Christmas Day 2011: Brighton
The snow has finally began to fall in the mountains. Brighton received 27 new inches in the past twenty four hours. Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed most of the day due to an avalanche across the road...and as a result, Brighton and Solitude were packed with people and the canyon road lined with cars. Great Western chair lift was closed the day before so everyone and their mothers where lined up for first chair. After about a twenty minute wait, Jen, Jaime, Sam and I were looking over the cat track edge of Great Western Bowl. We noticed that the rocks were covered and there were yet to be tracks...so we dropped in!
I took some of my first tree runs of the year. Maybe even my first tree runs since Melby passed away last March at Crystal Mountain. I had several moments of deep anxiety that Jen was able to quickly sense. She shot me a big, grinny smile and gracefully bounced down through the snow covered trees. Looking back, every now and then, to check on me and give me more gorgeous, toothy grins (thanks Jen). Melby was especially close to my heart all weekend (and I could hear him telling me 'to get after the untouched powder') as Sam and I enjoyed the first deep powder turns of the year.
I felt my eyes tearing up on my first run down from all of my excitement and anticipation for this precise moment....there is nothing equal to floating across the snow on a board. Along with the greatness of our first powder turns, we both experienced the torturous moment of getting thoroughly stuck (thanks Mira for riding so close and being a safe/smart companion while in the trees). Sam combined his love of surfing to his creative escape out of chest deep snow by laying on his board and 'paddling' to break trail back to the groomer. I am currently still impressed by how sore my right arm is, two days later, from digging myself out and trying to get upright (which took a good five minutes and multiple curse words in multiple languages).
Cheers to good snow, good friends and more good times together....
I took some of my first tree runs of the year. Maybe even my first tree runs since Melby passed away last March at Crystal Mountain. I had several moments of deep anxiety that Jen was able to quickly sense. She shot me a big, grinny smile and gracefully bounced down through the snow covered trees. Looking back, every now and then, to check on me and give me more gorgeous, toothy grins (thanks Jen). Melby was especially close to my heart all weekend (and I could hear him telling me 'to get after the untouched powder') as Sam and I enjoyed the first deep powder turns of the year.
I felt my eyes tearing up on my first run down from all of my excitement and anticipation for this precise moment....there is nothing equal to floating across the snow on a board. Along with the greatness of our first powder turns, we both experienced the torturous moment of getting thoroughly stuck (thanks Mira for riding so close and being a safe/smart companion while in the trees). Sam combined his love of surfing to his creative escape out of chest deep snow by laying on his board and 'paddling' to break trail back to the groomer. I am currently still impressed by how sore my right arm is, two days later, from digging myself out and trying to get upright (which took a good five minutes and multiple curse words in multiple languages).
Cheers to good snow, good friends and more good times together....
J-Far, J-Rod, and Sammy U
Christmas Day: Sammy, Nicole, Mike
Christmas Day Lunch: Sammy, Nicole, Mike
