursday maybe I can ride Boreal that night? And in the mean time I can skate. Kinda like the old days again: holding this date in my hands of when I get to be at peace in the mountains, and just burning time skating until then.
Ugh. I really have nothing else to say. My grandpa's death still doesn't feel real at all so all I can still think about is snowboarding, why I'm not currently doing it, and what I'll do once I'm doing it again. I'm not cold hearted- I swear. My grandpa was the most amazing and inspiring man I have ever known and everything is going to be weird without him. His death was a condition of love and it's unbelievable to me that he's gone. Death just makes everything change shape and become unreal... And because of that, all I can hold on to right now is snowboarding... as usual.
Dec 22, 2010
Dec 14, 2010
Some goods from Signal
It's been a while since I've posted a freebie but here's a new one from Signal. I found an ad of their's in a magazine with a phone number listed. I called the number and it gave me an email address to contact to get hooked up. I'm not sure what's coming, I think maybe a beanie, but call the number and check it out.
612-360-4530
Enjoy.
612-360-4530
Enjoy.
City kid on skis.
What's that? On skis??? Yep, I just spent my day on skis... for the first time in eight years.
Today was my first day of on hill training and it wasn't too pleasant. I've been hoping and hoping for some snow to replenish what's been melting away and the storm finally came today- when I had to be on the hill on skis all day. The skiing itself was fine. I was able to pick it back up and didn't fall. But the weather and the fact that I'm missing my gloves just made it miserable. I was cold and stuck doing something I could care less about. I'm not trying to skibash here, it's just not my thing. All I was thinking all day was about how the only reason that I actually wouldn't mind the bad weather was if I was on my board. I would have ridden all day if it wasn't on skis.
I think I'm going to find it hard to get excited about my job. I love working with kids, but the skiing part just throws me off. Skiing isn't something I enjoy, and it's not something I know very much about. If I was teaching snowboarding I'd be able to get totally stoked with the kids and I'd actually know what I was teaching. I can give pointers on snowboarding and spot when someone is doing something wrong. Skiing? No way. I'm no help with that.
So we'll see how this little stint works. I'm putting snowboarding first though and will take every day I can get off to ride. Until the 19th though, it's double planks every day for me. :/
Today was my first day of on hill training and it wasn't too pleasant. I've been hoping and hoping for some snow to replenish what's been melting away and the storm finally came today- when I had to be on the hill on skis all day. The skiing itself was fine. I was able to pick it back up and didn't fall. But the weather and the fact that I'm missing my gloves just made it miserable. I was cold and stuck doing something I could care less about. I'm not trying to skibash here, it's just not my thing. All I was thinking all day was about how the only reason that I actually wouldn't mind the bad weather was if I was on my board. I would have ridden all day if it wasn't on skis.
I think I'm going to find it hard to get excited about my job. I love working with kids, but the skiing part just throws me off. Skiing isn't something I enjoy, and it's not something I know very much about. If I was teaching snowboarding I'd be able to get totally stoked with the kids and I'd actually know what I was teaching. I can give pointers on snowboarding and spot when someone is doing something wrong. Skiing? No way. I'm no help with that.
So we'll see how this little stint works. I'm putting snowboarding first though and will take every day I can get off to ride. Until the 19th though, it's double planks every day for me. :/
Dec 13, 2010
H is for helmet.
What I didn't do yesterday: Spend the day in the ER.
And that's entirely thanks to my helmet. I've never landed directly on my head before, but I always wear my helmet just in case. The inevitable finally happened yesterday and if it wasn't for the protection my helmet offered me I would have had split my head open for sure (and had to end the lesson I was giving to my wonderful new South African friends). I'm still in a bit of a shock from the fall because I know how bad things could have ended up for me.
Helmets are getting more and more common on the mountain but there are still a number of kids who are riding completely unprotected. According to the NSAA which has something to do with "National Ski Association" or something, only about 33% of skiers and snowboarders regularly wear helmets while riding. I don't understand how this number makes sense when stories of how helmets are saving lives are appearing everyday.
Heard of Cole Atencio? If not, read this. Note where it says: "Cole was wearing a helmet, and the doctors explicitly said it saved his life". How about the update on his health here where it says "Please be safe this season and don’t be too cool to wear a helmet. That piece of plastic is the reason he is still with us." If that doesn't do it for you, you must have at least heard of Kevin Pearce, who would have been a gold medal contender in the 2010 Olympics if it wasn't for his half pipe accident that left him with intense brain trauma and a bunch of other bad bad things. In this article, Kevin himself states "They're saying it's guaranteed I'd be dead right now if I didn't have a helmet on".
SO WHY WHY WHY aren't people wearing helmets???? Do yourself a favor and hook your head up with some protection. If you love snowboarding, why not take action to make sure you can keep loving it next season? The holidays are coming so if you can afford one yourself, ask for one as a gift. There are a lot of cool helmets out there that won't make you look like a n00b, and even if it did, why would it matter? I'd rather look like a loser but know I'll be alive tomorrow any day.
I personally sport a Salomon helmet which I love because it has fur inside the ear parts so it pretty much does the job of a beanie, but there are lots of brands that offer quality helmets such as Red, Bern, ProTec, and Smith. I'm not going to give you all sorts of stats and details here so sorry about that. Just go to your local shop, check out their selection and make some moves to keep yourself safe.
Smart style, yaddida? Don't let 10-11 be your last season. At least keep yourself going until the world ends in 2012.
Dec 8, 2010
Stuff about life.
It's been a little while since I last posted so I figured I'd make an update with everything going on. Like I figured, everything worked out (as far as the housing ordeal) when I gave it time. I got a call from Sawmill Heights at Northstar and I was approved for an apartment there. My brother is driving up from San Francisco in two days to help me move my stuff. I have no idea of who I'm going to be living with yet, but I'm not too worried about that. It'll be a surprise and I'm sure that situation will work out as well. I'm just excited to finally move to Northstar. Some people have warned me that it will get boring living there but being bored is for boring people. I'll find things to do.
As far as snowboarding goes, I'm pretty stoked. I went to my friends house a few nights ago and he had a whole park set up in his back yard including this huge a-frame rail. I've honestly never even done too much with regular rails but all my buddies were hitting it so after a while I worked up the nerve to hit it. After a few tries I was able to stay on for the whole thing which was a pretty big step for me. The next day I went to Northstar and with the left-over confidence in my system I went for their larger jumps and features that I hadn't touched before like the DC roller coaster box. Apparently snowboarding isn't very difficult when you just commit to things. Who would have guessed? Anyways, I'm excited and can't wait till I ride again, whenever that is.
The last little piece of what I've been occupying myself with is school. I've got one more final on Thursday and then I'm done with this semester. No more classes until next August. Say WHAT? I'm taking my first break from school in something like 13 or 14 years so this is a new deal. I can't remember life without going to school everyday. I may actually feel like an adult... Or not. Yeah, probably not. But whatever. That's it with that.
Oh, and I finally start work soon! I'm going back home with my brother on Friday, taking a greyhound back to Truckee on Saturday and then I have 7 days of training for ski instructing starting on Sunday. That means I'll be on the mountain on skis for an entire week. Oh. Jeeze. Maybe somehow it will make me better at snowboarding? Who knows? Even if it doesn't, I'd rather have a day on the snow on skis than a day stuck in the Bay just staring at a snowboarding magazine.
That's pretty much it. I really don't have a way to end this. Maybe I'll post something interesting soon? With a lot less words? haha. GOOD NIGHT SNOW WARRIORS.
As far as snowboarding goes, I'm pretty stoked. I went to my friends house a few nights ago and he had a whole park set up in his back yard including this huge a-frame rail. I've honestly never even done too much with regular rails but all my buddies were hitting it so after a while I worked up the nerve to hit it. After a few tries I was able to stay on for the whole thing which was a pretty big step for me. The next day I went to Northstar and with the left-over confidence in my system I went for their larger jumps and features that I hadn't touched before like the DC roller coaster box. Apparently snowboarding isn't very difficult when you just commit to things. Who would have guessed? Anyways, I'm excited and can't wait till I ride again, whenever that is.
The last little piece of what I've been occupying myself with is school. I've got one more final on Thursday and then I'm done with this semester. No more classes until next August. Say WHAT? I'm taking my first break from school in something like 13 or 14 years so this is a new deal. I can't remember life without going to school everyday. I may actually feel like an adult... Or not. Yeah, probably not. But whatever. That's it with that.
Oh, and I finally start work soon! I'm going back home with my brother on Friday, taking a greyhound back to Truckee on Saturday and then I have 7 days of training for ski instructing starting on Sunday. That means I'll be on the mountain on skis for an entire week. Oh. Jeeze. Maybe somehow it will make me better at snowboarding? Who knows? Even if it doesn't, I'd rather have a day on the snow on skis than a day stuck in the Bay just staring at a snowboarding magazine.
That's pretty much it. I really don't have a way to end this. Maybe I'll post something interesting soon? With a lot less words? haha. GOOD NIGHT SNOW WARRIORS.
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