HellOnSnow

Earlier tonight the kids returned from Shawnee talking about the snowboard thieves caught with several stolen boards in their cars. The adult escorts told of the quick response from Shawnee personel and the subsequent arrest of 4 idiots involved. There were at least four victims and one was there to identify the stolen board in one of the two cars.

For those of you who are still not wearing a helmet, check out the sales coming up and find one with a style you like. Most importantly, wear it when you are on the mountain. I picked mine because it could connect to my ipod and my cell phone. Today, it probably saved me from a serious head injury. IMHO, I am an expert skier. I stay away from moguls, but at my discretion, i can avoid the occassional bump or hit it, get some air, and move on. I don't bomb the trails and I enjoy making quick turns as I make my way down. I skied the Asp today around lunchtime and did not like the crusty, icy area I was skiing in and cut right to get out of it. Good decision, bad timing. Dead ahead was a long bump of snow and I had to hit it. In a split second, the crash commenced and I was air bourne headfirst down the mountain. I hit chest first, head second. I rolled up onto the front of my helmet where I remained until I slow enough to flip over. Needless to say I was a little stunned about wtf just happened. A fellow skier came up and told me I was airbourne for 15 - 20 ft. I am sure it was a spectacular crash to see, but I really hit hard. Without the helmet, I doubt very much I would be here to type this. No, my helmet cam was not on at the time of the crash. I checked when I got to the lodge to find out how I missed the bump of snow before I turned. I am going to assume it was in a blind spot from where I was skiing. No, I did not take the sled down, but a ranger and ski patrol did stop by - thank you. I skied down and when the adrenaline rush was over, the chest pain set in and I went to First Aid - again, thank you.

Unedited video from the deck looking out on the Torch Parade and the start of the fireworks.

Here are some comparison pictures from mid afternoon on Saturday. By the time we left at 9:30pm, Sno had two groomers moving and compacting the snow on the walls. We also took a video from the lifts as one of the groomers was working on the side wall.

1) Camelback may be crowded, but there are two nice bars to revive yourself in - East Side Bistro & Glen Lodge. Expect the mountain to be loaded with beginners (moving obstacles and lots of yard sales). Elk and Sno may be a lot less crowded. 2) Hopefully, I may try to go on Friday before I meet up with my wife and daughter. 3) If I was going with a girlfriend, I would definitely head to Sno Mountain. The upper half of the mountain is excellent for beginners and advanced beginners. Even the blue trails are comfortable. Besides, when you are done, the new management appears to have done an excellent job putting a patio outside the bar, which was already a comfortable place to go for a break. 4) Elk has a lower percentage of beginners trails than Camelback and Sno. I have skied all three and I would rather take beginners to Sno.