08 April 2008

2008 Ski Season... In Memoriam


The 2008 ski season was laid to rest this past week and I felt respects needed to be paid and a eulogy rendered. The 2008 season was born on December 8, 2007 in Sundance, UT and melted away on April 2, 2008 at the same location. Funeral services were not held, and the season is survived by some of my closest ski partners: my father, Grant; my mother, Coleen; my sisters Emily and Anne; my brother, Thomas; friends Brad White, Jordan Gardner, Kent and Anne Christensen, Alesey & Girard and the ever-entertaining Greg. At this time of dysphoria I feel it is appropriate to mention a few memories of the past season. No ski season has lived a full life until her users have crashed, burned, lost some equipment and woken up sore the next day. I did all of that on day one. And day two. Actually I think I was still doing that on day 18 of the season. During one memorable occasion I was skiing with Anne and Thomas when I approached and battled a cliff zone. I was lured in by untouched powder (untouched for a reason) and quickly fell prey to the gaping, precipitous, lair of Utah's greatest heights. Finding myself in a pickle with nowhere to go but down I was forced to call upon drastic measures and find a level of bravery I never knew was in me: I took off my skiis and screamed for help. There was a ten foot fall before me and a a steep wall behind me. Finding no other alternative, I threw my skiis off the ledge and leapt for my life. Just my luck, I left my parachute at home that day! I had my planner with me but no parachute! Go figure. I sunk into the snow up to my hips when my boots hit the rock four feet under the snow. I was buried so deep that my brother had to come help dig my feet out because I could not move them. Other memories include attempting a 360 turn in the air (I only made it 193 degrees in the air, although I must have turned at least 720 degrees upon 'landing'), showing up for ski class to learn that I had the same instructor (Greg) and classmate (Jordan) as two years previous, and shussing down Challenger hoping that my coat didn't catch on fire from combustion. This season got a lot of use out of me and the memories will live on. Ski season 2008, we will miss you! Flowers, skiis and other gratuitous offerings may be donated directly to David. He is handleing all the arrangements regarding the anticipated resurrection in 2009.

2 comments:

Likeursoperfect said...

That's a dang shame....entertaining, but death is never fun.

Emily said...

Wish we could have been there!