tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60045157508914614982024-03-13T11:20:32.656-07:00The Steeper Side of LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-85770809519144125532014-01-29T09:10:00.002-08:002014-01-29T09:10:51.185-08:00Near-DeathAdded another resort to my list of "places I've skied" this past weekend. Since the snow's been crappy, I had not desire to lap ice at the Bird, so I went to Solitude with the boy. Cool resort. We started out on Challenger, which is an excellent groomed run. . . if you have edges. In getting my skis professionally tuned I forgot to tell them not to relieve the edges, so even slightly icy terrain has proven. . . interesting. Regardless, it was warm and sunny and I got to see a lot of the resort; looks like a cool place.<br />
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After a couple of groomers we headed up to what I was told was Honeycomb Basin, and we went through a gate on (skier's) left side of the bowl. The traverse was icy and longggg (I definitely need to get into better shape for that), plus my bum knee was downhill which was very tiring. Anyway, we finally made it to the gate we were entering back into the main part of the resort through and. . . well I don't know how much I've discussed my impressive gracefulness, but I ended up diving my tip into the heavy slush of the next traverse and falling off. Took me 20 minutes to get my skis back on, then we started skiing down the area I'd fallen into.<br />
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Unfortunately, the signs that read "cliff area" were not lying to us, and the snowpack wasn't deep enough to make the one narrow gully skiable. Thus our ski day turned into a mini mountaineering expedition, where we ended up downclimbing a 15-20' section of rocks. Now I'm not a rock climber, and climbing in ski boots is just wrong (especially when they're my Fischer race boots and not my Dynafits). Fortunately we made it down without dying, grabbed our gear (one of my skis had slid down when I clicked out, and the other was carried down for me; Mark had to ski down much further with only one ski because his brakes decided not to function properly). After another time-consuming period of getting skis on again (hard to do while post-holing up to your hip in heavy slush) I managed a few turns before crossing my tips, double-ejecting, and torquing my hip and bad knee.<br />
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The stream of profanity that followed was directed only at myself, but Mark definitely felt like he was in the cross-hairs since he'd been leading. After what passed directly after that I can say this: Saturday was the day my boyfriend tried to kill me.<br />
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I prefer to ski my steeper side, and not climb it, at least when snow is involved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-49543943396729544332014-01-13T10:13:00.003-08:002014-01-13T10:14:10.166-08:00What the Hell am I doing? (WTHAID)2 weeks into the new year and I'm already having one of those 'what the hell am I doing?' crises. It's not unexpected; part of the second year curriculum in my Ph.D. program is something called the prelim exam. This test is a month-and-a-half oddesy into hell, where you must come up with two ideas for grants (that are not allowed to be closely related to the work you yourself will be doing for your thesis), one of which is selected based on the 5 page abstracts you submit, and 7 weeks later you turn in a 20 page grant and defend it in a room full of 4-5 faculty members. Best part of this test is if you fail, you're out of the program; you get a master's as a consolation prize though. So no pressure, right?<br />
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Fortunately we get to select the time at which we undergo this mental and emotional torture. Unfortunately, my decision came down to sacrificing February skiing or late March, early April skiing. Since March tends to rock I had to pick an early time, and that's why my abstracts are due Monday. Coming back from Christmas and being weeks away from having to turn in my ideas is stressful and nerve-wracking, but apparently not enough to make me get my act together and write, which is why it's the Monday before they're due and I'm in the library. . . and obviously not currently working since I'm writing this. </div>
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But as for the crisis; I think everyone occasionally hits a point where things are hard, or they're not having fun, or this aren't working exactly according to the plans they laid out in their heads, and that's when they kind of stop and wonder 'why?' As in 'why am I doing this?' or 'is this what I want o be doing?' or something else. Especially when I'm living in one of the coolest US ski cities ever, and am stuck off the hill trying to work while it's dumping; that'll make any true ski bum question all life decisions that keeps them from skiing. And when it's something as awful as prelims. . . well I think you get the picture. Suffice it to say that a plan was formulated at a party on Saturday where I'd become a 'dancer' in ND; obviously a boob job was part of this plan, and trust me it would be a lucrative one. Side note: this is why people shouldn't drink and plan. </div>
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After sobering up that plan has since been abandoned (or at least shifted back to plan C), and I'm finally working on prelims like I should've been awhile back. I think it's important to go through those WTHAID (worst/;east fun acronym ever) moments, because when you decide to continue on the path you're on, it means a lot more. It means that you continue to choose A over all the rest of the letters in the alphabet (variables from math, if you get my terrible analogy or whatever; words are hard okay?) and that should be some comfort when the next hard time comes around. It also means that instead of stubbornly sticking to a decision you made days/weeks/months/years ago, you're constantly evaluating what's best for you.</div>
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So I'm coming out of this WTHAID moment with this: I need to pass because how else am I going to afford to pursue my steeper side without becoming a stripper? It's good enough for me. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-2171479405297806532013-12-31T08:38:00.002-08:002013-12-31T08:39:06.368-08:002013 RetrospectiveI thought after 2012, what with the hug life changes and everything, that 2013 would seem kind of mellow. How wrong I was. I'm sensing a pattern in that every year is going to be eventful in its own way, which I guess I can live with. What happened this year? Where to start. . .<br />
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2013 was the year of skication, of some epic pow days, of choosing a thesis lab, of new friendships waxing and old ones waning, of my best friend tying the knot, of Vegas. . . There was so much. I bought my first car by myself. My dad passed the torch for skiing, saying he believed me to have surpassed him; as long as I live that will still be one of the proudest moments in my life. This was another year where my passion for skiing continued to grow, evidenced by my increased skill (and indebtedness; I need a cheaper hobby).<br />
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There's so much I could day about this year, but most of the big things I've documented on this blog already, whether openly or in a more veiled manner. 2013 had its share of stress for me, but all in all I'd say it was a damn good year. It's another year of being completely blessed by the people around me, by further discovering myself and what I want out of life, and of pursuing my goals. That sounds pretty corny or overly-peppy, but I guess that's just how I get at the end of a year like this.<br />
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We're hours away from rolling over into 2014. I cannot possibly guess what this next year is going to hold, but I'm ready. Throw it all at me, good or bad; I've learned to roll with the punches and count my blessings (instead of sheep; if you don't get that reference I don't know if we can be friends) (seriously, go watch <i>White Christmas</i>, I don't care if it's after Xmas), and I'm ready for what's next.<br />
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So a happy new year to you all, I hope you ring it in in style, and if you're a winter sports enthusiast I hope you can spend Jan. 1 skiing/riding. This is another year to continue our journeys to the steeper side, and it's going to be a fun ride. See you out there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-79593542492380334762013-12-11T12:32:00.003-08:002013-12-11T12:33:46.252-08:00Day 5 ('13-'14)It seems I'm becoming a Wednesday morning warrior; of my 5 days on snow so far this year, 3 of those have been Wednesday mornings. That's why living in SLC rocks. Sure I have to work later, but is it worth it? Hells yeah. Today was a pretty perfect day too; it was hard to force myself onto Chickadee and back to the car.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I took off later than the other days, getting there about 8:40, but timing was absolutely perfect. I got to the tram dock when there was no line and got into line for first tram just as it was pulling into the bay. There were no clouds to be seen, temps were above zero for the first time in awhile, and it was absolutely gorgeous in the southern end of the valley (the inversion was chilling over downtown Salt Lake, but was leaving Murray and Cottonwood Heights alone). Best of all, the snow was FAST. The good powder was completely tracked out and/or windblown, except in the Cirque. I stuck to Chip's Run and the intersecting runs because (a) I have no clue where I'm going in the Cirque and didn't want to find myself stuck at the top of a mandatory air and (b) I prefer to play it safe when I have no edges, am skiing alone, and have to go to work in 2 hours. Fortunately, even though I live for powder, cruising groomers when there's no one around is a close second in my book. For the first time this season I really got to let it go, getting accidental air off rollers and just riding that edge of control all he way down (not literal edges; mine are still dull as shit).<br />
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Day 5 is going to be the last one for a couple weeks unfortunately. School/work and visitors are making me put that on hold. Lucky me though, day 6 and 7 will be up in MT at Moonlight. Stoked to go back to my home mountain and rip through the glades and hit up the ridge (pleaaaaaaaseeeeeee have snow up there). Headwaters is definitely the steeper side of Moonlight Basin and I want a piece of it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-52150846934388337942013-12-07T19:10:00.001-08:002013-12-07T19:10:46.901-08:00Day 4 ('13-'14)Someday I'm going to learn to not expect mid-season conditions in an early season setting. Today was not that day. The 'Bird proved to have some great new snow, I know because it was blowing full-force into my face and making Regulator Johnson more of a ski-by-braille situation than I would have liked. The weather did have a pleasant surprise in store: OAT (outside air temp) was higher than expected (double digits positive at the base), but unfortunately wind-chill still made things chilly; especially chilly for those of us who only had their spring gloves (i.e. not arm enough). 2 runs seemed like plenty for me, since the conditions were meh and I was up there alone. Now the debate becomes to ski or not to ski tomorrow; it's looking breezy/gusty again and super fucking cold, but I want the pow. First world problems, I guess.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-91043876747208691412013-12-05T18:50:00.000-08:002013-12-05T18:50:03.837-08:00GFAC 2014So beyond excited right now: I will be pre<span style="font-family: inherit;">senting a workshop at a the Girls for a Change conference in Bozeman in April. <a href="https://www.allthrive.org/programs/girls-for-a-change/">Girls for a Change</a> is a conference whose mission is <span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">“to empower girls to embrace their future, confident about their individuality, supported by friends, parents, and mentors and secure in their ability to lead and to achieve self-sufficiency, balance, fulfillment and success.” I had the pleasure of attending this conference when I was in high school; my workshops included making food in college and African drumming (I chose some random stuff). Honestly, I didn't take it seriously, instead treated it as a way to hang out with my friends (it was a Saturday, don't give me crap about skipping out of school or anything), but there were some really great workshops offered.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">When I saw Thrive post that Girls for a Change was looking for workshop proposals I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Partly, this will be a great opportunity to practice public speaking in a non-science way. Partly, I just wanted to be able to sit down with some middle and high school-aged girls and give them some words of wisdom I wish I'd had at their age. And finally, it's a great chance to talk to girls about STEM careers. So I sat down and. . . had to actually come up with something to present.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 22px;">Well I came up with a general idea, wrote out a basic proposal and waited. One of the great things about this conference is that the workshops are selected by the leader panel which is comprised of girls in high school who have previously attended the conference. So getting selected means that much more. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Now I guess it's time to sit down and nail out the details. It's going to be so fun to do this, a great experience for me, and hopefully a great learning experience for those girls who come. Here's hoping I can give them a new perspective with which to look for their steeper sides.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-6839084734122581172013-12-05T14:39:00.001-08:002013-12-05T14:39:45.516-08:00Never Slowing DownLife doesn't slow down. I know we all like to talk about "when things slow down" we'll do this and that, or finally relax, or have more time for things that have fallen by the wayside; we're kidding ourselves. Life is the ultimate perpetual motion machine that, if anything, only speeds up as days go by.<br />
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When we're kids time seems to pass so slowly. We complain, and our elders tell us one day we'll wish we had those slow-passing days back. It makes sense; as you age a day or year takes up a smaller and smaller percentage of your life, so that one year when you're 5 is 1/5 of your entire existence, but when you're 50. . . well that's another story altogether, isn't it?<br />
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Over the last year in particular I've found repeatedly thinking '[insert month here] is going to be so fun but crazy busy; it'll be nice when things slow down and I can take a breath'. . . Then the next month rolled around and, you guessed it, same thing happened. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure as hell not complaining; I've got so many things to do both for school/work and to divert myself, and now that it's officially ski season my weekends are pretty much booked (that beer's not gonna drink itself, nor will my skis trash themselves. . . which is fortunate I guess). It's really easy though, when life gets busy and then never lets up, to stop paying attention to some things.<br />
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The first thing that goes for a lot of people is making time for fun (if they're busy with work) or taking the time to do the work that needs to be done (if fun makes up most of their agenda). Balancing the two is important, and I think most people recognize that even if they don't know how to achieve it. Next to go is time with friends; this one bothers me for a variety of reasons. First off, friendship takes work; you get out what you put in, and if you just stop paying attention to your friends. . . well they might not be there when you decide you have time for them again. Some friendships are easier, where you can just text or call them after months of silence and things are the same as they ever were, but that's not the way to bet (unless you are okay with risking that particular friend). Next, think about what that other person, the one you no longer have time for, may be feeling when you go all radio-silence on them. Yeah, not fun; they may be thinking they've wronged you, or that they're not important, or any number of things. If you honestly don't have time to hang out with anyone, communicate that; but know that if you are posting pics online of hanging out with some people, then those you aren't spending time with any longer are going to simply see as a slight.<br />
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That's a super random tangent; no one's slighted me like this in a long while. Since my December is super busy, and I've got my prelim exam coming up next semester, I'm worried about doing that to others, or getting stressed out from trying to juggle everything (my hand-eye coordination is not nearly that good). So this is my way of letting the world know: I still like y'all just fine, I'm just busy, but I'm always down for a beer and pool. You've got to blow off steam somehow, and what better way than chilling with friends?<br />
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So for those of you who are stressed/busy and waiting for things to slow down, I'm sorry to say that it isn't going to happen. Life has a way of getting in the way of having a life sometimes, and you just have to roll with it. Take a deep breath, make a list of things you have to and want to do, and keep looking upward and onward. Can't find the steeper side sitting still, can you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-25805315858268264362013-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:002013-12-05T14:39:51.897-08:00Day 3 "Disaster"Took another Wednesday ski morning this week (what better way to spend hump-day?). It definitely started out strong; after getting pissed off by incompetent drivers on the Beltway, I pulled up to the top of Chickadee not long after 8, and was skiing down to the tram (travel mug of coffee in one hand and ski poles in the other) before 8:30. Calling this morning chilly is such a gross underselling, I shall instead use the weather forecast term used for Bozeman this week: it was frigid at the base of Hidden Peak. Fortunately I got to wait for first tram in the warmer-than-air-temp tram building and drink my coffee. It was my first "first tram" at Snowbird and that was a cool milestone, especially hitting it on a nice pow day like it looked like today was going to be.<br />
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Taking the tram up we burst through the fog/cloud layer being produced by subzero temps, snow-making, and general Wasatch weather-y-ness, into the brilliant sunshine of a freezing bluebird day at the top and in the Cirque. Wanting to play it safe since I was skiing solo I decided the right-most area of Silverfox was a good warm-up and a perfect place to look for deep powder. Dropping in, I saw a few rocks that had been exposed by the folks who went first thus allowing me to avoid them. My first 10 turns or so were all-time; deep, steep enough, light-as-air, illuminated by the sun peeking over Hidden Peak.<br />
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Then things went downhill (forgive the pun); somehow I managed to find every single rock band that had only just been covered by this new snow, thus causing me to scrape, stumble, stutter, and (once or twice) fall my way down to the groomed area. Not the way to start a day. The rest of that run was. . . interesting, what with my bases having just been rock-raped, my edges all wonky, and my 4 degree wax proving to be the wrong choice for the temps I was experiencing. Instead of heading back to the tram line, I went to Gadzoom to try and hit the trees around there. Unfortunately, my skis weren't allowing me to maintain the momentum I needed to get anywhere I wanted, so I called it after 2 runs. Plus my fingers were dying from cold.<br />
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Short day, a fair-helping of unpleasantness (including a shattered powder basket; seriously, it was cold enough that my rubbery baskets shattered when I fell). . .<br />
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And all totally worth it. The worst day on snow (that you walk away from relatively unscathed) is better than the best day anywhere else, in my not-so-humble opinion. Being able to go into work later, hit up first tram, ski some awesome pow. . . totally worth my achy shoulder and a bit of equipment damage. Sometimes the steeper side is rocky; I guess I just need to learn to pick a better line down it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-68375646163730816142013-12-02T12:34:00.000-08:002013-12-02T12:34:18.337-08:00Pow Day Anyone?A <a href="http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/snow/mtnwx/mtnForecast.php">storm's</a> a-brewin' and heading toward the Salt Lake Valley and, more importantly, the cottonwood canyons (specifically little, because who realllly care about big?). Snow snow snow snow snow! Or if you prefer schnee schnee schnee schnee schnee. German makes that fancier don't you think (I know, like, 4 words in German; try not to swoon, I know it's impressive). Jackson Hole had 2 feet projected last I saw, and it looks like we here it Utah will be getting gifted something similar.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Do you feel a cold coming on? I'm feeling kinda flu-y. Like, that 24-hr bug. Throat's kinda scratchy. Or maybe I'm kind of dizzy. I should probably "stay home" on Wednesday, right? Just for the morning, so I can make sure I'm giving 110% at work. . . and so I don't get others sick. Really, I'm trying to be selfless, because I'd be heart-broken to sacrifice productivity it lab. . . I took it too far didn't I? When did I cross the line?<br />
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Well since we have a decent probability of getting nearly a foot before Wednesday morning, if not more, those of you who are hitting up Snowbird might just see a chick in purple pants and black jacket bouncing through the pow. Or, if its deep enough, maybe you won't. Make your reservations for the white room now, though visibility there makes searching for the steeper side a little sketchier. Epic pow turns to all, just don't be in my way please. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-91120155590721742742013-11-28T10:18:00.001-08:002013-12-05T14:40:55.085-08:00ThankfulIt seems like this year it's all the rage to fill people's Facebook and Twitter feeds with things we're grateful about, and on this fine Thanksgiving morning I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. So while I kill time while the pies bake, I thought I'd make a list of some of the things I'm thankful for.<br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white;"><b>My family.</b> To quote <i>Lilo & S</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>titch, </i>"</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is my family. I found it, all on my own. Is little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good." This is definitely the most cliched thing people are thankful for, but I am so incredibly thankful for mine. It's effectively a 10 member group and then myself, and 4 of those members are in Austria (one of whom doesn't speak English) and who we only met about 7 years ago. It's kind of overselling it, just calling my family small, but we're a close group, and I love them all dearly. I can honestly say I would lay down my life for all 10 of those people, and I would do so without hesitation. So yeah, I'm thankful for my family. Those weirdos are awesome.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My friends</b>. Again, cliched, but friendship is probably the most valuable thing in the world. Real friendships take work, even the ones that seem effortless; those friendships where you an go without speaking for months or even years, but then pick up like no time has passed, even those take work. I recently had the chance to spend time with a friend like that and it was so wonderful to see how easy it is to fall back into old patterns. Here in UT I've been blessed with a couple of great groups of new friends. Not all friendships/relationships work out, and that can be emotionally trying, but dealing with things like that can both show you who your true friends are along with giving you a chance to make new ones. So to all those people in my life, I'm incredibly thankful for you and all that you do for me, even when you don't know you're doing anything. You guys kinda rock.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Skiing</b>. You should have known this one was coming; I'm insanely, unerringly, transcendentally thankful to the crazy SOBs that decided to strap two planks of wood to their feet and barrel down snow-covered slopes. I don't know who I'd be without it, since it has wormed its way so completely into my soul. For who it's helped me become, I am unspeakably thankful for skiing.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Me</b>. Okay, so this may seem weird and conceited, but hear me out. What I mean is that I am thankful for my ability to stay true to myself, no matter what. I can't take full credit for this, and it ties back to 1 and 2. I have people in my life who, even when I was tat weird anti-social goth kid in high school, accepted and even liked me for who I was. I never felt pressure to change myself and mold into what society calls a norm. I was able to maintain my individuality; I am able to still be a science nerd, pop-culture geek, skier, musician who likes getting glammed up as much as chilling in yoga pants all day. I am me, and I am thankful for the fact that I am able to be that.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Freedom</b>. No this isn't a 'Merica entry in this list. I'm thankful for all of the little freedoms life allows everyone in the developed world. Sure, voting and all that jazz is pretty great, but I mean the smaller freedoms. Many people let the pressures of society as a whole, and those from their friends and family, dictate how they live their lives. Going through my crisis of faith after getting rejected from med school I made the decision to elect for happiness. I don't make decisions based on what others want me to do, but on what will make me happy. I know plenty of people who would be so much happier if they didn't let other people dictate their lives, even peripherally. </span></span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So for these and all the little things, like puppies and rainstorms and camping, I am incredibly thankful for the life that has been dealt to me. I'm going to keep searching for the steeper side and being thankful for every day I get to do so.</span></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-37732597476189880282013-11-21T08:34:00.001-08:002013-11-22T07:58:41.820-08:00Feels Like Coming HomeWalking over large gravel mixed into snow is not what thick plastic boots were made for. Not even remotely. Stairs are also a pain in the ass, but I'd like to think I'm kind of an expert at the necessary heel-toe rocking motion required to not go sliding face-first down those treacherous concrete steps. At least it hasn't happened yet, for which I'm grateful. Parking lot, stairs, more stairs, gravel, it was a longer walk than I wanted it to be and I'd parked much closer than usual. We'd gotten there around 30 minutes early, but later than I'd wanted to, and the line was already fairly long. But I'd known that my desire for first was too lofty a goal, and if you're not first it really doesn't matter as long as you're not last.<br />
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We got to the end of the line and then *slap* *slap* *chkkk* *chkkk* *click* *click*. Those plastic boots are in plastic bindings, where they belong. Those bindings are on skis, which are back on snow for the first time in 6 months. Welcome to ski season.<br />
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Welcome home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-86868431143587351802013-11-18T08:36:00.002-08:002013-11-18T08:36:30.293-08:00No More "Might Have Been"<div class="quoteText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'” </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">- John Greenleaf Whittier</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">After all the waiting, all the pining, all the complaining that made my non-skier friends want to (or actually) tell me to shut the hell up, ski season kicks off for me Wednesday at 9 am. I'd try to explain how incredibly freaking stoked I am, but I'll let the majority of the prior 73 posts speak to that, since we neither have time nor do I have the patience to try to put that into a single post. While it looks and feels far from winter down here in Salt Lake valley, Little Cottonwood Canyon (and the other, less cool one I suppose, but who really cares) has been getting snow and is ready to be shredded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm entering this season with fairly lofty goals; for the first time I'm going to intentionally be working on hucking things, hitting much bigger lines (like the Big Couloir at Big Sky), and all around just skiing harder than ever before. The quote above really speaks to my feelings toward this season; as long as I stay safe, I'd rather try and fail than never try, and thus never know. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">So for those of you starting your seasons, keep that in mind. Stay safe, stay smart, but go into this season with the mindset that you'll have no regrets for lines untried, chances untaken, and beers unimbibed. It's winter folks, the best season for searching for the steeper side. Where will you begin the hunt? </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-45999722470031414062013-11-07T08:00:00.001-08:002013-11-07T08:00:38.584-08:00Step 1: Become a WriterIf you couldn't tell from the fact that this blog has over 70 entries, I really enjoy writing. Words are fun, and I love using them as pigment with which to paint a picture. Because of this passion for the written word I've challenged myself to do something I'd only mused about briefly in college: I'm going to try to become a paid writer. In no way am I abandoning my career in science to do so, nor am I going to try science writing (unless there's uber good money in it; like 3 heli trips-a-year money, because seriously, science writing is so very mundane). Rather I want to know if I am capable of doing it.<br />
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The impetus behind this decision came yesterday when I submitted a proposal for a conference workshop. Montana State University hosts a statewide girls' conference annually to promote girl-power and to let girls know about the opportunities in the world. I won't get into the details of my proposed workshop, but one of the major over-arcing themes is pursuing your passions. Since I had considered journalism as a major in undergrad, then later applying to film school for script-writing, and then my creation and continuing posting on this blog, it was clear to me that my passion for writing was not transient. It also seemed to me that not pursuing writing as a form of some income was being untrue to myself, and therefore would make me a hypocrite if I do get the chance to speak to the girls at the conference.<br />
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Hopefully in a few months I'll be posting a link to a article written by yours truly on, like, a legit website and not Blogger (much love Google, but this site makes people think they're wayyyyy more important than they actually are). Stephen King, in his autobiographical <i>On Writing,</i> wrote about his plethora of rejections when starting out, which has hopefully prepared me mentally for that inevitability, but I suppose we'll see. This is just another step, another aspect, in my personal hunt for the steeper side of life. <br />
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Wish me luck!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-69341586444162469982013-11-04T14:15:00.000-08:002013-11-04T14:15:00.978-08:00Resorts I Love: Big SkyBig Sky, MT: situated about 30 minutes south of Bozeman, so small it's barely a town, home to three resorts. Moonlight Basin I've already sung the <a href="http://thesteeperside.blogspot.com/2013/03/resorts-i-love-moonlight-basin.html">praises</a> of; <a href="http://www.yellowstoneclub.com/index.php/ski/mountain">The Yellowstone Club</a> is a bit out of my income bracket. The third and largest resort is none other than Big Sky Resort. Owned by Boyne, Big Sky has recently purchased Moonlight Basin from Lehman Brothers and is now, along with the terrain acquisition from Spanish Peaks, truly home to the Biggest Skiing in America (BSIA).<br />
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I could write about the terrain stats, etc., but if you really care you can check that out on their <a href="http://bigskyresort.com/">website</a>. It's big, has significant vertical thanks to access to the 11,166' peak, and the views are spectacular. The Big Sky side of things can be divided into 4 zones: Shedhorn and Dakota lifts on the southern exposure, Challenger lift and the A to Z chutes on the eastern exposure, Lone Peak, and the rest of the resort.<br />
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The majority of the resort (excepting those zones I mentioned) is a mix of fun groomers, some glades ranging from challenging to a breeze (and none of which are cut as well as their neighbors on the northern exposure at Moonlight); there is a good spread of beginner and intermediate terrain, and a couple good more challenging runs. Things get more fun of the Challenger lift; all of this terrain is advanced or expert terrain (plus hiking access to the A to Z chutes and the Headwaters at Moonlight, the latter requiring the full BSIA lift ticket), and conditions can make this area either a powderwhore's paradise or a true test of technical ability. Be careful of bad weather here; a friend of mine was stuck on the old double that serves as the Challenger for an hour once during a wind hold. <br />
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On the opposite side of the resort is the Shedhord/Dakota zones. I haven't spent much time over there, but if you like glades, shorter lift lines, and good powder stashes this is the place to go. Again, this is primarily more advanced terrain, and the traverse back to the rest of the resort is time-consuming, so plan accordingly. There is a small shack to grab a bite to eat so you don't need to head all the way back to the Mountain Village base, or there's always the more cost-effective mode of packing bars and sandwiches.<br />
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Overlooking the entire resort is my favorite zone: the terrain served by the Lone Peak Tram. Reaching a height of around 11,120', the tram deposits you at the top of some really fun expert terrain above treeline. You have the option to take Otter Slide (when it's open) to the top of Marx, Lenin, and the Dictator Chutes. If you keep skiers left on Marx you can peel over the ridge and hit up any of the six Gullies (or even keep left again and lap the tram). If you traverse right of the entrance to Otter Slide you can bomb down Liberty Bowl and hop on the Shedhorn lift back up. Alternately, you can traverse back to the left at the top of Liberty bowl and hit up the same runs that Otter Slide accesses, but with an easier top section than Otter Slide itself. If that's not doing it for you, make sure you have full avy gear and a partner; signing out with ski patrol at the peak allows you to get a time slot for the Big and Little Couloirs, or with BSIA tickets you can ski down the North Summit Snowfield into the Moonlight side of things.<br />
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I only had one season at Big Sky, during which I worked for their Snowsports school, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't enjoyed the attitudes of the employees before I worked there but everyone has been pleasant recently (even when I was unrecognizable out of uniform). My only complaints are the costs (food and tickets are more expensive than they really have a right to be), and some of the clientele. Big Sky is not Aspen, but some of the hoity-toity definitely treat it that way, and many do not have the skills to be on the terrain they select. So just be wary of other and you'll have a blast. I do suggest packing snacks instead of buying food (there's even a microwave in the cafeteria so you can have warm food like soup on those chilly powder days), and take time to enjoy apres at a bar in either the Mountain or Meadow Villages (it's Montana, so few are fancy but most are fun). If you go up in the spring you can buy beer at the grocery store at the base and sit out on the deck to work on an epic goggle tan.<br />
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My biggest advice with visiting any Bozeman resort (MLB, Big Sky, or Bridger) is stay in town and either drive or take the ski bus ($5) up. That way you get to experience awesome skiing and then you can party with the super chill people of Bozeman by hitting up Main Street in the evening. There you can find nightlife to suit any lifestyle: Plonk offers overpriced drinks and a New York-y atmosphere, while R Bar is the most Bozeman, the Crystal is super dive-y, and Bar IX (nine) lets you embrace your inner frat boy/girl and play roofie roulette. The possibilities are endless.<br />
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Big Sky, I'll be seeing you soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-53050243595366266592013-11-03T14:25:00.001-08:002013-11-03T14:25:30.639-08:00RIP Shane McConkey<i>Don't cry. Don't cry don't cry don't cry. Dammit. Don't wipe away the tears, cause then they'll know you're crying.</i><br />
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<i>*sniffffffffffffffff*</i><br />
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<i>Oh thank god, Travis is crying too. </i><br />
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Last year when MSP came to the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird to premiere <i>Superheroes of Stoke</i> there was a strong party atmosphere. There were tons of schwag tables and Oktoberfest was still going on, so it was a night of free(ish) shit and drinking.<br />
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This year was a different story; MSP brought us different fare than normal ski porn. They brought us <i>McConkey</i>. Initially premiered last year at a film fest (Tribeca or something like that) in NYC, it's been getting rave reviews and I was stoked to see it. I knew it was going to be an emotional sucker-punch of an event, and it didn't disappoint. It was exceptionally well made, with raw interviews from friends and family intermixed with shots of him skiing and old interviews. One moment you're grinning from his joking around, then they cut to that fateful Dolomites trip and you wonder if that's the run, then they cut to his daughter learning to ski and you're grinning again. Then you remember and it becomes bittersweet. At some point the tears start and at that point you're done for.<br />
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The editing in this movie is great. I don't know if the following actually qualifies as spoilers so. . . (possible) spoilers? But not really. There are two truly great editing moments in the film that I love, and I don't know if either are intentional. I'd guess yes. The first comes about halfway through the film. It's a shot of a tram moving by with Shane and. . . I want to say JT Holmes inside. There is one word on the glass in front of them as it passes by the camera: EXIT. My favorite part of the movie (from the film-making aspect) is the end, the moment where we lose McConkey forever. It cuts from his POV footage going off the cliff to an aspect behind and to the right of the heli-cam operator. When things go fatally wrong all you as the audience see is the camera slowly lowering from the operators eye. Without hearing or seeing anyone's face that shot conveys such incomprehensible and uncomprehending sadness. It's one of those moments where a man simply loses the ability to understand what he just saw. Witnessing a person's death is one of the most tragic things a human can experience, but watching a friend knowing that things have already gone wrong and there's nothing that can be done and in seconds they'll be gone. . . that's something that can kill a man's hope and spirit and that's what we watch in that shot.<br />
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It's a great homage to Shane, and shows his impact on the sport and on so many people's live. It's a great film, and, as someone who respects the athlete that this man was and the role he had in shaping the thing I love most in the world, I enjoyed and was moved by it. All that said, I still had one thought going through me head:<br />
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Shane McConkey was a selfish asshole.<br />
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People have 2 choices in life: have kids or doing crazy shit. While it's still somewhat selfish, doing dangerous stuff after you get married is acceptable if your partner in life were fully informed before you make a commitment like that. But as soon as you have kids, you STOP. It's too selfish not to do so. If you're a person, like McConkey, who wouldn't have thought he was living if he wasn't doing his thing, don't have kids! It's as simple as that; procreation is not necessary, and you are not immortal. Leaving a kid behind to deal with growing up without you is unfair. At best they lost a parent, at worst they get a complex from thinking they weren't important enough for you to stop. They kind of touch on this idea in the movie, but it's McConkey so no one will vilify his actions as being selfish. Sherry McConkey is an amazingly brave woman, to have knowingly fallen in love with a man who needed to do these things, but even she was terrified of having kids because of his lifestyle.<br />
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As a skier, a BASE jumper, an athlete, and an entertainer, Shane McConkey was brilliant. As a person he was, without a doubt, selfish, in addition to loving, friendly, innovative, etc. So celebrate him, but don't emulate him in everything. Search for the steeper side, but please stay safe and protect those you love.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-92172264690032453342013-10-29T14:58:00.000-07:002013-10-29T14:58:12.294-07:00There's Poetry in ThisThere are few things I find more ironic than waxing poetic about the beauty of language. It's using words to describe how awesome words are. Fortunately I'm a fan of irony so that won't stop me from doing it.<br />
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A year or so ago my dad sent me a link to website full of great quote about climbing. I don't remember the link so I can't share it with you, but just know that there were pages and pages of quotes from all sorts of people. Everyone from John Muir to Joe Nobody climber had varying monetary values of quotes (Muir is probably worth more than two cents, let's be honest). Though I'm not a climber, I do aspire to one day be so and I appreciate the beauty of the sport, so most of the quotes did hit home. A lot of them weren't relegated strictly to the world of climbing, but more spoke to the broad world of action sports. Put together it was like the poem of the climbing community, reflecting the respect, love, and fear of the sport and the mountain. It was beautiful.<br />
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The other day I got bored (read: procrastinating lab work) and decided to look for ski quotes. Try your own Google search of it if you'd like, maybe you're better at it than I am; for me, however, Google had only a handful of crappy forum threads and small compilations on ski-related websites to give me. Of those very few quotes were strictly of skiing, and many were about mountaineering but got filed along with skiing quotes. Suffice it to say I was disappointed.<br />
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Why disappointed? Language is the best art form out there. Language is free, requiring no paints, oils, papers, or other supplies. Language is at once subjective and objective. Language is something everyone is capable of; I could never paint a masterpiece and my attempts at sketching are juvenile and amateurish at best. But we are all (saving a few neurological abnormalities) born with the capacity for learning and for speech. Because of this we are born with the capability to utilize language to its full artistic potential. So my disappointment stems from the paucity of prose concerning skiing while it is so easily done.<br />
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The mountains lend themselves to descriptive and elegant speech as well. I find nothing more full of poetry than nature and skiing. Writers like Thoreau and Muir felt likewise (as least about the nature part). It's a poetry than can be difficult to translate to words, to put on a page. It's more a combination of emotion, physical sensation, and perception. That's where the fun and the challenge come in; poetry is a very subjective art and as such lends itself perfectly to reflecting the skiing experience. No two people will experience a run in the same way, and I have yet to find two people who completely agree on the meaning of a poem. So why, I must continue asking, is there so little prose (as opposed to guide or technical books, of which there is a booming market) based around skiing?<br />
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Perhaps it's because we, the ski bum community, would rather sit around and bullshit or talk up our best days/lines/falls/hucks/etc. than sit and write something thoughtful. Those of you who caught the short about Andreas Fransson last year ("Tempting Fear"; you can find it in last season of Solomon's FreeskiTV) got a great look into the poetry of the mountain. Fransson keeps a journal, and he has a way with language that rivals his mountaineering ability. He exudes such passion in his words that it would take a hard person to not be moved by the power of the mountains and skiing over this man, to not see how one could love such things.<br />
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As skiers (and boarders) I believe most if not all of us want others to join us on the hill and love our sport as we do. It's easy to say "bro, give it a try, it's awesome," but how convincing is that? Want to get your friends or even complete strangers stoked to try something new (even if it's not a snowsport)? Use language. Instead of saying it's awesome, perhaps say that the elation one feels while gliding swiftly down a snow-covered slope, surrounded by the pines and aspens, is nothing short of euphoric, and the sensation is as close to flying a man can get while staying rooted to the earth. In my humble opinion that says a hell of a lot more than "awesome". <br />
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So here is my challenge to you: don't fear language, but embrace it, master it, and employ it in all you do. Do not fear sounding pompous or purposefully-intelligent; if language becomes a part of your life then people will learn to expect it from you and perhaps use it as well. The world can be a much more colorful place with the proper use of good language, and why should this not apply to the ski slopes and the mtb park. This doesn't mean you can't shout "bro!", but it means you can follow it up with "that was resplendent!"<br />
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Well I guess that might make you sound like a pompous douche. . . It's all about trial and error in the search for the steeper side. Just make sure to keep things colorful. . . brah.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-91091859232922924892013-10-24T08:20:00.003-07:002013-10-24T08:20:47.052-07:00My Cathedral<div style="text-align: center;">
"It is better to go skiing and think of God, than to go to church and think of sport." </div>
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-Fridtjof Nansen </div>
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I was raised in an "Episcopal" household. That's in quotations because, while my mom made me go with her to church very once in awhile (Easter particularly), we weren't regular church-goers until we moved to Bozeman. I went to Sunday school a handful of times, but after repeatedly expressing my distaste I was allowed to sit in the regular service. I didn't find that much better<br />
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When we moved we joined the congregation at St. James Episcopal. If you're in Bozeman go check the church out; it's a complete gem right off Main street. By this point I already didn't like church. Sure, I was only 14, but I'd already made an educated (read the bible along with works from a number of other religions) decision as to my religious views. Unfortunately for me, I was only 14, so I had no say in the matter. So Sunday after Sunday I was forced into the car at 7:30 AM and shuttled to church by my parents.<br />
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As soon as I graduated high school I was done. I wasn't 18 yet, but my parents and I'd agreed and that was that. I still give my parents crap about how they stopped going when they stopped being able to make me; it makes sense though. They didn't join for the religious aspect, but for the social aspect. Being new to the area, joining a church was an easy way to make acquaintances. Honestly I don't think my parents are religious people. I know my dad describes himself more as spiritual than anything else, and I don't think either of them subscribe to the definition of God in the traditional sense (that big man in the sky, long white beard, etc.).<br />
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They're pretty spectacular people, my parents. They refused to talk to me about their political and religious views, instead allowing me to self-educate and make decisions on my own. There are few people who can be conscious enough to refrain from molding their children in their exact image. Because of their methods I was able to decide two things (among many others, obviously) for myself: I am an atheist and I am an immensely spiritual person. How can that be, you may wonder. I do not believe in God. Angels, Heaven, Demons, Hell? Do not believe in them.<br />
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So what do I believe in? I believe in the good in people. I believe in the stars in the sky, in the changing of the seasons, in this amazing world in which we live, in the beauty that can be found anywhere. I believe in heart-breaking happiness and beautiful sorrow.<br />
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Most of all, I believe in powder.<br />
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My god is the mountain, cold smoke my communion, the aspens and pines my angels, those taken too soon my saints. I have faith. Man, do I have faith. You can't ski and not have faith. Faith in yourself, in the snow, in the mountain itself. I worship in the largest cathedral of all; I worship in the world. Under a bower of snow-laden trees, in a world carpeted in white, I search for enlightenment, or peace, or whatever you want to call it. <br />
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In my cathedral I'm looking for the steeper side of life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-4353872896510318412013-10-17T09:24:00.000-07:002013-10-17T09:24:13.428-07:00Ski Porn Round-up 2013-14Man have I been slacking. The end of this summer/beginning of fall has been so crazy busy, and it only seems to be snowballing into a. . . well snowball of craziness that will culminate right around the time ski season starts here in Utah (dear people at A-basin and Crystal, you suck; I wish I was skiing NOW). Halloween, school/work, Thanksgiving, trip-plainning, birthday, Vegas, it's all coming up soon. And, of course the most important thing there is: opening day.<br />
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Helping build the stoke for the upcoming season are all the fantastic ski films that keep rolling through town. I kicked off the movie season with <i><a href="http://thesteeperside.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-wallisch-project-release-party.html">The Wallisch Project</a></i> up in Park City. It was a blast and a great to kick things off. A few weeks later things really got started with a triple feature at the Depot here in SLC. First off, this is a great venue for events like this; no matter where you're standing you can see the stage or at least a screen. The bar gets packed, but there are a fair number of incredibly competent bartenders so the wait is not terribly long.<br />
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The main billing at the Depot triple feature was Level 1's <i><a href="http://vimeo.com/68733272">Partly Cloudy</a></i>, but first up was <i>The Wallisch Project</i> again, then 4BI9's <i><a href="http://vimeo.com/65262665">All Damn Day</a></i> (still LOVE that name). This was definitely a jibfest, but there was solid park and urban represented. You've got to give those guys credit; they're are easily the best at representing stoke (and steez, don't forget steez), even better than our favorite big mountain skiers by far. All in all it was a great night of skiing and friends. Added bonus: I've made it a goal to try something in the park this season, even if it's a beginner box.<br />
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Next up was TGR's <i><a href="http://www.tetongravity.com/films/way-of-life/">Way of Life</a></i>. I loved <i><a href="http://www.tetongravity.com/films/the-dream-factory/">The Dream Factory</a></i> last year, and have come to expect a lot from these guys; they didn't disappoint. The AK segment with the Fantasy Camp footage was awesome. Since this was the first big mountain movie I saw this year I was extra stoked afterwards. Seeing it at Park City's Jupiter Bowl was fairly sick as well. The fact that Ligare, Sage, and Dash were all there was pretty sweet too; working on getting my signed posters up and displayed this week (because I'm still a fangirl at heart). This one is definitely joining my home movie library.<br />
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I unfortunately had to miss Sweetgrass Productions' <a href="http://www.sweetgrass-productions.com/films/valhalla/"><i>Valhalla</i></a> premiere in PC because of an exam. Also missed the SLC premiere the following night because now way in Hell was I waiting until November to see Sherpa's Cinema <i><a href="http://intothemindmovie.com/">Into the Mind</a></i>. This was the movie I'd waited over a year for (I was a bit late learning about <i><a href="http://vimeo.com/16442800">All.I.Can</a></i>) so let's just be honest and say I was super giddy to see it. We were late getting to PC, then we got lost after looking for parking and subsequently the library, but managed to walk in before the film started and find what were likely the only 2 remaining seats next to one another. Then we sat enraptured, for too short a time in my opinion, and took it all in. This is not your average ski movie; that's a given seeing as it's Sherpa's. But this is even beyond <i>All.I.Can</i>; it goes deep into the extreme athlete's psyche and tells of success, of failure, of crisis, of triumph, of love, of death, of competition, of connection. It's all there and it spoke to me deeply. It'll be back in SLC at the Depot on Nov. 16 and I'll be there, just as excited and enthralled as the first time. And this one will definitely be joining it's brother (<i>All.I.Can</i>) on my shelf.<br />
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Next up is MSP's <a href="http://mcconkeymovie.com/"><i>McConkey</i></a> at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird on Nov. 2. This is definitely a departure from the rest of the ski films I've been devouring this year, and will likely be a sobering experience. I don't mean that in the literal sense obviously, but more in the sense that, whereas other films have a RIP section somewhere, this one is entirely about celebrating the legacy of one of our idols who was gone too soon. That said, it's going to be goofy and fun because it is McConkey after all.<br />
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Everything I've seen this year has been great and, while I missed them, I'd hazard a guess that <i>Valhalla</i>, 4FRNT's <a href="http://vimeo.com/72235003"><i>CRJ</i></a>, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gzm5g64mws">Tracing Skylines</a></i> by Poor Boyz, and Powderwhore's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do7ZTO8_GnE"><i>Elevation</i></a> were pretty good too. Now I just need to find a <a href="http://fieldproductions.com/projects/supervention"><i>Supervention</i></a> showing in SLC or PC and I'll be content.<br />
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So that's my ski porn round-up for the 2013-2014 season. I could give an in-depth review of each one, but what's the point? If you're going to watch and/or buy them you just want to know if they're good and they are. So pop in that disc, turn the lights off, and get comfy; these films are about to blow your. . . minds. Hell yeah ski season, we're ready so get dumping and don't let up. I'd be okay if my whole season was partly cloudy so I can let this way of life into my mind and soul. May your turns be steep and deep and may you keep searching for the steeper side.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-57262234839263781072013-09-17T10:12:00.000-07:002013-09-17T10:12:11.989-07:00Is Happy Selfish?I've talked about the pursuit of happiness yadda yadda before, so this may be repetitive (but I don't feel like reading back over the previous posts to figure it out; yes I'm that lazy).<br />
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This past weekend I was having a discussion with someone who's been down about some stuff in their life. By conversation I mean drunken ramblings on their part and angry talking on my part. Good times. . .<br />
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Wait, the actual point: they were discussing how decisions they've made are "irresponsible" or "selfish" because what about when they get married, have kids. . . <br />
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Stop. Just stop. I get it; we're in our 20s, 30 seems like a blink away, and a lot of our friends are getting married and settling down. There's been a societal reversion back to a time when not being married and having kids in your 20s may imply that you're too much of a party animal or just behind the times. This is complete bullshit. While there are plenty of successful relationships that start during this time in your life, you still have a lot to discover about yourself. In fact life is just one big journey to discover who you are, and on top of that you're constantly changing. This I know I've spoken about before, but it might need repeating.<br />
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Unfortunately the thing that really sent me over the top was how my counter-argument (how everyone should live their life in a way that makes them happy, particularly prior to the whole married with kids thing) was dismissed as cavalier or irresponsible. When you're married with kids maybe you should stop hucking 100' cliffs or skinning extreme avy terrain. That's probably a good idea. But when you're unattached and getting into debt for the thing that makes you happiest in the world, well I think that's worth it. Particularly when it's not something extraneous like another pair of skis when you already have a few perfectly good pairs, but instead something like surgery without which you'd be benched. I'd happily go into tons of debt if they could figure out what's wrong with my knee and I could fix it.<br />
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So what's the point of this rant? You're not the other party in this conversation, my pleas or arguments really can't mean much, if anything, to you. My point is simple: be happy. It's harder than it sounds when pressures, from society to friends to family to your job, are constantly weighing on you and pulling you in different directions, attempting to get you to make the "right" life choices. In trying to be your happiest you're going to piss some people off, I guarantee it. But people who get angry at you fro trying to be happy? Yeah, maybe you should reevaluate their significance in your life. You're also going to make mistakes, make the wrong choice for you, but don't give up.<br />
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That's what the Steeper Side is to me: happiness. That's why I'm constantly climbing towards the steeper side of life; I hope you do the same, whatever that may be for you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-76023392940830472092013-09-09T12:54:00.000-07:002013-09-09T12:54:00.150-07:00Oktoberfest at SnowbirdI hadn't been up to Snowbird since Mother's Day; suffice it to say the mountain looks a little different at the beginning of September. It shed its winter layer quickly at the end of the season, like an overeager frat boy streaking across campus. Now it's on the verge of erupting in a brilliant display of reds, oranges, and golds; fall is almost here. For those of us in Salt Lake that means a few things, the two most important in my mind: Oktoberfest and the impending ski season.<br />
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So this last weekend my dad drove down from Bozeman so he and I could hit up the 'fest (among other things). In addition to some amazing beers (I'm looking at you Black Bier and Punk'n from Uinta brewing) I got to pick up my season pass. Major stokage (that's a word) ensued as I put the shiny new pass in my purse and thumbed through my early season freebies. It's nice finally getting something tangible after giving the resort nearly $700 of my non-existent dollars (thank you credit card), and it definitely makes me even more excited for the mountains to turn white again (because apparently more excitement is possible).<br />
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Best part about it is it's not that long away, and I have a free night at the Cliff Lodge to use between now and then. If I'm lucky like last year I'll get a snowy day at the resort when no one's around. Sure, I can't ski, but I can cozy up by a fireplace, look out at the snow-covered slopes and think about how soon I'll be shredding down the steeps instead of chilling in the lodge.<br />
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Here's looking at you 13-14; I'm coming for you. Watch out. Keep up. Or get out of my way. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-8950533894517990212013-09-04T11:22:00.000-07:002013-09-04T11:22:28.298-07:00Forsake the PastI was scrolling through Pintrest the other day (shockingly, yes, I'm a girl) and got hung up on something I saw on the quotes page. Now that I've got the tattoo bug (I'm hoping to kick it any day now), I was just looking at cool fonts for #3. What I came across was one of those supposedly inspirational sayings that read: "Never use someone's past against them." This stopped my scrolling; it's a good sentiment in theory, but not totally true.<br />
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Relationship experts and psychologists would advise against bringing up past insults, injuries, or mistakes when arguing with a partner, domestic or otherwise. This is solid advice; arguing about doing the dishes shouldn't turn into a fight over past indiscretions. When that happens it only signals more pain for everyone involved; it's a tactic of emotional warfare and if you ever find yourself giving or receiving this kind of abuse you need to reevaluate the situation and your relationship.<br />
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So why did this phrase give me pause? A couple of reasons; first, I'm the type of person who will remember things long past when I should, but usually only things that are embarrassing or painful for me or others involved. Now, I'm not the type of person who will use these things against someone in an argument (the scenarios mentioned above), but it would be stupid of me to not allow the past actions of a person to color the way I interact with them now. Doing so would only set myself up for more pain, disappointment, etc. That said, I can still allow people to show me that the person I'm remembering is different than the one I'm currently interacting with.<br />
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Okay, so I guess that's not using someone's past against them. Why with the hold up? Why couldn't I just accept that as one of those great (if vapid) little inspirational pins and move on? One important thing: it should read "Never use someone's past against them. . . unless they use it against his/herself." This isn't an invitation to take the things someone shares about their past and use them against them; what I mean is that many people will carry their past (the negatives specifically) with them and use it as an excuse, as a crutch, as justification for continued poor action. If this is the case these people should not be given quarter because they are the primary people using their past against them. This may sound cruel, but until someone else shows you that your past may have led you to where you are but it is not WHO you are, nothing will change.<br />
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When two people meet they only know the person from time t to t+x where x is the length of the friendship. t-y means nothing to them. Sure in a relationship some things must be divulged; psychotic ex? Should probably tell that. Bullied a kid in high school? Unless that's the person you are now what bearing does that have on your current relationship. The only real reason to divulge things like that are for pity (my parents fought a lot when I was younger) or continued judgement (I almost got a kid expelled because I lied about him being abusive toward me). Both of those are examples I've used in the past and neither of those are relevant to my life now.<br />
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So this is a long rant about one tiny Pintrest post. Let me sum up: suck it up, your past is your past and if you don't think people should use it against you then stop using it against yourself. It's a huge burden and it's hard to make it to the steeper side lugging that with you.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-53904045128223419702013-08-27T09:46:00.003-07:002013-08-27T09:46:53.020-07:00The Wallisch Project: Release PartyIt still blows me away that I live in one of the major epicenters of ski culture. All of us SL,UT residents are lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend tons of events like ski premieres and parties. There are few places where you can spend a Monday night at a release party with a couple of the best skiers out there, but Salt Lake (or more specifically Park City) is one of those places.<br />
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Last night we headed up to PC to catch the 21+ part of the "Wallisch Project" release festivities. After a quick stop at the PC O'Shucks (love the Downtown SLC one, but hadn't gotten to experience the PC version before; my take: very narrow and not spectacular employees, but schooners of beer are awesome), we headed to The Downstairs Bar, our venue for the night's festivities. It was dead when we got there 45 minutes after the doors opened, but people started showing up not long after and by the time the film was set to start rolling the place was pretty packed.<br />
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It's always fun to get a bunch of ski bums in one room. It's especially fun to get a number of pro skiers in that environment, mostly because they're the most chill and humble demi-celebs out there. Not gonna lie, I had my total fangirl moment and got my picture with Wallisch.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Thanks to Tom who obliged me, especially since the only other peeps I saw him</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">taking pictures with were a) his friends and b) pro-skiers. Class act.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">The film, while short, did not disappoint. It's a pure ski edit from one of the best slopestyle competitors and park/urban skiers out there. The soundtrack is good and the skiing is great, including some great backcountry jumps. With the looming avalanche of true ski films set to be released upon us starting next month, this is a great start; it doesn't have a story or narrative, it's just a great bit of skiing to get you stoked for this upcoming season. Plus it makes me even more excited for watching Sochi this winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"The Wallisch Project" is not available for download on iTunes, so if you didn't get to be cool like me and go see it, then you should probably do yourself a favor and get it now.</span></div>
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And, as always, pray for snow and keep on to the steeper side.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-5564535140135533152013-08-16T10:19:00.000-07:002013-08-16T10:19:15.907-07:00Winter's ComingThere's a feeling I get one day every year. It's like the feeling I got as a kid on Christmas eve and Christmas morning. It's an elated excitement that is so purely joyous I can't contain myself. For at least this day I am transformed back into the kid who is full of wonder, full of delight; it's pretty much magic.<br />
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It's the first snow of the year.<br />
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Sitting here, looking out hills grown brown with summer heat, watching the thermostat tick up every morning, it's hard to remember that feeling. It's like trying to recapture the same excitement Christmas elicited during childhood once you've grown up; it's a tenuous memory, one that seems to slip away when you try to catch hold.<br />
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Luckily, I know that day is coming again soon. It may be August now, but my season pass is purchased, and soon enough the leaves will be turning and flakes will start to fly, that fairy dust that turns adults into kids and turns the city landscape into a snowglobe.<br />
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For those of you who love the warmer months, soak it up. You'll have to begrudgingly bundle up in layers soon enough, while my people happily unpack the hats, scarves, jackets, and boots, and dust off the ski gear.<br />
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Winter's coming, ready or not.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-64214884188981477542013-08-01T08:23:00.000-07:002013-08-01T08:26:58.386-07:00The FirstchairI'm so excited to announce the launch of a great new non-profit organization (NPO) called The Firstchair. I discovered it by accident through the Twitter/Instagram accounts of a group called Snowsnobs; my interest was piqued by their mission statement:<br />
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"<b style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Our
mission is to help underserved kids access ski and ride programs.
Mountain towns are often surrounded by impoverished communities.</span></span></span></b><b style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Within
these communities many kids never experience the joy of skiing or
snowboarding. Together we can help get kids on the hill." - www.snowsnobs.com</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Since I'd been looking for some sort of volunteer opportunity here in UT (I'd been involved with a number of groups in Bozeman and was starting to feel the need to volunteer again), this seemed like the perfect blend of service and skiing. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">After contacting the organization I learned that the NPO was actually about to be launched under the name The Firstchair, and while they were originally hoping to get a handful of kids from the Ogden area enrolled in a multi-week program up that way, the support they'd garnered had allowed them to expand their goals much more broadly and quickly than the founder, one Michael McKenney, had even dared hope. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The great thing about this organization is that it's founded by and run by skiers/boarders. It's a way to share the love of winter sports with those who may not have the opportunity to try them. The Firstchair is merely a facilitator of enrollment into learn-to-ski/ride camps; it does not run the camps and its volunteers are not the instructors or involved in the execution of the camps (though some, like myself, are certified as such). The reason for this is simple: lowering liability costs allows The Firstchair to spend more money on kids in the camps. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I'll be sharing more as we gain momentum, but keep your eye out for The Firstchair (www.thefirstchair.org, Twitter and Instagram: @thefirstchair, and on Facebook) and let your friends know. If you know of places where there are kids who could benefit from our help, please let me know. Let's share our love of the mountains with the next generation so they can help to maintain them. Let's help those kids search for their Steeper Side.</span></span></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004515750891461498.post-13480316537140510172013-07-31T14:14:00.000-07:002013-11-04T13:42:00.686-08:00Family Tree RootsBlink and life turns all topsy-turvy. With work (school? whatever you call grad school when you're not in classes), traveling, ski conditioning, etc. the last few weeks have just gotten away from me. Busy is good, but I'm looking forward to next week when I get a bit of a breather. San Francisco, here I come.<br />
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Since I grew up in the Bay Area I have a very strong love-hate relationship with CA/The Bay. There's a ton of places I love, and my family is there, but it's also a pretty nasty place, and lacks big mountains but makes up for it with traffic and smog. Yummy. I've only been back a few times since I moved away in 2004, and last year I only got to go back for about 4 days for my cousin's wedding. This time I get 5 whole days there; it's going to be busy but be completely awesome. 'So you're going on vacation, big whoop,' you might think. This trip is so much more than that; let me explain.<br />
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My mom was born in Vicenza, Italy, to an Austrian mother and a father of unknown decent. She was adopted when she was 2 from a orphanage in Salzburg, Austria along with her half sister (though you'd never guess it since they were raised together). I am so lucky to have an aunt like Debbie Flanagan, and I've got an amazing uncle and two awesome cousins that I grew up with in CA out of the deal too. That was pretty much the extent of my family growing up; my dad has a brother and sister-in-law back in FL, but we didn't see them much. Small families are awesome though.<br />
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I spent a good part of my childhood watching my mom search for her birth mother. It was a difficult search; the internet wasn't what it is now and she had to spend some serious hours researching and calling Europe to try to find info. Finally, she managed to track down the information she needed. Her birth mother was alive and living in Minneapolis with her three children. She wanted nothing to do with my mom and was clearly terrified my mom would try to contact her half-siblings and spill the dirty little details of their mom's youth. That was a blow to my mom, but she got the answers she needed and that was good enough for then. She also discovered that her birth mother had another 4 kids floating around out there; 4 more kids that had been put up for adoption.<br />
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In the winter of 2007 I was sitting in my dorm room, pretending to do work and I got a call from home (this is less impressive since my dorm was 15 minutes from home, but still). "I just got a call from my brother," was my mom's opening line. This was super confusing to me, since I didn't think my aunt had undergone sex-change surgery and the mother/sibling-search had ended years earlier. Turns out she wasn't the only one looking; Ritschi was her younger brother who had begun the same search in Austria. Turns out one of the people he called was one of the women my mom had talked to in great detail to find out about her mother. In a matter of minutes our family almost doubled. I had a new uncle (my mom a new brother), two new cousins, and a new aunt. It's still kind of weird. We got to meet all of the family save the older daughter the following summer when they all got on a plane for the first time in their lives and headed stateside.<br />
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This trip to CA is when I finally get to meet my last cousin, and let me tell you it's going to be epic. It's weird how this girl, who I've never met before and have barely communicated with, is so very much a part of my family. It's probably because I had such a small one growing up, and because it has made my mom so incredibly happy to have more of a family of her own, but the Wallner's of Ibm, Austria are my family.<br />
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So that's why this trip is more than a vacation; kinda cool, huh?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0