It's Go Time! again...

Futures so bright I gotta wear shades!

Too bad my finger is F'd!

But I'm going anyways I don't even care...

I'm reminded of the movie "Boyz n the Hood" When Doughboy says "I'm going to the store."
And the other kids are like "you don't have any money". Doughboy's all "I'm going anyways."

That's me and Squamish. Though instead of ending up in the back of a police car, I'll just whine about my injury later to anyone who will listen.

Bad Day Low Strikes Again!

I don't know what to tell you, there are no excuses. Perfect weather, in shape (relative), plenty of time, nothing.

Shot down, shot down like a clown. I warmed up, I warmed up quite good really. Then headed over to BDL. It was dry, no snow on the top, and felt grippy. I hung on the first move. I thought it was in the bag. 40 tries later I was defeated.

With my head hanging low I climbed the problem beside BDL and spied a new slab that had recently been cleaned. So, I thought a new problem is just the cure for my ego. So I walk up the hill and saw to my dismay that the problem was quite low angle. Maybe 5.6 at the most. A complete waste of my time... (But I'll do it anyways).

First thing I learned is 5.6 can be tricky when it's not 5.6 and it's a lot taller than I originally thought. I climbed to a good stance and realized no more hands and no down climbing. My pad was folded at the bottom so I wouldn't have to step in snow and now I'm facing a ankle breaking fall or a dicey slab dyno (with no hands and a sloppy lip).

Ever get stuck on a problem with no one around? Gives you time to think.

Like: If I yell loud enough will someone coming running?

Will they tell everyone that I'm stuck on a 5.6 slab?

Can I jump and not break something?

Will this dyno to the slopey dirty lip stick?

Can I jump that far?

Why did I stop training my vertical?

Whats for dinner tonight I wonder?

"Fuck" "Shit" "Fuck Shit" "Oh God!"

So long story short I stuck the lip and rushed down to find the nearest someone to trick into climbing it. I was planning my words:

"Awesome new slab"

"climbs so good"

"Super Easy"

It took another day but I got Tim and Mike to climb it. It was even fun to heckle from the sidelines while they stood in that good stance thinking all the same things I did. Though it might have been harder to concentrate with me laughing.

Squamish Tomorrow!

Sorry for the long delay. But I'm back in business, Squamish tomorrow! My finger is a little messed up but I'm going anyways. This is my favorite time of the year for climbing. Cold, dry, high friction days. 

The goal tomorrow is the infamous  problem "Bad Day Low". I've tried this problem more than any single problem in the forest. I know that's saying a lot, however, this problem has shut me down more than anything else. There might be a reason it's on my "Squamish terrors list". 

Well, wish me luck. And no negative thoughts even if your going to be sitting behind a desk tomorrow. 

Peace.

Big White.

Hey there kids!

Well just got back from four days of snowboarding at Big White.

We left early Friday and drove the five hours to the mountain. The roads along the way were either slushy or covered in ice and snow. So it was a tense drive most of the way up. I spent a good portion white knuckle driving and telling Janelle to be quiet so we didn't drive off the road. It was fun to feel the traction control kick in and drift around corners at 120 km's and hour. But we made it.

When we arrived it was puking snow. Which was a very good thing. I believe the day before we left they only had two runs open. By the time we got there they had received 40 cm's of snow in 24 hours. Saturday morning I forced Janelle up for the first runs of the day. It was a powder day so I wanted to get some runs in before it got all tracked out. By the end of the day they had opened 32 runs and it snowed all day! Awesome.

I broke in my new board literally! By the last run of the day I had snapped my binding off, but it was an easy fix. So the next day it called for sunny weather and cold temps. And they weren't lying. -15 and windy at the top! Which changed the whole mountain. It went from a powder paradise to hard packed groom everything freezing hellhole! Ok that's a bit harsh but it wasn't as awesome as the day before. And the cold was a bit much.

Still got lots of runs in and had a fun time riding by myself. Janelle ditched me for the bunny hill. She wanted to work on her turns and steal free lessons from unsuspecting ski school instructors.

That night we went out for dinner and drinks. But we ended up being kick out of the local pub because it was a white on white party and my skin pigmentation didn't fit in! Or at least that's what I thought she said. White's only. That and they were only serving Molson Canadian Beer. Fuck, I'd rather drink water from L.A.

The next morning it was all me again snowboarding by myself while Janelle spent the morning shopping and drinking warm drinks. Not a bad idea seeing as it was -20 at the top of the mountain, windy and hard as a rock. I took about five runs and called it a day. I thought my face was going to freeze off. I got whipped by my lift ticket. Hit me right in the nose. Hell I thought it had cut the thing in half it hurt so much, though the ski patrol refused to heli me off the top of the mountain. Jerks!

So now I'm back in sunny and warm Vancouver... wait a minute! It's freezing here too. Well, I'll just jack the heat in the condo and watch Bay Watch reruns and daydream I'm in some sunny paradise.

Chow!

Thinking about Ones Self and Their Place in the World.

So today I was sitting around watching Comedians on Youtube and I got to thinking about my place in the world. I asked myself am I important to society? Sure I consume as good as the next guy, i.e., Iphone, Audi, and every new gadget under the sun. Hell I'm writing this on my Mac Book Pro, but am I do anything for the betterment of the world.?

I make movies. Or I work on Movies. It brings enjoyment into the world. Or at least some movies. Not the ones I work on. There are a hundred percent crap. Sorry!

So as I sit here with one too many Long Island Ice Teas in me I ask the world and myself what can I bring to this world that hasn't been seen before?

I'm at a loss.

But I can say I haven't quit. I think back to the 90's and a song about wearing Sun Screen (Songs pretty terrible). That's me or will be. Forty and don't know what to do with my life. But at least I'll be interesting.

Yesterday it was announced that Einstein's theory of Relativity was proven correct! 103 years later. Talk about leaving a lasting effect on the world.

Now I know I'll never prove great theorems. Or invent or cure.

But I ask myself Can I find a place in this world?

Can I?