fired-up!

this killer video i found on the msg boards has me all fired-up for spring. i'd been asking around about this old ski hill on the other side of the Northfield range and am stoked to find it's got some great riding on it too. Am fired-up to ride from waitsfield to those trails come spring, get some new mostly-dirt long ride loops laid down. so much dirt to ride up here!!

10

the riding has been just about perfect the since last monday's R. temps dropped, turned the dirt roads to rock. our driveway could easily host a game of hockey. the studded tires hook-up great, fast rolling in comparison to sloggin' through packed powder. the key is getting outside before the warming late winter sun beats down and slushes 'em up... the rest of the time, which is to say, most of the time, i'm huddled over my computer and textbooks in the basement, spinning in the cool dimness while rays of sun occasionally slant down through the cracks in our porch, powering through the grime built-up on a window sitting inches above the ground. but, at least i've got a trainer. and a basement. and an old dirty window. and a cpl IFab bikes with xtr. and a beautiful wife. adorable daughter. cuddly dog. i digress. the riding. first time since labor day that i've gotten 10hrs in a week. am beginning to feel a bit more optimistic about regaining the form i had in '07. can finally think about racing again, it's been way too long of a lay-off, by april it'll have been 8 months since i've raced. that's crazy! where in the hell did the time go?

thinking 'bout building a super secret new bike for this yr. in depth pics and description of my Steel Deluxe to be posted, as it's for sale! it's loaded. full group of 2007 XTR with Mavic SLR wheelset. Pimp.

infamy

jenn got onto the front page of our local paper. for a whole week she was infamous (she's the one in green/yellow). she also mentioned the women she rolled with ripped! not unusual in this ski town. rippin' is genetic here.

gravity fed. mostly.

good adventure in big basin on sat morn, perfect snow conditions. i rarely take my camera on outdoor adventures (even though that's why i bought it). unfortunately, a $90 digicam takes $90pics... that being said, here's mike working like a dog for some powder turns. while we were in big basin, a cpl other friends were 20m to the south on a sweet backcountry peak grabbing adventure. it ain't hard finding a place to play around here, it's finding the time!

then i cut-loose and partied like a rock star. until like 9p. it was the leg's b-day and i let him down. i think they mostly made-up for it by decorating my comatose person throughout the evening, luckily sans black sharpie. i did get to illustrate how to sleep w/o dropping your beer. i have this weird magic sleeping grip on beer btls, you simply can't peel one out of my fingers.

next day found us all out skiing/riding in spring-like conditions, warm temps, heavy rains. it was the end of a 10-year ski/ride hiatus for thom and miriam. within a run or two thom was busting 180's and miriam was skiing like she hadn't missed a day. of course i didn't have my camera...

getting 'er done

back on the pain machine. added a "study console" to the mix. knew there was a way to double-up on things. study stuff. ride lots.

sneakers

so little time, crappy weather, the pain machine (indoor trainer) sits gathering dust, just not into it. the sneakers have been a freedom, a quick way to get some exercise, be outside, put the stress of the day aside. who knows, maybe i'll even stay fit for the spring when the legs can spin, the mind wander. nasty ice makes the chore of running a bit more interesting, and the views on the route are always worth the effort. some days can't get-out until after work. i leave the driveway, headlamp on, reflectors around bronte's neck, and head up and out our ice-covered dirt road. we turn onto slushy pavement and up a short climb to the old town common, now just a small patch of grass where two roads intersect. the pavement is the worst part of the run and it's always a relief to hit the dirt of the common road. cruise under the wide tree canopy of the van trapp's farm, the cows and sheep inside for much of the winter - and quickly out into the open fields, the stars blazing, the big dipper laying low in the sky, partially hiding behind scrag mtn. the road dips down for a 1/2 mile, then back up, a long open space with the mtns, fields, and stars all around. i turn at the bottom and begin heading home. to the west, the lights of groomers working the slopes of sugarbush gleam against the white strips of snow. by the time we hit our road again, i'm either dragging ass or sprinting, depending on the earlier day's efforts. sneakers aren't always bad...