Feb 5, 2008...

Trish and I signed up for a lesson with Julie Zell. We got a little bit of time with her during snowboard camp and we felt that it would be fun to spend the day on the slopes with her. You'll see if you google Julie that she's one of the first 10 women to snowboard at the mountain here in Jackson Hole. She is truly a pioneer in women's snowboarding.

We showed up for the early gondola. It wasn't a big snow day but it was fairly warm (teens) and somewhat clear and sunny. Pretty day with lots of visibility.

The first thing Julie said to me was, "Bend your ankles. I saw you the other day. You have to start bending your ankles. Let me see you bend your ankles. That's what you're going to work on today". I thought to myself.. when did she see me the other day? Are these guys always watching? I gotta wear a different coat. Shit!

We worked our way up the mountain. When we got to the East Ridge lift there was no line. Julie asked us if we wanted to go down the "bowl". For those of you who don't know Rendezvous Bowl is the tippy top of the mtn. I went up there in Season 1 (or maybe it was Season 2). So we went up to the top. It didn't seem very threatening or steep which is pretty cool. It was soft but thick and chunky. I had a lot of problems turning in it but I was up for the challenge. So I turned onto my toes. I started to fall backward down the fall line (down the hill). I thought... Oh well it's soft. I'll land on my back. It'll be fine... Well I did briefly land on my back and then my feet went over my head and I did a complete head over toes 360. I almost landed back on my feet! Amazing. It didn't hurt at all. I love my helmet. Of course I was informed that the fall happened because I am not bending my ankles. No harm done we headed to check the first thing off of our list. Our first Hoback.

Julie had us do drills to get ready. Squat, push, turn. Over and over. It actually helps in the powder. We headed down the Hobacks. The entrance is narrow and bumpy. Then it widened up and it was a bunch of fun. We had moments of brilliance followed by SPLAT! We each had time with Julie working on our issues.

Our day was amazing. We went down the Hobacks. We went down South Colter. We sat at the top of Casper lift watching the uber snowboard competitors fling themselves off the cliffs and down Casper Bowl. It was an amazing show.

At 3:30pm.. Trish was done and headed out to do her thing. The hill closes at 4pm and I figured why waste 1/2 hour of Julie? So we headed up for what I thought would be a fun and easy run down Apres Vous... WELL! We went off the lift to the right. Julie said, "I think it's softer over here". We headed down. It got narrow and steep and there were a ton of trees. I asked, "Where are we?". Julie said, "Saratoga Bowl". Okay at this point the only thing I know about Saratoga Bowl is that Jeff told me, "You don't want to go there". Well turns out he was right. OMG it was so intense and it was the last run of a very taxing day. I slipped down between trees and around huge boulders. We traversed forever and ever.. At one point she yelled, "Push with your front foot". I informed her it's hard to do that when I'm riding "switch" (with the wrong foot forward). She marveled and said, "You have that switch thing down". I had to laugh. I had nothing down. It was almost impossible to keep her line. I was afraid if I didn't keep her line that I would end up stuck on the top of a cliff or huge rock with no escape. More and more traversing. At one point I got stuck. I had to dig myself out and then I got onto my toes (the correct foot forward) and then managed to have a moment of brilliance on this sort of bumpy narrow traverse. It was comforting to hear her yelling to make sure I was OK. It took us almost an hour to get down to the base again.

Julie said an interesting thing. When she started snowboarding she ended up in lots of places like Saratoga Bowl all alone after her friends who boarded better ditched her. She said she thought it was good to end up someplace like that with someone who can help you survive just to know you can survive.

Another fabulous day on the mtn!

----CTD

Well I rested after my snowboarding camp and then I headed out a couple days later. I went out with a girlfriend Shawn (the one whose son gives me tips on how to board) and she mentioned several times that I had gotten better. What a great friend! We had a great day. We went all over and just had a really nice time.

A few days later I started going boarding with Trish from my snowboard camp. What we found is that our boarding is changing. We used to go down the groomed stuff and avoided the edges and the bumps and the deep. Now we seek out the poofy stuff. Trish and I went up up up. We went up Thunder down Laramie Bowl (super fun) to Sublette. I learned that Trish hates the catwalks. Actually every beginner snowboarder universally hates them. I used to hate them but I made peace with them. Also I know them all now and I know when I need speed and where the skiers stop and block my way, etc. So Rendezvous Trail wasn't the best choice but I love that run. When contemplating our route down from Sublette (I know it makes no sense without a trail map... ) Trish was keen to just throw ourselves over the edge down whatever run was there anything but traversing! I am not so keen on that. There are cliffs and some runs are way harder than others. Anyway we found our way to Lower Sublette Ridge. It is a black diamond and it was a blast. It was deep and we made some good turns. This run is near South Colter, the one we did in our camp. We had a blast and then down to the Union Pass lift. Jeff was at the lift doing some work and saw us in amazement! The only way to that spot was down one of a handful of black diamonds. Completely full of ourselves we rode Union Pass up to the base.

2/1/08 !! We woke up to 16" of new powder! Trish and I headed out early to the slopes. It was SO fun! We did some laps on "Ranger" another black diamond run that goes along the gondola. It was really fun. Poofy. At once point I was in powder up to the middle of my thighs. I thought I was going to get lost in it. Many many runs in lots and lots of powder. EVERYONE on the mountain was all smiles.

We were going down "Wide Open" a run over by Casper and decided to do in and out of the trees. It's un-groomed and super deep and I sunk near the base of a tree. I was so stuck. I had to take my board off by feeling around in the feet of snow that buried me up to my waist and pull my board up. I used my board to pull myself back up into a less deep spot. Then I put it back on. Poor Trish had no idea what happened to me. Tonight on the way home I got us walkie talkies so we can get in touch when we're in the deep and trees.

Powder is the most amazing thing. It's like floating. My board is suspended in it. I can't see my feet, my board and most of my legs. It's also slower in the powder so in order to have enough speed I literally have to point my board downhill and then just gently switch from edge to edge. If I stop too perpendicular to the slope the powder piles up, stopping my board and sending me flying. It's really really cool. (I know some of you already know this but for me every day is an adventure. )

When I got home I had to take some snow off the edges of my roof. I am exhausted. Time to eat and sleep!

Hugs
----CTD

Day 1 - 1 /17/08

Got there at 8:15am "sharp" to be on the first Gondola trips up the mountain. I learned that "sharp" is a relative term. It was significantly below 0 (and for those of you in C land, I am talking F. ) It was UBER Cold.

We went up the Gondola at 8:35 or so so that means we stood in the freezing cold for quite some time. We sat at the top (inside) and waited for the mountain to open.

Our first run down was for the instructors to see what we board like. We went all the way to the bottom in like 5 seconds. It was really really really fast. I thought to myself.. "not sure I am gonna like this". Up on the Gondola we went once again. Then they put us into groups. I got Shannon. My group included Trisha and Betsy. They were both really nice. Trisha was quite a bit under dressed. I am not sure how she survived the day. She wouldn't ride a lift that wasn't enclosed. I was cold just watching her in her little spring jacket.

The next run down wasn't that different from the first one. It was at the speed of light. It was all I could do to keep up. Finally I asked if we were in a race. I wondered if it was the Women's Race Camp instead of the Women's Snowboarding Camp. Anyway after that things got a little bit more reasonable and we learned a ton. We did this "garland" thing I haven't done before. You move your foot like you're going to make a turn but you don't. Instead you pull back and don't turn. Then you go onto your other side and do the same thing. It really made me have to use my feet and turning got really a lot easier. Of course it also made my feet hurt. They're not used to all the work!

After lunch Trisha was gone. I thought she went into another group but I guess she went home because she was freezing. We had Jen with us for the afternoon. Jen is really fun and a really good snowboarder.

We also learned a bunch about body position on the board.

I think I am continuing to not suck. So that's good.

I almost forgot. I went up to the locker room to change before the apres snowboard festivities and I met these two guys from Chicago. They seemed pleasant enough but then the guy got weird. He started asking me how the bowl was (Rendezvous Bowl at the top of the mtn). I tried to explain that I wasn't a black diamond snowboarder yet but then he started going on and on about all these runs that are virtually "flat" and of course no black diamond run is "virtually flat". Those would be the green runs. Anyway the funniest thing is when he said, "Are you heels or toes?" I had to explain to him that on a snowboard we use our heels and our toes. It's called turning. I changed in record time and exited. Hopefully they aren't staying long in Jackson :-)

Day 2 - 1/18/08

I am sitting sipping my coffee. I see that it's 1F so at least the day begins above 0. That should make it nicer later on I hope. Almost time to drive to the hill.

We got Trisha back today. Luckily she was wearing more clothes and the day was somewhat warmer. Trisha, Betsy and I had Shannon again. Jen went back to her other group. What a great day!

Well there was one part of the day that pretty much sucked. We went down to a green run and tried to ride "switch". That's where you turn with the other foot forward. It's sort of like trying to write an essay with your other hand but of course that isn't painful just annoying. I did a couple pretty okay turns that were interspersed with SPLAT, WHAM, SPLAT! It was like I was learning all over again.

Then we had to try to do an "allie oop". That is where you start on the flat from a standstill and actually jump in the air one foot at a time. Well I failed at that miserably but later in the day I surprised myself when I actually used one to get going on the flat. It was also the very last thing I did before I called it a day. So maybe I can learn this switch thing too. Let the pummeling begin!

We got videoed today!!! This very nice guy on skis videoed us. We went in to watch the video but folks from the ski camp were over an hour late and using the screen. Anyway Betsy decided to call it a day (I totally don't blame her... we were all tired) and Trisha ran home to walk her dogs.. So I got to do my last run up Apres Vous with Shannon! We went into this deep poofy fluff. I managed to do a few turns but I too was tired. Shannon is so amazingly enthusiastic. You can't beat that!


Day 3!!! - 1/19/08

Our little group got to the hill early to catch the first gondola trips to the top. It was a riot. We got up there just before 9. We realized when we got to the top that there was WAY more than the 3" predicted. Shannon looked at us and said, " you guys don't need coffee an muffins do you?" We all had that look. We were strapped in and over the edge the minute the mountain was open.

OMG! First tracks! We were almost the first people down Gros Ventre.. There was TONS of POWDER! It was up to my knees. It was all floaty and amazing. When I turned onto my heels the snow (it was showing) would come right into my eyes. I kept hearing Betsy say, "This is crazy" over and over. I kept thinking..,. "Geez.. I can't see" Then I'd turn and it would be fine. After a few turns I got the I realized that I was so excited about the snow that I completely forgot to put my goggles over my eyes!
I took my first "face shot". That's when you turn and the powder is so deep that it comes up and hits you in the face! Awesome! We did another run there and Shannon taught us how to really turn in the powder. Then we did some runs in this steep powdery bumps. I have never been able to turn in that stuff. Now I can. We went in between trees and it was SO fun.
Thanks to my friend Wayne I already learned not to look at the trees. If you look at the tree, you run right into the tree.. That was a great base to grow from. It's pretty universal.. look at something and you'll go there. Look at a tree and you'll hit the tree. Look between the trees and you go between the trees. Look at the ground and you fall. Very simple. NOT! We all seem to want to look at what might kill us so that we can watch that it doesn't happen.. Human nature is amazing.

Of course on the last run of the day I got seriously stuck in the powder. Shannon had to come and rescue me. It's so exhausting to try to schlep your way out of waist deep powder after your board is sunk. I really didn't mean to fall in that tree well! Oh well! It didn't suck!

So tonight we had an amazing dinner at The Stone Table. Julie Zell ( of some snowboarding fame apparently) is one of our coaches and also owns the amazing Stone Table. We had a wonderful dinner (Hoovered with great conviction) and then miracle of miracles I won a SNOWBOARD!! It's a Sobe and everyone got to sign it. We're going to hang it on the wall for now. It's super neat. It's a 179 and I ride a 154. I think I am going to get some inexpensive bindings for it and get it tuned and take it out. I wonder what a board that long is like. Humm...

Day 4 - 1/20/08


We had a big snow last night again. We took the early gondola and prepared ourselves to take the plunge. We had the pleasant surprise of having Julie join our merry band. She's an amazing snowboarder and showed us a bunch of stuff about body position. We learned (okay I didn't learn it yet) how to do a "tip roll". I am sure that some day I'll do it without crashing. To do this you lean all your weight on your front foot and lift your toe foot in the air.

I knew I was tired when... the first clue was when we were doing this fishtail thing to shed speed and I did this flip and really made my knee hurt. Also this fall was the first time ever that I literally got snow up my nose to the point that I couldn't breathe out of my right nostril. Laughing and still in denial I figured.. I am not really tired.. It's just a fluke. NOT! So then we went into "Dick's Ditch". It's this super cool half pipe thing (not man made). It was all poofy in there and we were doing these drills. I am not sure what happened but I was suddenly thrown to the ground face first and my forehead hit the ground. WHAM! I was stunned but of course saved by my trusty helmet. At that point I completely lost my nerve and had to get it back. I took a few turns, got too much speed, almost crashed and then I gathered myself up, slowed myself down and met the gang at the lift.

Earlier I told Julie and Shannon both that I really wanted to do something, go someplace I hadn't been to before. Some place besides two trees that I always go by. Tired or not I was determined. So that's exactly what we did. We went down one of the "lower faces" called South Colter. Well it's a long way to get there and the powder was mostly waist deep on me. I managed to make some turns, successfully get between some trees and around and then not-so-successfully get between some trees. There were rocks we had to go around and it was super goofiness most of the time. Falling is easy. Getting up is hard. I have a lot of work to do to manage this powder thing. I have moments of floaty brilliance followed by cartoon tumbles that you'd swear would turn me into a large snowball rolling totally out of control. Of course the powder always stops me on the spot into a poofy cloud.

We rode the Union Pass lift back to the base. We watched the group video made up of all the individual videos. It was fun. Then lunch.. By then I was definitely done for the day. I was so tired and although one more run seemed appealing I knew I would hurt myself. Home, dinner and I was in bed sound asleep by 9pm.

I am taking today (Monday) off from boarding but I can't wait to put in a few turns tomorrow just to have fun with all that I learned.

----CTD

January 6, 2008

I went out early today because I had to go to a baby shower in the afternoon. My friend Jayne is leaving town tomorrow and we wanted to do some turns before she left.

There is something I haven't mentioned so far about this year on the slopes. I got a LOCKER! at the base! Jayne heard about it from a friend of hers and so we did some investigation. Someone practically has to die before you can get a locker. I finally got a hold of the locker guy. He said he had one left and since it was self service he wasn't sure if someone else may have gotten it already. When he told me the locker number I knew it would be mine. It was about 1 1/2 weeks before my birthday and the locker number was my age to be. Sure enough. I went to the base and got my locker! It's SO great. I don't have to schlep my snowboard back and forth to my car. It's all heated in there so everything is warm and dry. It's SO great. The locker has a pretty nice locker room and I meet lots of locals and folks from out of town. It's super cool. Downstairs is food. Did I mention how great it is!??

Anyway back to the day. So Wayne (Jayne's husband) is teaching again so it was just Jayne and I. We met at 9am and got on the Gondola. There was TONS of new snow! We headed over to Amphitheater and down to the Thunder lift. The line was insane so we kept going down. It was all poofy. Turning on the powder is a riot. It really slows you down.

I am starting to really like powder! Amazing.

January 14, 2008

Today was amazing. I got back from DC last night (had a meeting there) and I hit the slopes today. My grrlfriend was going to go with me but she got the flu. That was a bummer.

I had the most amazing day. I didn't suck AT ALL. I went very high up on the mtn. I went up Thunder and Sublette and I had the best time doing runs down Rendezvous Trail. I turned and turned. There was no sucking sound. Did I mention that?

I figured out how to get off the lift without it eating me. I actually tell myself out loud (well under my breath) to "stand up". It works like a charm. I rode the lift endlessly and with all sorts of people. It went amazingly.

My women's snowboard clinic starts this week. I am sure I'll have a bunch of updates from that. Hopefully I will continue not to suck.

Hugs!
----CTD

12/25/07

Of course we went out to the slopes again today. It was surprisingly crowded for Christmas morning but it was still fun. I left Jeff and my cousins to head up to the tippy top. Although I have been there once, I really have no desire to do that right now. It was a beautifully sunny day and of course freezing. We have this wonderful thing when that happens though. Because of the valley we're in the cold air sinks like a rock and it's actually warmer as we go up higher on the mountain. Don't get any illusions though it was still cold up high on the mountain, just warmer than at the bottom.

I did a couple of laps on Amphitheater and then traversed over to Casper. The Thunder lift was super crowded and I just hate riding the chair with 4 folks crammed on it. Casper was really empty and the snow was nice. I was there for a bit and then I talked to Jayne. She and Wayne were over on Apres Vous and I headed over there. I was feeling particularly well and Wayne started showing me how to weave in and out of these obstacles at the sides of the run. I went around rock markers and then through some trees and back out. The snow was deep around those things and so sometimes I would fall. By the end of the day I was getting the hang of the deeper, ungroomed snow. I was fun. Some day I may actually figure out how to do this, but then again maybe not.

I am headed to AZ tomorrow to volunteer at a race over New Years. I guess this is my last time on the slopes til next year! I need a rest so I can get into even more trouble. OH!!! Just so you can be ready! I signed up for a 4-day women's snowboarding clinic in January. I am sure there will be some updates from that. I can see it now, "My Days as a Crash Test Dummy Season 3 Episode X CJ Boards with the Uber Grrls!"

Merry Christmas!

-----CTD

12/21-12/22

My cousin and his wife are here from NY. They're super good skiers so we hit the slopes. I had a great time. I believe I may have been able to use shred as an adjective to describe me.. well if you squint.

12/23 Grand Targhee

What an interesting day. I was SO optimistic. Of course we remember my last time at Targhee.. that face plant and not being able to turn my head for several days. I perhaps should have learned my lesson but NOT. We went up the main lift and went down. I really wanted to go over to this other lift that I had remembered liking two years ago. So we went over there. Marc and Sherrie got on the lift. This is a small two seater with a huge pole in between the two seats. It's not a detachable lift so the cars go really fast at the top and bottom. We went and lined up for the chair. I am not sure at that point what happened. Careful to not catch the edge of my snowboard, I somehow managed to not get my butt all the way on the seat. That is never a good idea. So as the chair whizzed away from the base, I was expelled from the chair face first into the snow. By the time I landed in the snow my chair was already way over my head. So I got up and started to try to get out of there. Of course I fell again and I just wanted to scream. I nice skier helped me up and I went back though the maze and sat there for a while on my board. As I was sitting there this snowboarder came down the hill SUPER fast and did this amazing head over heels 360 degree thingy and landed in a somewhat not comfy looking position. He had to scootch back up the hill to get his glasses and hat. I told him I though that looked like it hurt and he said, "It'll hurt tomorrow" and boarded over to the lift.

gathered myself up and with the realization that my fall wasn't nearly as bad as the one that guy just took I got on the lift. I went up by myself (there was no line) and just as the chair came around the guy hit the stop button and informed me that I had to ride on the inside seat because I was riding alone. Like I would know that? Anyway so I moved to the left and then he started the lift again. I managed to get my butt in the seat and away I went. I was SO relieved. I really didn't know you could fall getting ON the lift. I certainly know how brutal getting off can be.

At that point I decided that perhaps that lift wasn't for me so I worked my way back over to the other lift and did some laps. It was a really pretty day and lots of poofy snow and it was pretty fun.

I rode the Dreamcatcher lift with this guy who insisted on putting the bar down. Some of the bars are a pain with a snowboard because they have these bars to rest skis on. Well resting a snowboard on it is really tricky. He said, "I want to be secure" (or maybe he said safe). I thought for a moment and informed him that there was nothing secure or safe about hurling down a hill on waxed sticks. (and quickly added snowboards). He didn't seem to see the humor. Oh well.

12/24

Happy Christmas Eve! Of course we hit the slopes again today. We went in Jackson though and while my cousins the uber skiers went off with Jeff to ski some real terrain, I hooked up with my friends Jayne and Wayne. It was warmer today, around 30. The wind was HUGE though and at times the blowing snow made it impossible to see anything at all. I was stopped at this place called Croaky Point. These two skiers came up and one asked the other, "Where are we going". The other said, "Into the white abyss". I looked down the hill and I could see absolutely nothing. After they skied a couple of turns they disappeared too.

On the way down the hill to the base there is a long traverse along a road. It's usually pretty okay but today it was covered with little knee high kids. My snowboard weighs more than these kids. It was really intense. I grumbled something about it and a ski instructor heard me. He said, "Don't worry they'll get out of the way." Yeah right. They didn't get out of the way. They were practically infants. Seriously not taller than 2 1/2 feet. I managed to dodge around them and get over to the top of the gully we were going to go down. Whew..! But no rest for the weary. There were a dozen or so super new skiers there. They were terrified. I remember when I used to be terrified there too but at least on a snowboard you can slip your way down almost anything. These folks weren't moving. As they clinged to the hill Wayne, Jayne and I managed to do turns around and in between them. I guess there is always someone who is worse at it than me. It just doesn't feel like it sometimes.

We're going out again tomorrow morning!

Merry Christmas!!!
----Crash Test Dummy

December 6, 2007
I hit the slopes for the first time. I didn't expect to have completely forgotten how to snowboard. I could no longer turn. What could have happened? Where did my mojo go? I went up the lift and chose poorly. I went to the right. I then found that all the green runs to the right were closed.. The only option? Go up. So I got on the Apres Vous lift and headed up. 2200 vertical feet to the top of Apres Vous Mountain. I really didn't need that! Yikes! I slipped my way down like a beginner. I a couple of turns and SPLAT! OUCH! I went home sore and discouraged. How could I completely forget how to snowboard? I was so good at the end of last season. I have been to the top of Rendezvous Peak.. What the hell happened???

December 8, 2007
My plan was to go out again to the local hill and give it a whirl. I invited a friend who insisted that I go over to Grand Targhee with her and her kids. Targhee is a nice mountain. It's in WY but you have to go through Idaho to get there. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get there and the whole mountain is pretty much intermediate. The hard part for me is that at the top there are very long traverses to get to which ever run you want. I am not a good traverser.. Oh well. So we went up. A couple of runs on the easier slopes. I did this HUGE crash traversing over to some run that Mitch wanted to do. Face plant big time. The left side of me may never be the same. OUCH! SPLAT! OUCH! I had to lay there and recover before I could even get up. All in all the day was pretty good. I was SO sore for the next two days I could barely turn my head. Yikes.

Of course as I was on the ground with my face in the snow.. people are shushing all around me. Spraying snow on me. Hardly even noticing that I am on the ground. Nice. My girlfriend yelled from below, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT???" I couldn't even respond. As I gathered myself up and headed down, Mitch (who is 12) suggested that I try my toe edge some more. Don't you think if I could turn I would? Oh well. Last year he gave me some great tips on doing a "grab" where you catch air with your board and then grab the side of it while you're in mid air. Like I am ever going to do that??? !!! He has a new board and of course is SO much better at it than I am. It must be nice to have no fear!

December 14, 2007
Casper opened today. For those of you who don't know the JH Mountain, Casper is a really nice intermediate lift. The lift itself SO SO SO slow but some of my favorite areas are off of Casper. Some may say it's too easy but I dunno.. I just really like it up there. I went up the Gondola and still really unable to turn, I slid my way down to Casper. I am not sure what happened when I got off of the Casper lift. I didn't hit anyone, I didn't crash and I managed to get to the top of Easy Does It (a run I am particularly fond of) and all of a sudden my groove came back. I took a deep breath and I turned all the way down. I got to the lip of the steeper part and reminded myself that I turned all the way down that last winter so what the hell was my problem? So away I went. Back to the lift and up again. And again.

Of course the lower mountain has little or no snow right now so the only way down is to traverse (my favorite part) over toward Apres Vous and then down. Of course the traverses often go uphill and that is easy on skis.. you just kick your way up. On a snowboard it stinks. Either you plan ahead with the speed or you have to take a foot out and schooch. Some more coordinated folks actually hop. I haven't mastered that yet. Odds are pretty good that I'll never master that. Crash Test Dummies can't hop! Occasionally a nice skier will offer a pull with their poles. I have had limited success with that. Anyway I had to skooch my way up a little hill.

From then til now! Well Wayne and Jayne showed up. For those of you who don't remember, two seasons ago Wayne taught me how to turn! He isn't teaching this year so Jayne and I have had our own private instructor. Totally fun. I am getting better all the time and then the occasional SPLAT! OUCH! WHAM! We're getting a lot of snow so it's powdery but still there is no snow down low so everything ends with the massive traverse.

I signed up for a 4-day women's snowboarding clinic that starts Jan 17th. I'll keep you posted on the Crash Test Dummy and the Uber Women Snowboarders! Yikes!

Happy Happy Holidays!
-----Crash Test Dummy