Well, it’s a bit tardy, but who can blame me with all the excellent conditions as of late. I know that many of you are saying "c'mon what are you talking about, it’s been windy and cold." I agree this year has brought upon its fair share of wind, a little lightening and cold temps but this is winter in Montana, didn't we sign up for this. Plus hasn't all this brought us tons of awesome snow.
I left the office on Friday, the sun was out and I grabbed my socks, helmet cam and booted up. I decided that I would try out my new toy and get some footage of the snow, runs and friends. I also quickly realized I would get footage of me wiping out rather frequently. I hopped on Ramcharger, strapped in and dropped into Snake Pit. The snow was fabulous, I headed towards Bear's Lair and enjoyed soft, deep powder and some great tree skiing. I fell, brushed myself off and continued to Thunderwolf.
I decided at the top of the chair to drop into Wounded Knee. Did I mention this was at 3:00-ish. Wounded Knee was soft but was beginning to get a little skied out, what should I expect it was after 3pm. I also decided to try and ride it non-stop, I figured it made for better video footage. In a perfect world that would be true, however in my world, which is far from perfect, I realized that by the end of the non-stop run I was so sloppy the footage would have been much better had I just stopped a couple of times. Wounded Knee made for a nice run however and as the sun peaked again out it was a great day.
From here it was on to Swifty and one of my favorite runs, Rice Bowl to Crazy Horse. The snow in Rice Bowl was fabulous and the little hits and jibs in Crazy Horse always make it fun. As I cruised to the bottom, I met up with the Terrain Park Crew who were diligently working on the Snobar. Speaking of Snobar don’t forget it, Saturday January 17th and Saturday Jan 24th, check out the website for all the details. It’s always a great time. I hopped on the lift with the park crew and we took a run down Lobo.
First of all, the park guys are amazing riders and skiers, so the filming should be good. Secondly and perhaps most importantly they are just tons of fun to hang out with and ride with. I always laugh when I make some turns with them. Furthermore, the park crew works their rears off to provide some of the sickest park features in Montana and with 4 parks and a Superpipe to choose from there is something for everyone. Even lame dudes like myself. While the park crew was killing it, I quickly realized that I needed to be very close to them to capture them on the wide angle helmet cam. I wasn't close enough but in the right light, if you squint through a magnifying glass you can see them throw down some sick tricks.
So what did I learn? Great snow comes to those who wait. My legs are not in shape yet. The Terrain Park Crew rides hard and works hard to provide quality features and events for everyone and that I need a lot more practice with my new helmet cam. Guess that gives me a great excuse to get out again. Take care and see you out there.
Cheers,
Chad
