TR: Weekend of my Discontent

Well the last week has been one day of spring skiing after another.
Bright sun, temps in the 40s and 50s by day and refreezing by night.
Not that it hasn't been fun, but this is not what I come to the
mountains in March for. Oh well, I guess I don't mind the sleeping in
and I have been getting an education in chasing the soft conditions
around the mountain and I have always enjoyed skiing slushy (as long
as it's not too wet) snow.

I haven't been having the most error free skiing on this trip. It
seems like even when I'm skiing well I'm more likely than I've been in
years to cross my tips or get in the back seat. I think I've had more
little falls this year than I've had in the three previous years
combined.... Well it finally bit me. Thursday afternoon at Winter Park
I got in the back seat over a big bump on Long Haul and found myself
sitting in the snow. It wasn't a dramatic tumble in any way, shape or
form but when I got up I realized that my back was out. Not locked up
or anything but quite painful and a definite end to my day. That
night I used several therapies to find relief, including stretching,
hot tub, ibuprofen and beer. None were completely successful but I
figured I would be in
Frisco Friday afternoon so I would drop by my chiropractor and
everything would be peachy once again. The only problem was that I
had arranged a meeting on Friday.

Friday I awoke stiff stiff stiff.... and not in a good way. Even after
a half an hour of stretching, getting my socks on was a formidable
challenge. Once at the mountain and after a bunch more stretching I
felt like I could try a groomer to see how it felt.... It didn't feel
very good but after a couple more runs things were feeling a bit more
manageable. I was to meet our very own Bruno at 1pm and I was ready
to tell him that I wasn't up for anything more difficult than a few
groomers but he really put me at ease and promised to show me some
tree shots that I had heard about but had never gotten around to
finding. After that I was feeling a bit better so we did a couple of
bump runs together.

I have had the distinct pleasure of skiing with a few of the
contributors to this group and the vast majority have been very good
skiers, definitely on a level above me. Bruno may be the best I've
ever skied with. It was only his graciousness that kept him from
skiing away never to be seen by me again. In just a couple of runs
and a couple of lift rides he may have set me on a path to transform
my bump technique.

Although this day may have been a turning point for my skiing, it was
definitely a day I should have skipped as far as my back is
concerned. That afternoon Dr. John diagnosed me with a sacrum that
was severely out of alignment and swelling in the area that prevented
it from going back in. I was back in his office the next day and
would have gone the next if it hadn't been Sunday. That weekend
consisted of sitting around in a hotel room high above the metropolis
of Silverthorn watching the snow melt, my Pistons loose and Penn and
Teller call bull****.

By Monday I felt up to a day of groomers at Copper. Interesting
experience, that. Hanging out with the crowds and the never evers.
From the chair I watched an instructor with his student, a girl of
eight years or so. She was sprawled out on the snow, legs all akimbo,
he was shouting for her to get one boot on top of the other. After
quite a bit of struggle she achieved his instruction, so now he
shouted for to dig her edges in and stand up. She did this with no
problem but immediately picked up too much speed and tumbled again.
Instructor: "Well don't try to stand up with your skis pointing down
the hill!" Advice that perhaps should have been dispensed before she
tried to get up.

Later I rode the chair with a charming woman probably in her late
60s. The conversation turned to moguls and she said that she was
embarrassed that she had never mastered them after so many years of
skiing. She said that she could negotiate them if she had to but she
preferred flying down the groomers. Hooray for her!

Tuesday in Winter Park I started out slowly but warmed up at about the
same pace as the snow. By the end of the day I was skiing my fave
Mary Jane runs. About the same Wednesday and today I have much more
range of movement but need to pick up Wifey at the train station so
will only get a few hours of riding in.

So in short: Sun is shining, snow is melting but I am skiing. It's
not what I had hoped for but it's an easy reality to adapt to.

Later,
Chris

On 22 Mar 2007 11:35:38 -0700, "bumpfreaq"
wrote:

.....watching the snow melt, my Pistons loose ...

That was a sad finish to a good game. Not enough to dispel the smiles
from the Phoenix game, though...hope you got to watch that one.

bw

On Mar 22, 5:19 pm, bdubya wrote:
On 22 Mar 2007 11:35:38 -0700, "bumpfreaq"
wrote:

.....watching the snow melt, my Pistons loose ...

That was a sad finish to a good game. Not enough to dispel the smiles
from the Phoenix game, though...hope you got to watch that one.

Need new rings?

On Mar 22, 8:06 pm, "Richard Henry" wrote:
On Mar 22, 5:19 pm, bdubya wrote:

On 22 Mar 2007 11:35:38 -0700, "bumpfreaq"
wrote:

.....watching the snow melt, my Pistons loose ...

That was a sad finish to a good game. Not enough to dispel the smiles
from the Phoenix game, though...hope you got to watch that one.

Need new rings?

Yes, always need new rings. That's an ongoing theme to my life. It's
great to be in a position to root for a title winning team, to have a
job with great benefits, to be able to take a bunch of time off to ski
in the winter (spring), to have the blessings of my beautiful Wifey,
but I always want more rings, more time to ski, more skills, better
snow, more more more. That's probably why the terrorists want to kill
us, huh?

BTW, did get to watch the Phoenix game, it was a joy..... except that
neither team was my fave.

Later,
Chris

On Mar 22, 11:26 pm, "bumpfreaq" wrote:
snip...

to have a
job with great benefits, to be able to take a bunch of time off to ski
in the winter (spring), to have the blessings of my beautiful Wifey,
but I always want more rings, more time to ski, more skills, better
snow, more more more. That's probably why the terrorists want to kill
us, huh?

That and we can just go to the grocery store and get all the milk and
honey that we want. For the capable unmarried folks here, adding a
virgin or seven isn't outside the realm of possible. Now that would
**** me off if I were them.

Chris - we'll (daughter and I) be at Copper tomorrow (Saturday).
Staying in Frisco tonight. We plan to free ski. There is a Summit
Cup parent/child GS end of season race, but I think we're in the mood
to just goof around. Will we see you at Copper?
--
Marty

On Mar 23, 8:24 am, "Marty" wrote:
On Mar 22, 11:26 pm, "bumpfreaq" wrote:
snip...

to have a
job with great benefits, to be able to take a bunch of time off to ski
in the winter (spring), to have the blessings of my beautiful Wifey,
but I always want more rings, more time to ski, more skills, better
snow, more more more. That's probably why the terrorists want to kill
us, huh?

That and we can just go to the grocery store and get all the milk and
honey that we want. For the capable unmarried folks here, adding a
virgin or seven isn't outside the realm of possible. Now that would
**** me off if I were them.

Chris - we'll (daughter and I) be at Copper tomorrow (Saturday).
Staying in Frisco tonight. We plan to free ski. There is a Summit
Cup parent/child GS end of season race, but I think we're in the mood
to just goof around. Will we see you at Copper?
--
Marty

That would be cool, thanks for the heads up...... maybe next year.
I'll be in WP this weekend and back to work on Tuesday.

Have fun and say hi to your daughter.

Chris

On Mar 23, 9:05 am, "bumpfreaq" wrote:
On Mar 23, 8:24 am, "Marty" wrote:





On Mar 22, 11:26 pm, "bumpfreaq" wrote:
snip...

to have a
job with great benefits, to be able to take a bunch of time off to ski
in the winter (spring), to have the blessings of my beautiful Wifey,
but I always want more rings, more time to ski, more skills, better
snow, more more more. That's probably why the terrorists want to kill
us, huh?

That and we can just go to the grocery store and get all the milk and
honey that we want. For the capable unmarried folks here, adding a
virgin or seven isn't outside the realm of possible. Now that would
**** me off if I were them.

Chris - we'll (daughter and I) be at Copper tomorrow (Saturday).
Staying in Frisco tonight. We plan to free ski. There is a Summit
Cup parent/child GS end of season race, but I think we're in the mood
to just goof around. Will we see you at Copper?
--
Marty

That would be cool, thanks for the heads up...... maybe next year.
I'll be in WP this weekend and back to work on Tuesday.

Have fun and say hi to your daughter.

Will do. You too. BTW - next weekend, we may all be up at WP.
--
Marty