Ski Bumming, 2017

Last November, when we were camping in Sequoia / Kings Canyon, I went for a hike. 1der stayed behind to take a nap in Beastie, and I set off on the trail by myself for a quick jaunt into the vast and quiet forest. The plan was to be gone for only an hour or so and to go only a short distance.

However, something inside me wanted to press on and make it to a small lake and complete the loop. As I was about 3/4's of the way up, I saw movement further up the trail — humans! Two people were making their way down, and I was thinking, "what are these people doing on my trail?" Not really, though I was surprised to see other people since we did not see another vehicle or person(s) in any of the parking areas, roads or nearby campgrounds.

We stopped to chat when we converged on the trail. They were a very nice couple, and it turns out they were from Telluride, where they have lived and worked the mountain for many decades. I got excited when I learned this, because I love Telluride and told them we were going there on our 2017 Mountain Collective tour. On a side note, when we bought our MC passes last April, Telluride was not included. It was added several months later, and we were super stoked with this added bonus.

And on another side note, this couple were the owners of a really cool rig we had been admiring in the prior days when we saw it at another campground. They had seen Beastie as well, and I looked forward to them meeting 1der as I knew he would like them and enjoy "talking shop."

We exchanged information, and I texted them a few times in the following months to say hello and wish them happy holidays. I figured the chances of seeing them in Telluride were 50 / 50 because, well, you never know. Anything could happen, right?

I emailed them our first morning on the slopes, and I was ecstatic when they texted back and said they would love to meet us on the mountain. Since the weather was warm and conditions were spring-like, their "crack of noon" 😂 meeting time was perfect.

Our consummate mountain guides and hosts

To say that Ron and Patsy are fantastic skiers and the most gracious mountain hosts / guides would be the understatements of the century. For the next three days, they took us all over the mountain, to their favorite runs in the trees and gullies, to "secret" stashes of good snow, to the where the locals ski. Shrekkie, 1der and I were blown away by their skiing abilities and willingness to share their beloved mountain.

We met some of their friends, who were just as kind and fantastic skiers as well. We were amazed by one of their friends, Dave, who met up with us for two out of the three afternoons. Dave was a speed skier / racer. Speed as in 128 mph fast. When was the last time you drove 128 mph, let alone skied that fast??? Watching this guy carve and bomb down the mountain was like watching Baryshnikov gliding about the stage — smooth, graceful and effortless.

We're very happy Shrekkie was able to be part of this amazing experience!

So. Much. Fun.. If I loved Telluride before, this is now profound love and lust. I love skiing the trees, and Telluride's tree skiing is matched by no other (that I have yet to find). To have explored and have the mountain unveiled in this fashion was truly magical, and if this wasn't enough, Ron and Patsy, both ski teachers of the highest levels (Ron - Level III; Patsy - Level II) gave us fantastic pointers and tips. For me and 1der, Ron and Patsy's gifts and the terrain we skied were the next stage of lessons from where we left off with T-Bone in Aspen.

The fun continued every night with wonderful dinners with Jim, Ron and Patsy. Jim discovered this cool place with good food, reasonable prices and (so I'm told since I don't partake...) tasty beers. We spent hours talking with Ron and Patsy, sharing stories and getting to know them better. They are awesome people; the kind of people we love to meet: humble, kind, gentle, grounded, with a deep love of the mountains and skiing. Their personal histories are fascinating and rich with experiences.

You know what I'm going to say next: that's right, more of Life's Magic Dance. Did I mention I have a vision that I've written to guide my life and my thoughts? And you're correct: the title of my vision is Life's Magic Dance, and it's posted prominently on the refrigerator at home so I see it every day. The first sentence reads I am lucky, and wonderful things happen to me every day.

Even as I write this, I am tickled and humbled by the wonder of it all.

The mountains surrounding the ski area are so majestic and imposing. Phenomenal scenery, phenomenal mountain.

Thank you, Patsy, for pointing out Wilson Peak (14,023feet / 4,274 m). If this looks familiar, think Coors beer commercials and ads. If you thought those commercials were using a fake scene, think again.

Look closely: see the furthest mountains way in the background? They are in Utah!

1. Awakened, Awoken, Potatoes, Pahtatoes, let's call the whole thing off! I spent a bit of time contemplating whether to use awakened or awoken, and I thought your inner-grammarian might find this to be very interesting, and it might even make you laugh...

Today was a travel day. We had the option of skiing one more day at Aspen, and while it was extremely tempting, it was storming a bit, and a day spent skiing meant a very late arrival in Telluride. We elected to hit the road during daylight and have a safe journey.

Shrekkie already departed for Telluride earlier in the morning, so we spent a carefree day driving 200 beautiful miles to our next ski-obsession destination. The drive through the McClure Pass was spectacular. We ascended up a canyon and experienced a long, gradual descent into the Uncompahgre Valley.

To see the changes in landscape and have sweeping views of Grand Mesa, Black Canyon and the San Juan Mountains revealed during the descent (into the valley) was breathtaking.

Several hours into the four-hour journey, with the warm winter sun streaming through the dashboard, I was lulled to sleep. Eventually 1der needed to pull over to rest, and I was gently awoken^[1] by Beastie stopping and a cacophony of moo's. Yes, moo's.

1der surprised me by pulling off onto a rural road and stopping across from muddy pasture full of cows. I was so excited! I grabbed my camera and jumped out to go visit these cool moo-cows that were congregated together and moving about the mud. I LOVED the short time we spent here. Thank you, 1der!

We arrived in Telluride around 6 pm and spent most of the evening figuring out where to camp / boondock for the night. Telluride is a really cool, small, charmingly quaint town with very strict, no overnight camping rules. So even though we found a lot that allowed 72-hour overnight parking (which, btw, does not mean overnight camping), we knew we couldn't “stealth” it — a quick recon of several parked vans and campers revealed they all had permit stickers. We felt no one was sleeping in their vehicles since the lot is patrolled

Of all the places we are visiting on this trip, Telluride was going to be our most challenging place to boondock. So off we went, and luckily, we found a “secret” boondocking spot that served us well for the duration of our stay.

And for those who are wondering, Shrekkie so graciously offered his AirBnB place for nightly showers. Did you really think we wouldn't be taking a shower every night while living in the Beast for six weeks? C'mon now...

We LOVE Aspen Highlands! Not only is the snow much better than Ajax, the vibe is much more chilled and relaxed, and the terrain is awesome. From their website: "Of the four mountains, Aspen Highlands avoids the spotlight, which is perfectly fine with the locals and in-the-know skiers and riders who tackle its uncrowded slopes. Hike the ridge to Highland Bowl for the sweetest run of your life, or simply cruise along the mid-mountain groomers off the Cloud Nine chairlift. Views over the valley to the snow-covered Maroon Bells constantly will remind you: this is Colorado at its best." We wholeheartedly agree.

It was snowing and cold today. I skied, 1der sat it out. I was excited to ski today for all the obvious reasons, and most of all, because today was the first day we were meeting up to ski with Jim, our Mountain Collective buddy I met last year at Alta.

Flashback to February 10, 2016... 1der was again in the ski shop, getting his new boots tweaked. Did I mention AGAIN??? I continued skiing alone. I was about to sit on the chair, and suddenly this person skis on and sits down. A big, friendly hello from Jim, who lives in Colorado. At the end of the lift ride, we decided to ski together for the rest of the day.

Jim is a 30-year law enforcement professional, and he loves to ski. Unfortunately his wife doesn't ski much anymore, so he hit the road by himself. Jim skis a lot. The dude has three ski passes! He was just finishing up his Mountain Collective Tour, but he was going in the reverse direction as us. He started in Jackson Hole, then went to Sun Valley and Alta. His last stop before going home was Aspen. It was his first day in Alta and our last. We were leaving that night for Aspen and just starting our five-week tour.

We said our goodbyes and agreed to meet for dinner in a few days in Glenwood Springs on his way in to / our way out of Aspen. Dinner was great, and we stayed in touch all throughout the off-season, talking about how we were going to meet up again this year.

Meeting Jim was Life's Magic in play!

Last night, Jim joined us and T-Bone for dinner, and it was really great to see him again. Jim has a fantastic, upbeat attitude. So not what you would expect from a 30-year law enforcement professional who has seen enough to make him the most jaded guy on the planet. This is not the case with Jim.

Back to today... Initially, the plan was for me and Jim to meet up with Rich and his friend to hike up and ski Highlands Bowl. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Jim and I got separated from Rich, which enabled us to have a chance meet up with Terry and take a couple runs with him. Niiiice.

Terry took me to the ski patrol hut at the top of the Loge Peak chair to purchase a strap for carrying skis while hiking the bowl. Four patrolmen were in the hut, and I proceeded to tell them my Daddy's story and how much I revere and appreciate all patrollers, on all mountains. One particular Patroller in the hut, Marlon, was so kind, and he presented an amazing offer: he would like to personally accompany me and 1der on the hike up to the bowl and the ski down. I was floored and humbled. Wow, wow, wow. Unfortunately today was not the day to go up to the bowl as it was blowing and snowing really hard. The hike would have been extremely difficult and dangerous, and the ski down would have been very dicey as well. No worries, though, Marlon's offer is standing for whenever we come back. Another Life's Magic Dance moment. Truly amazing. Thank you, Marlon, and thank you, Daddy, for making this encounter possible.

Terry left to teach a private lesson, and Jim and I had a blast skiing in the stormy weather. This was a great way to kick off the next few weeks of skiing together.

At lunch, we met up with Rich, and we spent the rest of the afternoon on Kessler and Soddbuster. Lots of great, fresh snow. Super fun. Another awesome day on the slopes!

These skis, which were parked right outside of Highlands Alehouse, were quite the attention-getters / laugh generators.

Tonight was our last night with our local Aspen friends, and it was a treat to, once again, sit at their table and share a meal with them. It truly is a pleasure to spend time with this family; fantastic parents who have done an awesome job raising two delightful, intelligent, well-mannered, respectful, engaging girls.

Many many thanks again for their hospitality, and for letting us "plug and play." We look forward to seeing them next year!

Sweet Felini.

Last year when we were skiing at Aspen Highlands, I saw a ski instructors' clinic being conducted on the mountain (translation: ski school for Aspen ski instructors), and the woman conducting it was / is an amazing skier. Her name is Jenny MacArthur, and my dream was to take a lesson with her this year.

With that said, taking a lesson with Jenny is, shall I say, “beyond my pay-grade.” In a big way. In a big fat, no frick'n way can we afford that, private lesson kind of way.

I mentioned this to our friend, and he so generously presented us with an incredible offer: 50% discount coupons for me and 1der for a group lesson. While 1der and I are decent skiers, that does not mean there isn't room for improvement. We jumped at this chance.

Mondays are seemingly good days for group lessons. A good day is defined as minimal amounts of people taking lessons, thereby enabling us to have essentially private lessons for a group price. This Monday was a good day!

We were supposed to meet the instructors at the Merry-Go-Round chalet at 10 am to get our assignments, but unfortunately we were running late and got there about 10 minutes after the hour. Luckily, everything was good, and we were “randomly assigned” an instructor with “El Patron” on his name badge. Hey, if this works for “The Boss,” then it works for us!

El Patron turned out to be Terry “T-Bone” Bannon, a 27-year ski pro veteran who has a wonderful, mellow energy about him. We spent an awesome day with him in the bumps, learning all kinds of fantastic techniques and new tools that have taken our skiing to another level. We really appreciated his approach — in addition to being kind, patient and articulate, he has a zen perspective to the art and science of skiing. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with him, and in the end, we gave him our heartfelt thanks for the gifts he bestowed upon on us. If you are able to take a private lesson, ask for Terry. He will be worth every penny. Unfortunately one cannot request an instructor for a group lesson, so cross your fingers to be lucky enough to get him if you take a group.

We asked Terry to join us for dinner as we wanted to get to know him better. In addition to a tremendous love for skiing, Terry has a lot in common with us / me: sailing, traveling, of course a great passion for skiing, and he's a musician; a very accomplished musician! He's a jazz pianist and performs throughout numerous venues in and around Aspen. We really wished we could have stayed in Aspen to hear him perform later in the week, but unfortunately such was not the case.

Instead, we really hope Terry and his love will come visit us. Nothing would make me happier than to have him play my beloved piano and make it sing. I love it when other musicians play my piano and fill our house with their music, talents and energy. Book that ticket, Terry!

I want elaborate on the “randomly assigned” reference I made earlier about Terry. Having Terry as our instructor was not “random” at all. Meeting Terry and having our lives intersect in this way was truly meant to be.

You see, 1der and I have a philosophy / mantra about our lives as individuals and as a team. We call it “Life's Magic Dance,” and after spending time with Terry, it was clearly obvious he is also a dance with life's magic. The way he touched our lives and the depth of the connection we shared was magical. We look forward to meeting you again, Terry, and here's a toast to our Daddys!!!

I made "Life's Magic Dance" bracelets for us to always remind us of all that is possible.
Bananas Chimpos wanted to show them to T-Bone!

Last night we arrived at the Aspen Nordic Center around 6:45 pm, which meant we were about 45 minutes late from the start of The Nordic Bonfire Dinner fundraiser, which benefits the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. They've been around since 1938, so clearly fundraising helps! We were happy to support the cause.

Our friends and their daughters were attending / working the event, so we joined them at the Center. We didn't have any nordic skis, so we put on our snow boots and walked the course.

It was a cool scene — numerous mini bonfires set throughout the nordic track; people skiing and walking to each food station. Even though we were late, you would think there would be food left, especially since the event ended at 8 pm. Unfortunately such was not the case. Our dinner consisted of two small cups of soup each, and yogurt for dessert. For anyone who plans on attending the event in the future, get. there. early.

We hung out and enjoyed listening to some local musicians. These guys were very "hearty stock" — strumming their guitars in the cold without any gloves!  I think this would be painful.

Do you think they look like they're in pain?

In front of them was a snow pit with a fire burning inside. I've never seen anything like that, and I thought it was pretty cool, I mean warm / kept my toes warm (heehee).

Our friends so graciously invited us to plug into / camp at their driveway. We really enjoy spending time with this fantastic family, and we are particularly excited about their upcoming visit to the Bay Area next month for spring break. It will be a blast having them visit / stay in our home!

We went skiing with them today at Ajax, and it was so fun to just follow them and ski all over the place. And for the record, their daughters totally rip it and slay the mountain.

The family left around noon (Sunday homework), and that left us on our own. We hopped back on the Gondola, and Rich, one of the guys on the ride, lives in San Francisco but spends a chunk of the winter in Aspen. He was skiing with his buddy Scott, who lives in Boulder. We tagged along with them, and it was awesome! Rich is an animal / the Energizer Bunny; that guys goes and goes and goes. Luckily he also knows the mountain really well, so we had another tour guide who took us to all the great bump runs and pitches.

We had such a great day with them, and we look forward to connecting with Scott when we're in Boulder and Rich upon our return.

In addition to seeing old friends, one of the things 1der and I really enjoy / relish is the chance meetings with people while on our "tour." We've met some really great people skiing, and Rich and Scott are just two more examples.

In addition to super fun terrain, Aspen Mountain / Ajax has a spectacular "backdrop". No, we weren't photoshopp-ed into the image.

A day at Snowbird was not meant to be.

Yesterday we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon and pulled into the parking lot at Alta (the plan was to hit Snowbird via the access gate at the top of Alta). It was basically a white-out, but I was ready to hit the slopes. 1der wanted to sit it out.

And then I opened the door. I was pelted with snow. I was pushed by the gale force winds. I shut the door. I said, "no frick'n way." And that was that. Snowbird will have to wait.

So what to do with this extra day? We called our friend in Aspen to confirm our arrival details for the following night. We told him about the weather, and he had a fantastic suggestion: hit Moab on the way to Aspen! Done deal, we're outta here... So off to Moab we went.

It was a beautiful drive, and we arrived around 5:30pm. We were very excited with this "diversion," as this was the first time visiting for 1der, and a reunion for me.

Beastie wanted to stop and enjoy the views. Everything is picturesque in Moab.

The last time I was here was many years ago, and I spent about five weeks in Moab producing a crazy aerial stunt off of "The Rectory", right near Castleton Tower. Jose Tejada, who now owns Sheri Griffith Expeditions, Moab's premier river rafting company, was my production coordinator, and we were going to see him after all these years.

We met Jose at the Moab Brewery, and it was so great to see him. He hasn't changed a bit; his deep voice and warm smile were exactly as I remembered him. Jose and I spent a lot of time together on that shoot, and what I've always liked about him is his realness. Everything about Jose is just Jose.

We were also very pleased to meet Jose's very nice and equally down-to-earth wife, and they graciously allowed us to stay overnight on the grounds of their lovely home. I was thrilled 1der had a chance to get to know them better over breakfast with fresh eggs from their chickens in the backyard.

Before we knew it, it was time to hit the road and say our goodbyes. We really hope to see them in San Francisco, though we've been warned it would be a challenge to get Jose to the City. I can understand why: after living for over 30 years in God's Country, why would one want to go to a City ???

Our wonderful hosts recommended we take the River Route out of town and stop at Fisher Towers for a hike and fantastic, long views of The Rectory and Castleton Tower.

We stopped for lunch at the trailhead parking lot, and this is what we saw when we opened the door.

The views from our hike did not disappoint. If they did, one would need to get their head (and eyes) examined...

The drive along the river was beautiful, and I recounted to 1der the amazing gift I was given when I was producing that stunt. My experience and view of Moab is so unique: my daily commute consisted of flying in helicopters, following the river and flying right up close / next to so many of the towers. My “office” was on top of the Rectory!

Prior to our visit, my last experience in Moab was with Jose, about two years after we worked together. He took me on a three-day private river rafting trip. This too was an amazing gift, and I will be forever grateful to Jose for this and his friendship all those years ago. Thank you, Jose!

Our last photo of Moab as we were driving away on the River Route. If you're ever driving from Moab to Aspen (or anywhere, for that matter), definitely take this route.

We left Mammoth on Monday after a full day of skiing. We drove a couple hours to Tonopah, Nevada, where we found a rest stop and boondocked for the night. It's so convenient and comfy to be able to drive somewhere, find a spot, pop the top and get a good night's rest. We love you, Beastie!

Getting a head start in this fashion was very helpful, as the drive from Mammoth to Salt Lake City (specifically Sandy, UT), is 550 miles and nearly nine hours. Too much for one day. As it was, driving the remaining seven hours was a long journey / drive. It's a good thing 1der loves to drive Beastie, as I got to look out the window, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

One of the things we love most about these trips is the spectacular landscape. It's so beautiful, expansive and deviod of populations. As a passenger, it's easy to get lost in one's mind, looking at amazing clouds and contrails and examining the passing terrain.

A selection of just some of the amazing, beautiful clouds and scenery on our drive from Mammoth to Alta.

We arrived in Sandy around 6pm and met up with our friend Mike, who flew all the way out from North Carolina to join us for a couple days of skiing at Alta. He met us here last year, as well as for two other trips: Grand Canyon 2015, and backpacking to Thousand Island Lake last summer. The fact he was willing to meet us again indicates one thing: he's truly insane. And here you thought the indicator is because we're super cool. Ha!

Mike and 1der - Last year in the Snowbird Parking Lot. And Beastie made friends with the yellow school bus!

We hit Alta yesterday and had a great day on the slopes despite it being cloudy with just okay visibility. Unfortunately Mike took a hard fall on one of our favorite runs / gullies, Running Dog Nose (love the name!) and Glory Gulch, and went down for the count. He flew all that way to get hurt and had to fly out the next day, cutting his trip short by a day. Bummer, dude.

This year, our last day together was cold and cloudy, so I'm using last year's image of us. We are wearing all the same clothes again this year, so if I didn't tell ya this is an old pic, ya'd never know. Heh-heh...

1der and I skied again today at Alta, and it was very cold and snowing all day. We stopped into the mid-chalet for a quick bathroom break and ended up meeting a cool family who are in the middle of a one-month ski trip at Alta. Turns out they live in the Bay Area, and they were staying at his family's cabin that's literally in the middle of the ski mountain; truly ski-in / ski-out!

His family has owned the cabin and the land for over fifty years. They were super nice and invited us in. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long as we didn't want to ski to the bottom in the dark. I loved the exit: ski the trees, hit a run, take it to the bottom. How cool would it be to stay overnight in the cabin, secluded on a ski mountain, when it was snowing all night? And then hit all the fresh powder without having to take a lift at the top. This is my idea of heaven...

A pano of the cabin and its surroundings.

Here is our ski-in / ski-out cabin. Primo parking at Alta!

At the end of last season, I finally got new skis and bindings (from Footloose, of course). My old skis were just too old — first generation parabolics; a GS ski with a really narrow waist and no rockers. How old, you ask? So old that no ski shop would work on them due to liability issues. That means no binding check, no nothing. Very risky, as I will point out below.

I demo'd three pairs of ski and fell in love with the Volkl Kenja's. They are so awesome, and I love how they perform. So much fun, and it is amazing how these power through the crud and anything off-piste. So, so different from the old GS skis, and I'm just scratching the surface on how they handle. I sure wish I had them for all of last season.

So this season, I got new boots. I went straight to Footloose, where they have a great demo and apply to purchase program. I demo'd two pairs over two days, and with the second pair, it was pure love. The Lange RX 110 have the perfect stiffness / flex factor, and they perform like my old boots. Once I decided on the Langes, one of the boot gurus over at Footloose blew out the toebox a bit, and shaved down my custom cork footbeds. Now they fit like a dream. I think it's cool that the boot guru's name is wait for it... Van.

On a side note, the first pair I demo'd were a pair of Salomons, and I had to push them really hard to perform; so hard that I had a really bad crash two days ago (the first ski day of the trip 😱). I smashed my head, jammed my shoulder super hard and banged up my arm.

Regarding the importance of a binding check at the beginning of each season:

Luckily, every time I changed demo boots, the shop had to re-fit and check the bindings. When my bindings were being adjusted for the Lange demos, the tech tested the torque release on both skis. After several tests on my right ski, he said my bindings were failing! What, exactly, did this mean???

He said the tension, while it was appropriately set for my weight, height and ability, was actually completely jacked up (my words), and it wouldn't release accordingly. Can we say fast-track to a broken leg or blown out knee? Luckily I demo'd boots and had to have the bindings checked.

Next thing I know, they were changing out the bindings as a warranty replacement. Keep in mind brand new bindings were put on at the end of last season, which translates to only four or five days of usage. I was so grateful for Footloose's level of service and care. And I was most grateful I purchased all my equipment at the same shop. We love these guys! This incident certainly solidified my commitment to get a binding check at the start of every season.

I bid my old boots a very fond farewell. They were so good to me and provided many fantastic days on the slopes. I brought them on the trip just in case I couldn't find the right new pair. So now that all is good with the new boots, I gave the old boots (what I think is) a proper goodbye: donate them to one of the thrift stores in town. On the way out of town, we dropped them off and left them at the door.

Farewell old boots. Thank you for all the wonderful days you have given me. I hope you bring as much joy to your new owners.

And the best news of all: 1der got his boots tweaked again at Footloose, and this seems to be the ticket🤞🏼. We'll know in the coming days whether his boots are completely dialed in, but for now, all is good. Yey!!!

Here are some shots from Chair 23... Today was our last day skiing at Mammoth (for this round; we'll be back in March). It was a beautiful day, and the snow was great.

Chair 23 - Mammoth. We LOVE this chair! We love the terrain it services, and I particularly love the dicey nature of it. It's the thrill-seeking chair — when it's windy or stops abruptly, it swings and you feel like you could get flung off. Can you say "GI Joe death grip"???

A panoramic view from the top of Chair 23. The series of jagged peaks in the background are the spectacular Minarets, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada mountains located in the Ritter Range. Last summer and the summer prior, we backpacked into the Ritter Range to Thousand Island Lake. So beautiful...

There comes a time in life when one must choose between an office and a ski slope...

Our second-annual Mountain Collective ski tour was slated to begin with a 5am San Francisco departure on January 27th. This departure date was 12 days earlier than last year's tour departure, with the hopes of having better snow throughout the trip and solving a boot dilemma...

Normally our first stop would have been Alta / Snowbird, but due to last year's boot explosion (for 1der), we decided to start our tour in Mammoth so we could patronize our favorite ski and boot shop - Footloose Sports. My foot had grown and my old boots were too small, so I needed new boots. And 1der needed yet another tweak on the boots he had to buy at Alta last year when his old boots blew up on the second run of the day on the first day of the tour.

Many of you already know the horrible drama he had with the new, super expensive boots. For those who don't, you only need to know one thing: the boots and the "custom fit" job provided by the Alta Mountain ski shop TOTALLY SUCKED. It was such a bummer to be on this awesome, five-week ski trip, and have new, custom-fitted boots that hurt, put his foot to sleep within five minutes of putting it on, and having little control on the ski.

And the best part? He had the pleasure (NOT!) of paying more than full retail. The amount would make you choke. In case you're asking for my / our opinion about buying "custom-fit" boots at the Alta Ski Area... my response is not printable in a family website. So there. sorry Alta, but the truth hurts.

When we returned to Mammoth (for the third time last year - I couldn't stay away!), 1der went to Footloose, and the techs did everything they could to undo the ridiculous things the Alta shop had done originally. Finally, on the last run of the season, after 22 days on the slopes, many of which were spent in pain or simply quitting after a couple runs, 1der felt "just okay" about the boots. But okay is a whole lot better than "f'ing sucks." I digress...

Boot Explosion 2016 - 1der's boots on the second run of the first day of our five-week ski tour

Back to leaving SF at 5am...

As always, we had a million things to attend to before leaving, so we we didn't actually leave until 12:30 pm. This normally would've been a good departure time, but this now meant we had exactly 7.5 hours to get to Footloose in time for me to get fitted for a pair of demo boots for the next day. We hit a ton of traffic in numerous places, so it was a nerve-wracking drive as we saw the GPS's arrival time move closer and closer to 9pm, Footloose's closing time.

We arrived at 8:40pm, and the amazing crew at FL agreed to fit me into the first of two pairs of boots I would demo over the next two days. They stayed late, got me fitted and did a binding adjustment. We finished around 9:30. Many, many thanks to the awesome crew at Footloose!

***********************

The town of Mammoth Lakes has been hit so hard by all the storms, it was truly shocking to see how much snow has accumulated in such a short time. One can only imagine the challenges everyone and all the businesses are faced with in having to deal with so much snow. Employment opportunities abound — snow shovelers wanted everywhere!

I was so focused on getting my boots dialed in, I didn't take any images of the town buried in snow. The only images I took were of the parking lot and walk-way at my cousin's condo complex. I don't have before and afters, but imagine how much work it was (and is) to keep the walkways navigable and the parking lot cleared. As it was, the parking lot was a mess, and probably 70% of the spaces were lost.

The parking lot at Sherwin Villas, Mammoth Lakes. Nearly 70% of all the parking spaces have been eliminated due to the amount of snow.

The walkways into the condo. You can only imagine how dangerous and treacherous it was to move in our gear. Too bad there isn't a reference point to show just how high are the walls of snow — at least seven feet. You can see the scrape marks from the shoveling by hand. Anyone want that job???

Thank goodness for all the snow; great for the drought, and great for skiing.

On a side note, the only way we could be ski bums is because of the Mountain Collective pass. We bought it last April right when it came out for the 2016-17 ski season. What a bahgan, Dahling - $379!!!

When I recently told a good friend about this year's Ski Bumming trip, he asked a great question: "What happened to prompt this lifestyle change?" He wasn't just referring to this year's trip; he was also referencing the phenomenal 16 months prior, which included our multiple backpacking trips, the Grand Canyon (backpack to the bottom!) / Monument Valley / Navajo Nation tour, five-weeks of ski bumming, and nearly five weeks in Europe this past summer.

Flashback to a couple years ago when we worked together, and I was a corporate prisoner — long, long hours, working weekends and evenings, budgets, running a team, performance reviews, crappy bosses, being told to "manage up" (translation: kiss up to my a-hole boss. No gracias!), horrible / terrible long commute, lots of travel, very limited vacation time, stress, stress and more stress, lack of balance, etc. The true definition of the rat race.

For many years, 1der has been questioning the sanity of it all. "Why," he would say, "are we doing this? We just have to tweak our lifestyle, and then we can get out of this craziness." While I heard him, I couldn't let go. I wanted to accomplish more, have more responsibility, slay the challenges. In a nutshell, I was crazy.

My last corporate gig was in 2013, and it is an understatement to say I hated every single minute of it: the one hour and 45-minute commute involving a car, train and either a bike ride or shuttle bus (and that was to just get TO the office, then repeat for the way home, working the entire time en route both ways); the utterly soul-sucking, unfulfilling work; super long hours; all the nasty politics, a lying, manipulative boss and other backstabbers in the office. I had been warned it would be bad, so I went in with both eyes wide open. I knew I made a horrible mistake after just two weeks on the on job — I lasted barely three months.

The job before that lasted 3.5 years, with another shitty, insecure, misogynistic horrible person boss who proudly and regularly proclaimed for all to hear: "I LOVE being an asshole!" And man, was he not kidding. He would tell women to "not get your panties in a wad" when we were upset with the treatment, when our good ideas were quickly shot down just because, etc., and he would loudly say repeatedly, "all Asian women look like shit after they turn 55." Wow. How I wish this was all figment of my and my colleagues' imagination...

Over the last couple years, 1der and I have been working for ourselves and slowly detaching from the rat race. My brother and friends have told me I look so different compared to a few years ago. I guess de-stressing does wonder for the face, eh?

So what changed in me to finally say, "I'm done"? The loss of 1der's Great Uncle Bill, who passed away last January, just 11 days short of his 110th birthday. Uncle Bill had such a tremendous impact on us. He was truly amazing; completely cognizant and "with it" until his very last days.

1der had the honor and privilege of being extremely close to him, especially for the past ten years of his life, speaking with him on a near daily basis discussing stock prices and the market, and having profound discussions about life in general. I had my own special bond with Uncle Bill. He always charmed me with his wonderful stories of the past, and he continually amazed and inspired me with his generosity in spirit, graciousness, congeniality and wry sense of humor.

Uncle Bill at 105-years-old in 2011.

Over the past 15 years, our visits to Uncle Bill's residence (a retirement home) gave us a window in which to observe the last years or decades of many people's lives. People who, like Uncle Bill, lived rich and extremely full lives, yet in their latter years, could live as their most adventurous and able selves only in their memories.

Uncle Bill always said, “we're not here that long, so enjoy every moment that you can.” I hear his words every day. So the time to create those memories is now; the time to ski, to be in Beastie, and to live, is now.

One important caveat to the YOLO perspective: we "signed" a social contract many years ago to not rely on others to fund our lifestyles today or in the future. We've always saved and lived below our means, shopping second-hand, bargain hunted, accepted "hand-me-downs" instead of buying the latest, etc. It takes years of sacrifice, hard work and discipline to do this. We had a friend who made and spent millions of dollars, only to loose his entire fortune, who once told us, "I couldn't live like this..." Recently, he was driving for Uber to make ends meet... Making money isn't everything, but ya gotta earn a living while playing. That's just our two cents, and we're sticking too it. 🙂

I took this image the day before Uncle Bill passed away. It was posted in an office window in the Retirement Home in which he lived. In addition to it's striking message, I thought it was quite profound that it was posted near the health center, where people are truly in their last days and hours. It is never too late to create our own happiness.