I got my wish to go boarding one more time before the season was over. I went snowboarding with the boys yesterday, my usual boarding posse. We went to Brighton, on what turned out to be their last day of operation for this season.
Although it is nearly May, Brighton still had 118 inches of snow. It’s interesting that the resorts will open in the fall when they only have a sprinkling of snow, but will close in the spring when the snow is still piled 10 feet high. I don’t understand this logic.
We were all excited to get a few more runs down the mountain before we said our final farewells to winter, so excited in fact that many of us went despite various illnesses. Aaron had laryngitis and was barely audible. Jeremy and I were both sick with colds. But we all just couldn’t pass on the last boarding of the season.
We were expecting a nice warm, spring boarding day. However, the odd, surprisingly cold, weather we have been having persisted. So the temperature remained in the thirties and it snowed periodically throughout the day. These cold temps resulted in hard compact snow and my knees, once again, are consequently bruised.
We were all unaware of this, but apparently it is tradition on the last day of the season at Brighton to wear abnormal attire. We saw people wearing wetsuits, hula skirts, leisure suites, capes, wigs, bear costumes, and every odd colored ski suit you could imagine. These unusually dressed individuals made the day more entertaining.
We enjoyed ourselves and our last opportunity to hit the slopes for a while. Now I will officially say adieu to winter, pack away my boarding clothes, and prepare for mountain biking, hiking, barbecues, gardening, and relentless heat. Welcome back warmth; I have missed you.
For those of you who can not bear the thought of waiting months to board again, never fear, Snowbird Resort is open everyday until May 11, and then every weekend until at least Memorial Day, possibly longer if conditions permit. With their whopping 141 inches of snow, there is still plenty of boarding to be had for those of you who aren’t so enthusiastic about welcoming spring quite yet.
Last Saturday Team Evil was not scheduled to play. Jason and I decided that since we didn’t have a soccer game it was the perfect opportunity for us to make a little getaway. After some debate, we ended up going to Park City. We stayed in Midway, which is about 15 minutes from Park City, at the Zermatt Resort and Spa. It got better reviews than most of the hotels in Park City so we thought we’d give it a try. The resort turned out to be quite nice. My only complaint was that our room was a little small. But the hotel was clean and the décor was tasteful and fun with a Swiss theme.
Jas at the crossroads
Jason and I spent most of our time shopping at the Park City outlet stores, wandering around Wasatch Mt. State Park, and playing games at the resort. I think it’s important to note that Jason not only lost to me at checkers on the giant outdoor checker board, but also got creamed at shuffleboard. His main, or I should say only, tactic playing shuffleboard was trying to hit my pucks and nock them out. He continued to use this as his only maneuver even after he lost to me over and over again. Didn’t someone once say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Hmmm…makes you wonder. We both got a good laugh over how miserably he lost every game.
Jas losing at checkers
We had a great time and plan on heading back to Park City for another weekend getaway sometime in the summer.
I should also add, for any of you who are considering going to Park City to dine, there are a lot of magnificent restaurants there but you should be aware that they all close at ridiculously early hours. Jason and I were both stoked about trying some great food at a new restaurant only to find that they all closed at 9 0’clock, even though it was the weekend. So we were unfortunately too late to partake. Even one place claiming to be a happening restaurant and nightclub closed at 10:00. A nightclub that closes at 10? Shouldn’t they call it a dayclub then? Pathetic. So keep that in mind, all you gourmet food seekers.
Last Friday Jason and I went to a concert at the U of U, known as The Grand Kerfuffle, with my brother Andrew and his fiancé Simone. What is a kerfuffle you ask? The answer: I have absolutely no idea. I think it must be something akin to a shindig. Whatever it is, the U’s event is not just your average kerfuffle-it’s a GRAND kerfuffle. So all you schools that put on common kerfuffles-take that!
Although I’m still not entirely sure what exactly a kerfuffle is, this I do know, The Grand Kerfuffle is an outdoor concert thrown every year for the student body. It used to be an entirely free event and now students pay just five dollars to attend. Since my bro and Simone are both students at the U, they were able to get $5 tickets for me and Jason. The bands performing this year were Augustana, Hellogoodbye, and Shiny Toy Guns. Since I like all three of these bands, there was no way I could pass on $5 tickets to see them.
The weather on Friday was supposed to be warm and springish, unlike the other days last week that it snowed and felt like February again. But alas, the weathermen were slightly off on their prediction of when the warm front would move in, and Friday didn’t feel anything like mid-April. So I wore my boarding coat on top of another coat, and a beanie to this concert. Drew somehow forgot that it was freezing outside and didn’t bring anything but a hoodie. He had to borrow every extra warm thing we had brought. Common sense is not a strong trait in my family.
Drew and Simone
We had a lot of fun at the concert, despite a couple peculiarities. Yes, some things were peculiar. First of all, the crowd was very cheering deficient. Seriously people, do you not know how to clap? I felt like I was one of the loudest people there. Even when they were obviously enjoying themselves, their cheering was rather pathetic.It was a strange phenomenon.
Another thing that I thought was somewhat obnoxious was the couples making out roughly a foot away from us. Okay people, we realize you are anxious to get some action, but at least go to the back were you aren’t so conspicuous. Is that really so much to ask? If I had wanted that kind of show I would have just stayed at home. College students…was I ever that dumb?
But yes, regardless of these oddities, I had a great time. We didn’t make it in time to see Augustana, unfortunately, but we did see most of Hellogoodbye’s performance. The crowd was obviously not terribly familiar with their music and didn’t really get too into it, until they played their one hit, All of Your Love.
Me and Jas
The crowd reacted much differently to Shiny Toy Guns. Their applause was still lacking, but they were definitely energized and grooving with the music. The masses were jumping, moshing, and crowd surfing. I took the opportunity to jump too, even with my temperamental tendon. Simone, I discovered, is a woman after my own heart. She and I bounced around and rocked until our legs felt like jelly. I can’t say the same for the boys. Though, with some strong encouragement, I actually did get Jason to jump with me a little. He looked a bit like the guys from A Night at the Roxbury, but I was glad to see him do something beside just stand there.
All the bouncing paid off for me and Simone. We stayed nice and warm while the boys froze. Those boys…
I still had a great time even with Mr. Lethargic. It was a fun, energetic, and cheap concert. So thanks Drew and Simone for inviting us to tag along, and thanks Simone for shaking it with me. There was a whole lot of kerfuffling going on!
P.S. It has come to my attention that kerfuffle means a disorderly outburst or tumult. We learn something new everyday.
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