On Thursday Jason, Jeremy Sabin, Aaron Blakely, and I went snowboarding at Sundance Resort. Novell had arranged for their employees to get super cheap lift tickets so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity even though we weren’t sure how good the snow would be this late in the season.

I also really wanted to go one more time before the season was over to improve my toe carving and cement it in a little more so next season I wouldn’t feel like I was starting all over again. I even got my physical therapist to approve this outing. After five weeks of therapy he thought boarding would be a good test to see how much my ankle had improved.

When we first got to Sundance we rode the Arrowhead lift all the way to the top. This proved to be a less than wonderful idea. The snow at the top, due to melting and refreezing, was basically like a solid sheet of ice. It was extremely difficult for me, a boarding novice, to control my board well. Even the boys had some spills due to the hard surface. You only had to fall once to realize just how compact that snow was. It was like falling on concrete; the bruises on my knees attest to the fact.

After one trip down we decided that we needed to come up with a new plan to avoid having to do anymore ice boarding. We opted to eat an early lunch at the Bearclaw cabin at the top and then ride down to the lower regions. Our hope was that by the time we finished our lunch the snow would have warmed up and become a little slushier and that down in the lower areas of the mountain it would be slushier still. This plan worked splendidly. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and the snow the rest of the day was slushy and soft.

In the nice slushy snow, referred to as “mashed potatoes” by Aaron, I practiced my toe carving. I am absolutely thrilled to report that I got the hang of it. I could still use some more practice to become a little more graceful, but I was actually doing real toe carving! This may not seem like much of a feat but it has been many years in the making and for me it is a major accomplishment. I have to say that boarding is a much different experience when you are able to carve and link carves. I’ve always enjoyed this sport but it is so much more fun now! Wow! What a difference!

The boys already have my boarding plan mapped out for me. Toe carving was first-next is supersonic speed, and then wicked mad tricks.

Thanks boys for cheering me on Thursday! Maybe someday I’ll actually be able to keep up with you…maybe.

Also as a side note-for any of you considering going boarding or skiing one more time this year-there is still plenty of snow. We only noticed a couple patches where the ground was exposed, so if you hurry you can get one more time in. I’m actually very tempted to try to go one more time in the next few weeks-but I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull it off.

Jason and I went snowboarding at Brighton today with Jeremy Sabin, Aaron Blakely, and Dave Oertli. The weather was supposed to be nice and we laughed when we saw the lights flashing at the entrance to Big Cottonwood Canyon signifying that weather conditions were bad and 4-wheel drive or chains were required. The roads were dry and the sky was not threatening so we couldn’t understand how the 1 inch of snow that the canyon had got overnight justified this warning.

But by the time we got near the resort, at the top of the canyon, we realized why these lights had been turned on. The roads went from completely dry to snow covered almost instantly. But of course that didn’t stop us. We boarded and enjoyed ourselves despite the horrendous gusts of wind. It wasn’t until around 2:30 in the afternoon that the weather finally halted our plans. It started thundering and lightning all around us. So the lifts closed down and we boarded down the mountain as quickly as possible. Being the highest point on a run when you are strapped to a metal containing board is not the best idea during a lightning storm.

The snow was really coming down by the time we left Brighton and the drive down the canyon took nearly 2 hours. But it was still worth it for a good day of boarding.

Aaron was nice enough to assist me today in my quest to become a better toe carver. With his help I improved my mad skills. I am excited to go boarding again and give toe carving another try, hopefully my ankle will cooperate.

Thanks Aaron for your patience!