Dear Buck Hill Diary, Season 2, Disc 1

[bobble]

who's with me!!!

[Scuff]

Gawkus - I had the most fun just "people-watching."

Took ~30 minutes just getting out of traffic.

Ha ha ha - Nice!

So Mr. Johnson - What is your position on global warming and the environment?

[BobD]

will be tax deductable.

Ha ha ha - Nice!

So Mr. Johnson - What is your position on global warming and the environment?

As soon as Trent is in office, his V.P. Bobble will hold secret meetings with the Alpine Snowboard Industry in the US. Then, a year later we'll invade Switzerland, onstensibly to stop the flow of cow bells to ski races. BUT we'll all know it was to get control of the Kessler factory.

BobD

[trent]

global warming, bad. cold winters, good!

i like it, bobble will do all the work! because you know i'd be out on the hill all winter. all meetings would be held on the chairlift!

oh, and the MES would be a holiday for carvers, as would the week of SES.

-trent

[Joe D.]

Anyone out this Sat? J1 - 6 race at Welch Sat and Sun, 400 kids. Buck may be nice in the cold.

[Speedzilla]

Anyone out this Sat? J1 - 6 race at Welch Sat and Sun, 400 kids. Buck may be nice in the cold.

Get out early, there are some killer winds in the forecast for later in the day.

[BobD]

Light snow, faint sun, an inch of fresh.

I was chasing Greg on my skis, which was great fun.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1312513779383039082&q=ski+tag+alpine+snowboard&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

BobD

[powell1.8]

That was fun. I was kinda bummed that I had to leave.

[bobble]

<table><th width="125"></th><tr><td>Date</td><td>2/9/2008</td></tr><tr><td>Temp</td><td>high of 31F</td></tr><tr><td>Visibility</td><td>Sunny skys and lots of UV rays</td></tr><tr><td>Conditions</td><td>EXCELLENT!!!</td></tr><tr><td>Hardbooters</td><td>100+ (me, trent, and everybody else)</td></tr></table>

Aspen -- A Time To Gloat!!!

when i arrived, things didn't look so good. the weather was predicting saturday would be 40% snow. aspen has been getting dumped on. lots of snow. while walking around town i saw more than one car driving around with 2-3 ft of snow on the roof. i was slipping on the side walk. last year it wasn't anything like this.

well, when i got up this morning the weather report was wrong. BLUE SKYS and SUN!!!!.

trent and i rode buttermilk. it was a religious experience. wide steep hills. snow was soft but it held. considering this was our first day, i'd like to start things off slow on the steeps and slowly ramp it up. don't want to get injured. a couple times i found myself going too fast. i don't know what i was trying to prove. right off the bat we went to tiehack. some steep runs. makes bakki look like crossroads. one of those places where you want to get there before the general population shows up.

trent was carving it up. he was getting tired quickly. he was making alot of transitions on his board. he's a mad man. apparently he counts the number of turns he makes per season. me, i just don't turn as much.

lots of talented riders. fun to watch.

we pretty much boarded straight with the only breaks for when trent demo'd board. i was beat. end of the day for us was around 3:30pm.

Things You Don't Often See

we met this guy at the start of the day. i think his name is rick from Washington DC. he had a metal board that was polished to a mirror finish with very little distortion. trent asked if he ever got blinded it. he said "yeah, now i have a bionic eye". he had some trench diggers with gold finsh. the board looked more like a cartier watch. if you held the board right, it looked almost invisible when it reflected the snow. lots of new demo boards.

Awwww... Shucks

trent and i stopped on this run. trent recognized the guy and started talking to him. he then introduced me, "tom, this is bob". the guy starts talking and says "i liked that picture of you where you were on that run and the cord was exploding off the edge of the board". at first i thought he was talking about trent. then trent says "yeah, i took the picture". i then realized it was a picture of me! (i can't find it otherwise i'd link it). its strange not to know someone and yet they recognize you.

[tpalka]

It was a very cool pic :)

[MUD]

Too bad you guys are in Aspen.

Stellar conditions here:

-10 with wind like you would not believe, as of 8:00 this morning.:D

It's a bummer my wife is on call or I would be out there.

[powell1.8]

I'm hoping to ride tomorrow morning, the conditions should be good. It might snow, but that's OK. Grooming should be sweet with the cold temps tonight.

[bobble]

It was a very cool pic :)

thanks!

[bobble]

<table><th width="125"></th><tr><td>Date</td><td>2/10/2008</td></tr><tr><td>Temp</td><td>warm at the bottom, cold on top, probably mid 30's</td></tr><tr><td>Visibility</td><td>another beautiful day of sun and blue skys</td></tr><tr><td>Conditions</td><td>read below</td></tr><tr><td>Hardbooters</td><td>SES community</td></tr></table>

Snowmass

started out at snowmass. went up to sneaky's. we were getting bounced alot. seemed like it was already wrecked by the time we got there in the morning. i got bounced out of a heel side which was not fun. started to go into self preservation mode. there were alot of skiers on the run. midway down sneaky's was decent and took some video.

Collision

there was a collision between a hardbooter and skier. i don't know the details. i saw where it happened. it was about midway down the run leading down to the big burn lift. from what i heard it sounded like the skier was badly injured. it got a little too squirrely at times with skiers/snowboarders to the point i was sketching.

Back To Buttermilk

trent had talked to some other carvers and they were heading to buttermilk. we had taken another run on sneaky's and decided to head over there too.

back to buttermilk. went up to tiehack. did javelin, racer's edge, tiehack trail. these runs are blacks and quite a bit steeper then welch's bakki but they are wide. racer's edge is probably close to chicken. its a little intimidating but whats cool is that racer's edge has sort of a bowl near the bottom where you can carve off it. later i was tired and started doing the blue runs.

Things You Don't Often See

on the summit express lift i saw a near perfect circle that some hardbooter laid out. i didn't see who laid it out. it was damn tight and it was complete 360. i'd guess maybe 8-9 foot diameter. how's that possible?

[Scuff]

Jessie and I went to Giants Ridge this weekend instead of going to SES.

Sunday was sunny, bluebird skies, freshly groomed cord, and excellent

hero-snow conditions. I think the best part was there were (maybe) 10 other people on the

mountain, so we had the whole place to ourselves!!.. :D

-18°F with a -48°F windchill.

[powell1.8]

Grooming was near perfection at Buck today. It was a little on the slow side though. There were only about five cars in the lot at 10:45. Bob D made it out as well. I'll be back tomorrow morning.

[BobD]

Greg, realised I won't be there tomorrow. School field trip to Hyland Hills. I get to help do up dozens of ski boots.

BobD

[powell1.8]

No worries.

[bobble]

<table><th width="125"></th><tr><td>Date</td><td>2/11/2008</td></tr><tr><td>Temp</td><td>30's</td></tr><tr><td>Visibility</td><td>morning there was some sun, cloudy and snow in the afternon</td></tr><tr><td>Conditions</td><td>good stuff</td></tr><tr><td>Hardbooters</td><td>SES</td></tr></table>

Fresh Tracks At Ajax

early morning i went to ajax. it was overcast and i was a little worried. i'm guessing there were probably 70 hardbooters. trent couldn't make it, he was getting a private session with john gilmore. mr. t was there. first run was down Copper Bowl. the run is like a natural half pipe. its a trip!!! people would be going down it, laying out some turns, and then ride up to the side of the run to rest. we'd all be sitting there watching each other drop in. i didn't have problems with visibility. the sun started poking through the clouds. later it was bright and sunny.

later, went to ruthies. then run is a series of steeps and flats. its comparable to bakki but its longer. took breaks getting down. the snow was groomed. i might've taken 4 runs. when skiers showed up it was time for me to leave.

Buttermilk

got back to Buttermilk around 11am. it had just started to snow. i took about two runs. the snow was coming down hard. decided to go in for lunch. trent later showed up. both went out to tiehack and fell in with a posse of hardbooters. mr. t was there too. there was a cloud on the run that was very dense. saw some guys carve right through it and disappear. we went throught it and as we dropped in elevation it got clearer. kept riding till close.

Retro Day

SES had a Retro Day. the deal was you're suppose to have dressed in some vintage snowboard gear and take a run down in your gear. only three contestants; Al from wisconsin, Fin, and Brian from oldsnowboards.com. Al was wearing a sweater with some snoopy headgear. Fin's had s black jacket with flourescent colors. his ensemble also included a headband with flourescent colors ("hey guys lets go shredding!!!"), some white/pink raichles, and condoms in his wallet from 1980's (it was later determined that the expiration date was March 2005, hey but nice try). Fin had an asym board. Brian had some old stuff, a red backpack, a burton hoodie, and a Burton Powder Gun. the judges ruled in Brian's favor. the rules were you had to make a run with your board but when Brian tried to get onto the Summit lift, they wouldn't let him on -- just like in the old days. so he won hand's down.

the prize was a snurfer -- the first snowboard. its a red board, had staples for where your feet went, and a white nylon rope. it was from the 60's. i have the exact same one. i used to ride it down my backyard hill.

[bobble]

<table><th width="125"></th><tr><td>Date</td><td>2/12/2008</td></tr><tr><td>Temp</td><td>30's</td></tr><tr><td>Visibility</td><td>partly cloudy but plenty of sun</td></tr><tr><td>Conditions</td><td>great! </td></tr><tr><td>Hardbooters</td><td>SES, approx 250 hardbooters (but not all at one time)</td></tr></table>

Off Day -- Buttermilk

today was an off day, no scheduled events. i just did Buttermilk. trent had another private session that was originally scheduled at Ajax but then he moved it to Buttermilk. my first two runs were low visibility. it looked like a cloud settled on the mountain. then riding up for the 3rd it was all gone. it was good riding. i rode non-stop from 9 am till close with no lunch. met up with trent in the afternoon. mostly spent my time on tiehack.

its a struggle to think about taking pictures or pulling out the video camera when its this good. trent has taken a few pictures. i have some video but not much.

[bobble]

<table><th width="125"></th><tr><td>Date</td><td>2/13/2008</td></tr><tr><td>Temp</td><td>30's</td></tr><tr><td>Visibility</td><td>excellent</td></tr><tr><td>Conditions</td><td>nice groom for what i saw</td></tr><tr><td>Hardbooters</td><td>SES</td></tr></table>

Bananas, Water, and Ibuprofen

i over did it yesterday. my lower back was aching through the night. tried some back stretches and ibuprofen. suited up and went out to Highlands. on the way over on the shuttle my back started aching.

anyhow, the shuttle arrives at Highlands, i go up the chair lift. i was nervous because i don't want to get hurt and ruin this trip. i wasn't in alot of pain but i was really stiff. i could barely flip the bales on my bindings. i found that carving the greens was fine, i probably could've done that all day but to get to the lift was somewhat of a challenge. to get there i had to do alot of sketching and side slipping on blue runs. its embarrasing to be slipping easy runs in front of a large group of carvers. i tried following trent on a steeper run and i just couldn't do it. i rode the express lift 3 times then called it -- dead on arrival, 11:00 am.

its depressing to see blue skies and sun and being sidelined. i sat there for awhile at the bottom and watched people carving down the run then left. ms. bobble had just flown in this morning and so going back to the room was easier.

been reading the MCCS Daily Rub In. frickn' hilarious!!!

The Highlands

the Highlands were groomed very well especially on the greens; exhibition, nugget, and riverside drive. nice and firm. no idea what the other runs were like. trent said it got windy and that he got tired and started to take it easy.

Occupational Hazard

trent called me later to ask how's the back. he said a brian (oldsnowboards.com) got got into an accident and got a broken leg. another boarder ended up with a broken arm. thoughout this trip i've been hearing people with there own injury stories. on the way up the lift today, i met a hardbooter named jim from california that was telling me he had a titanium rod in one leg "from being stupid". yesterday another boarder told me he got hit by a telemarker and that he woke up in a hospital after being unconscious for 7 hours. mike b from indiana is riding with a shoulder restraint because he pulled his shoulder out some weeks ago while boarding.

[powell1.8]

Sorry to hear you had to sit a day out. Try ice and icey/hot. That stuff has worked wonders on me. Wash your hands though, that stuff can be painfull on the wrong type of skin.

All thouse injuries are a scary thought.

Be safe.

[bobble]

Sorry to hear you had to sit a day out. Try ice and icey/hot. That stuff has worked wonders on me. Wash your hands though, that stuff can be painfull on the wrong type of skin.

All thouse injuries are a scary thought.

Be safe.

i was putting on a heat pack every so often. this morning i feel better. i feel it when i rotate. i should get it checked out and start doing core exercises again. sucks to grow old. :(

i had a similar experience but much more painful about 8 years ago. my back seized and it was debilitating. it was so bad i went to urgent care. the next day i had to fly out for a business trip (i had no choice). my travel partner had to help with my luggage because i couldn't lift it.

[bobble]

<table><th width="125"></th><tr><td>Date</td><td>2/14/2008</td></tr><tr><td>Temp</td><td>30's</td></tr><tr><td>Visibility</td><td>snowing. clouds</td></tr><tr><td>Conditions</td><td>about 12 inches of snow. it was wet enough to pack</td></tr><tr><td>Hardbooters</td><td>SES</td></tr></table>

Snowmass

it was snowing at Snowmass when i arrived. top of the mountain the visibility was nill. when i took the Villager Express lift, i couldn't see the end of the lift until the last tower. i was boarding in a fog on Sneaky's or Mick's Gully (i couldn't tell it was so foggy). lots of snow, some untracked, some push piles. it was slow going. occasionally there were areas where the snow was packed so i could throw in a carve. met up with trent and mike b and ventured onto a different part of Snowmass. visibility improved. did some runs on Lodgepole. and Coffee Pot. if it weren't snowing, those runs would've been excellent for carving. they have some nice rollers. might've been better if the snow wasn't so wet. we tried searching for groomed runs. there were a few but they weren't much. we started doing some easy blue's and greens near the Village Express lift because it was too choppy for carving or going fast. on one run, i was going to fast that i bounced a couple times on heelside and received a not so nice snow enema. some sun poked through the snow for a short. snowed throughout the day. overall it was good once we found some decent stashes. good times.

Pay By The Foot

a hamburger, fries, cookie and soda costs $20.25 at Gwynn's High Alpine. its elevation is at 10,465 feet. WTF!

Feelin' The Love

when we walked into Gwynn's, i immediately found a table. we started taking off our gear and some old guy, an employee, started giving us grief about it. "On weekends when i see people putting their jackets on chairs and putting their gear on the table, i move their stuff right off the table as soon as they get into line". apparently you're suppose to go through the food line first, then find a place to eat.

gee, i feel so terrible that i stole someone's chair who wasn't even sitting in it. i'm going to cry.

Twin Tips ROCKS!!!

today i was riding plates on a rossignol freeride board. i've had this board for about 10-11 years and never tried it with plates. i am glad i did! it was perfect for today's snowfall. i had set the plates way back with low angles of 48F/42R. it floated very nicely over the fresh snow. i have rode in powder on softboots but i always hated how my feet twisted inside the boot whenever i hit push piles. and my boots/feet would get wet. riding in hardboots was very comfortable and very responsive. one of these days i'm going to bring it out to buck or welch and try it on cord. my old freeride is now my new mountain board.

[thebionicman]

Probably going to ride Saturday (2/16) morning at Buck.