Happy Grateful Day

Thanksgiving has been fun, mostly because my sister came into town and cooked up a marvelous storm. As usual, strange family relations appeared, but diner was still delicious and well... they're family. I haven't skied too much during my week off from school due to a new job at a brewery however i was able to participate in a rail jam at Copper Mountain the day after Thanksgiving. Although I was yet again mistaken for a guy for the first half of the jam, I placed third among the alpine ladies. The tricks that girls are throwing down now is awesome. There must have been seven girls competing and us top three finishers were at least doing switch ups both ways and 270s out. My silly Copper freeride team mate was throwing back flips of one of the rails jumps (about 6" high).

Met up with Chaz from FHL and Kjell from Vail today and had a fun game of pig on all sorts of little features in Copper's park. I am proud to say I won the first match, but I give all the cake to Chaz who I don't think has tele-ed yet once this season.

abra cadabra: i really don't know what to call it

Been a little lax in school the past couple of weeks and have now been slamed again by the professors' will to impose yet another and another paper upon the students. When will it end?? Lukily I think I've finally found a field that would really interest me if I ever decide to get a real job. But if I don't I think skiing will work just swell.

Breck opened last weekend with some marvelous 30 ft tables. It was cold as ____ out there, but felt good to be hitting legit jumps so early in the season. Additionally, at Copper I ran in to Colin and Seaton MacMillan from Crested Butte, two big mountain stars. Took some run with those boys only to realize that my legs have a long way to go this season. But if felt nice to take some charging (well charging for me) runs through trees and bumps and some powder. It finally felt like real skiing, not just putsing around early season terrain. But the MacMillan brothers and I have all come to an agreement that the big mountain comps need an alteration. Too many people have gotten hurt, too many people are chosing lines that they should not take at their ability level, and the juding has become too inconsistant. It used to be a full DQ if one fell in a no fall zone; now they just take points off. At some locations judges score differently what they consider to be a fall. Hip check, a little swimming, feet above your head, it all varries. And additionally, without the events running as a combined series, local competitiors come out, who know their mountains by heart and dominate. This is all fine and good, but some reward should be given to those who travel and have to have the skill to learn new terrain on the spot with only one warm up run. With all that said though, it is still a judged sport and as athletes we have to accept it as that. We are being JUDGED, and we just have to run with it. Enjoy the skiing and prizes and the comradship of your fellow tele-ers.

yep, that was fun.

I received an E-mail earlier this week from my team manager at Copper Mtn. about a rail jam to take place in down town denver on Friday November 3. Sure, I say, why not. As the week progresses small tidbits reach my understanding that this event could be more than just a little rail jam. It wasn't an open registration, but for Winter Park and Copper athletes only... Major Denver media were being invited... Major of Denver, John Hickenlooper would also be in attendance... ??? Okay, what is this??

I arrive on the steps of the city commons building (the big Washington D.C. official looking building right across the park from the Capitol building) at 11:00 and there are is a group of young people such as my self dressed in baggy snow pants, skater shoes, hats w/ a flat bill, and XXL t-shirts... all loitering around an official government building. Then two Copper trucks packed w/ snow roll up and we begin to work. The Government of Colorado is ALLOWING us to jib one of the handrails at the City Commons building without being fined, arrested, or kicked out! Working w/ a majority of snowboarders of course the lip is only as high as a stair... I don't think I like ollies that are 3 feet up. But I wasn't a fan of the hard concrete steps we were working on either. As we were building we saw a couple going into the building for a wedding. Imagine on their wedding day they see a bunch of hoodlums deficating the building where they are about to be wed.

The event is for a press conference that the Major will be giving about a new project by the City of Denver to bring skiing to urban city youth. A free rail jard in a down town park that will be maintained and monitored by Winter Park. Ruby Hills Rails. Sounds pretty awesome. A few other speakers were also in attendance, including Max Bervy from Warren Miller. His podium was placed centered on the stairs between official looking flags w/ the gold trim, and banners from WM, WP, And Copper. Our rails was just to three feet to the side.

And so for the afternoon, w/ press and news and the Major all in attendance, we legally jibbed a government building in broad daylight in front of a slew of secrurity guards and police officers. I even signed a waver for them... does this mean then that for government buildings I am exempt from their outages becuase of my liability waver I have signed for the City of Denver? Probably not.

But what a good day for skiing. The Major of Denver publically endorsing this new style of skiing that we are all growing to love and follow. As not only the only telemarker present, but also the only woman, it was also a great day for those two categories as well. It shows that women and freeheelers are not to be forgotten in this growing world of freeskiiing and that we will be a growing presence that will be recognized.