Stevens Pass: Epic Day w/ the Fries

What's the best way to drown your sorrows over losing a hockey game that we should've won? Head up to the mountains for some fun time in some fresh pow pow. Last night in the locker room, a group of us (Joemarie, Marie, Erin, and "Top Shelf" April) decided to head to Stevens Pass off of highway 2. As tired as I was this morning, I am SO GLAD that I joined them because: a) there was almost 2 feet of fresh snow to play in, and; b) it was nice to ski with other people who drool like I do when there is so much fresh snow and who think of lunch as an inconvenience but a necessary *quick* stop to refuel. Today made up for the last two, seriously disappointing days where I ended up skiing solo since the others I was with preferred happy hour(s) over happy snow. Oh well....to each their own and that's fine.

We were on the slopes by 9:15 and headed to the back side (Mill Valley) where we could take advantage of all the new snow. Well, here is where I earned a new nickname. I wear a C on my jersey because I thought it was to remind me that I am Captain of the team and that I play Center position. Well, it's also because my new nickname is Crash. Our first run in the the deep stuff was not pretty and one by one we face planted into the fresh pow as we hadn't adjusted accordingly and were all leaning too far forward. Oh, what fun! Came back later and showed that run who was boss...woot! Later, we played a lot on Orion and other runs off of the Jupiter chair. My face hurt but not from the snow blasting my face, but from smiling and laughing so much! Before lunch, we decided to head into the trees off of Outer Limit - here is where I really earned my Crash credentials as I proceeded to do, not one, but, TWO yard sales down a narrow chute in the trees. Famous last words from Erin - "Oh, it's not too narrow"....uh, yeah...for a snowboarder! When I panicked, I tried to get my skis perpindicular to the run to slow down but the problem was there was no room to do that and my tips touched either side of the walls and nothing under the middle part of my skis. Yeah - disaster. After tumbling head over skis, I had to dig out my goggles, hat, both poles, and one ski....it was one heckuva yard sale, I must say. I never do things half-ass :-)) I finally showed up at the bottom of the run covered in snow and beaming! Marie commented that she hadn't seen me smile and laugh as much as I did today. Yeah, I was in heaven.

After lunch, we headed over to Big Chief and found some sweet pow over on Lower Diamond and that is where we stayed the rest of the day. The three of us (Erin, Marie and I) had headed over to Skyline to try and find Joemarie and April, but it was complete mayhem and we hightailed it out of there and back to Big Chief where we, literally, had Lower Diamond all to ourselves. These are the days skiers and boarders dream about and I'm so glad I didn't pass it by. The snow came down hard all day. Now, I've got to find some energy for my legs for a hockey game in an hour - it's my co-ed game so I'll just let the guys skate (tee hee). I'll just take my shift to give one of the wingers a breather.

Thank you Erin, Marie, Joemarie, and April for an epic, craaaazy, fun day and I'm glad I provided you with some gut-busting laughs (see, I don't limit my entertainment to just the ice rink). I was soaked underneath from my wipeouts - got home and wrung out my underwear (LOL). I promise to get a helmet so it's not so unnerving for me when I go through the trees.

Oh, and great team effort in getting the car out of the lot after the snowplow barricaded us in our spot. See you at practice or at our next game - Captain Crash.

Happy 2009!

The beginning of a new year....it's like a breath of fresh air. New beginnings, new goals, new paths to take, and new experiences to relish and embrace. I will spare everyone the rehash of 2008. You can read my blog for that. But, one thing for sure, it's been over a year outside of a 9-5 office job and it's one of the best decisions I made in my life. What's in store for me in 2009? Who knows, but it will be a good time, 'fo sho.'

I ended 2008 and kicked off the year with a trip up to Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia. Not the time of year I want to be up there because of the annoying mayhem, and unbearable crowds and lift lines. However, I wanted a good, positive start to the new year so I decided to celebrate it with with some new friends that I've met up here in Seattle. The other downside: because of the late start of the snowfall and extremely cold and windy conditions, there were a LOT of exposed areas and now the bottom and edges of my skis are so trashed with deep ruts and gouges (whimper). On top of that, what snow that has come down is so unstable. While we were there, 2 more tragedies occurred due to avalanches - one was actually inbounds though it was roped off. Avy's, rocks, and exposed ice....not the best conditions but then again, the past several years have been pretty good up there so maybe we're just due for an off-season. **it happens. It's also still pretty early in the season.

The day I left, it was a bluebird day up in the mountains, albeit, butt ass frigid cold....oh well, just a reminder that life is always about trade-offs. I got to ride the new Peak 2 Peak Gondola from Whistler to Blackcomb. I thought all of the gondolas had a part of the floor that was see-through but it's only 1...the silver gondola. So, for those who aren't vertigo-challenged...look for the silver gondola and enjoy the view through the floor. I'll wait for that gondola the next time I'm up. In the meantime, Crystal Mountain in Washington got 18" the day after New Year's. Steven's Pass also got hit with a large amount of snowfall. Should've stayed state-side, but it was a good time north of the border, nonetheless, and that's what really mattered. Just so happy to have so many options within a 5-6 hour drive of here. Looking forward to 2009 and coming up with new stories to fill this silly blog. Happy New Year!

My First Ski Run!

Bliss Run? Have you heard of it? Now dubbed JRitchie's Hill on Cougar Mountain. Winter has officially arrived and we got a nice dump over the weekend. This morning, I took Daisy out for a walk - who, by the way, I swear was formerly a Burmese Mountain dog or a Husky in her former life. She is totally loving the snow! Well, as long as the depth is manageable but this morning, the snow is close to pug-shoulder level in some places. Daisy quickly figured out to follow my steps and let me clear a path for her. Anyway, after our hour-long walk in the snow, I dropped her off, grabbed my skis and then hiked back up the hill to the water towers which is usually the jump-off point for some trailheads. The snow was deep enough for me to ski down the road leading from the water towers w/out gouging the bottoms - WOOT! My own private hill and no one was around. At the top, I had a fabulous view of the other snow covered hills including Tiger Mountain. And, down I went....hysterical! I did about 5 runs. On my last run, I caught a couple of people by surprise (d'oh - please don't get the same idea). Now I'm back in just to check on work real quick and then I'll head back up before others impede on my little bit of bliss.


(The end of Bliss Run - LOL!!)

Winter FUN Just Around the Corner

The other day, I was driving home from the airport feeling a little wistful and sad after so many fun-filled days with various friends in the Bay Area. On my drive home, as I headed back to Issaquah on I-90, there was a brief break in the clouds and I could see the dusting of fresh snow in the mountains. That brought a smile back to my face and optimism for the upcoming winter season. So, to get everyone in the mood and to remind you why rainstorms are a good thing during the fall and winter months, I've put together a collection of webcams for live views of some places I've been at along the west coast. Click on the logo to view and may I suggest that you bookmark this page. Whee!

British Columbia:




Washington:





Oregon:







California:




Colorado:




Utah:






So, I am keeping tabs on all of you who said that they are coming to (fill in appropriate outdoor activity) in the near future. As for ski instructing, I still haven't made a commitment but I may have found another company that will allow me to teach during the week (and maybe a 1/2 day session on a Saturday) which will free up my time to play in the snow with pretty much everyone else who has the M-F grind. So, think SNOW!! And, regularly do some cardio, lunges, squats, wall sits, double-leg jump overs, more cardio, some core work so we can get the most out of each play day without any injuries :-) Woot!

Skiing? What!? But, it's April 20!

April 20....not Jan 20....not Feb 20, but April 20. Last weekend, I was basking in 80+ degree weather after a great bike ride. This weekend, I was skiing in some fresh pow just 1/2 hour away from Issaquah. Ah, it must be spring in the Pacific Northwest. Usually, by this time of the year, skiing is but a distant memory for me, but, not this year. So, Julie and I decided to take advantage of this freaky weather and headed up to our local hill for some turns. It was one of 2 ski areas in Western Washington that were open this weekend. Mt. Baker was the other ski area that was open but that is a good 2.5 hours north towards the U.S./Canada border just east of Bellingham. We were going to head up to Alpental (the hill I taught at this past winter) but the lots were full so we headed to Summit Central and dabbled around Chair 6 (Silver Fir) and stuck to Hog Wild, Inspiration, Wildcat, and Outback.

The conditions weren't too bad for this late in the year in Washington....or so, we thought. Just as we were cruising down and enjoying the little bit of sun that was starting to peek through the clouds, Mother Nature suddenly sent us a not-so-gentle reminder that it's spring and started pelting us with small bits of hail. Ow! Well, the good news is that I got a free microdermabrasion and can put off that facial appointment for another month or so (haha). So much fun - what a treat to be downhill skiing so late in the season, on fresh pow, and just 1/2 hour away, nonetheless. Next week is supposed to be warmer - I sure hope so because I've got some cycling during the week and then paddling scheduled up around Deception Pass on Whidbey Island. But, last I heard, both Summit Central and Alpental will both be open for the next couple of weekends. And, spring skiing is still going strong north of the border at Whistler-Blackcomb. Maybe there's still a chance for one more run. Who knows...anything's possible this time of year!

My gig as a Ski Instructor - a post-mortem

I just got back from turning in my ski instructor uniform at the Summit at Snoqualmie. A lot of you have been asking me how my ski instructing at Alpental went. Well, it was the first time I've ever been a ski instructor and also the first time where I was handling a group of kids ages 8 - 12. Let me tell you - it's no different than running meetings in the corporate world (LOL). The program that I taught was an 8-week consecutive program which meant that I had the same group every weekend. Initially, I was only in it for the free ski pass and the chance to ski up high in the fresh pow before lessons started. But in the end, I found it to be one of the most gratifying things I've ever done.

My groups on both Sat and Sun were all Level 1 skiers with little to no ski experience. I immediately thought - oh "*#@!....8 weeks of daycare so their parents can go up Chair 2/Edelweiss and have fun. At the end of our first session on St. Bernard (the bunny hill), I promised my groups that I was going to take them up to Sessel which was an intermediate run - I remembered each kid looked at me with their big saucer eyes and said 'no way!' They all just wanted to stay on St. Bernard where it was safe. Ha - not if you're skiing with me. By the third session, I convinced them to follow my tracks down the steeper hill. After we finished our first run down Sessel, they all looked at me in amazement that they made it down all in one piece and it wasn't as hard as they thought it would be. A couple of sessions later, they were ready for a more advanced run off of the Armstrong chair which we did the last 2 weeks of the program - they totally exceeded my expectations. At the end of the program, it was so satisfying to have their parents come up to me and thank me for getting their kids past the fear factor and showing how much fun skiing was. There were a few times where I tried to move my students to other groups that I thought was more appropriate for their level but each time, the parent would come to me and ask me to take them back because their kid was having so much fun skiing with me.

There were definitely challenges. I had kids lose their equipment from the chair, one kid almost fall off the chair (I had to catch him from 10 feet off the group), another kid throw a tantrum and after I side-stepped 100 yards up the hill to deal with him, he threw his poles at me (yeah - I talked to his dad immediately afterwards....little punk), and wayward skiers. I'm sure there were more but I can't remember because I'm just really happy that I accomplished my number one goal....that these kids have fun (oh yeah, and that they learned some good skiing techniques). Most were already looking forward to their lessons next year.

Things I learned as an instructor:
-Pick out a student who can be your 'go to' person in a pinch. Someone who can lead a group to a meeting point and keep them there while you chase down a wayward student (which was almost every other run - I started calling him 'Bode').

-Have the students take turns being the 'leader' each time down the hill. Not only does this help keep your group together, but it also gives some of the quieter students a little nudge to lead their peers and build some confidence.

-For individual student attention, take turns riding up the chair with them. It was really cute how they would fight over whose turn it was to ride with you. But, they wanted to know: a) if you were paying attention to them as they skied down the hill, and; b) how they were doing and if they were getting better.

-And, the 2 rules I always enforced on the hill: ski in control, and most importantly: HAVE FUN!!! I created a fun zone at the bottom of Sessel where after skiing the run together, at a certain point, we would all turn around and ski backwards to the chair line. That was so much fun and the kids got a huge kick out of that. And, the 'adventure zones' through the trees with bumps and jumps were also 'fun-time.' But, both of these exercises played an important part of ski instructing (rotating ankles to use different parts of the ski for control, balancing body over boots, confidence, etc.) - they just didn't know it. At the end of the program, *they* were leading me through the trees.

In the end, would I do it again.....ABSOLUTELY!! Thanks to my little rock stars: Christoph, Hans (yes, these 2 are destined to be skiers with names like that), Quinn, Lauren, Joseph, Brooke, Chase, Nolan, Andrew, and Casey (my one kid who did a black diamond run....inadvertantly....LOL). See you on the slopes!

Welcome!!

Has it really been 5 months since I moved? My how time flies. I owe so many of you a phone call or some type of correspondence and I know I'm due for a visit to the Bay Area, but, well, it's ski season and we're getting some fresh new snow in the Cascades as we speak so I need to make this brief so I can wax up my skis and do a few turns before sitting down to do some *real* work and then on to my daily workout.

While I miss my friends in the Bay Area immensely as well as some of my favorite bike routes (Paradise...nothing beats that view as you ride in to Sausalito...and the various routes that start on Canada Rd....and the looooooong coffee breaks with Kirsten, and the Captains :-), I am really enjoying my time back in the Pacific Northwest(oh, and I miss all of you who live in other parts of this lovely planet - didn't mean to diss you). I am currently in Issaquah (about 20 mins east of Seattle) mainly because it is easy access to a lot of the outdoor activities all-year round. Issaquah is basically in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range on I-90 so there is a lot to do...there's even a hang gliding jump-off point right up the road from me.

But, as I mentioned earlier, it's still ski season and I have been skiing every week. I'm a ski instructor at Alpental - the most advanced part of the Summit at Snoqualmie ski area located right on I-90 and the closest ski area to the Seattle metropolitan area. (The picture at the top of this blog is from the chair leading to the top of Alpental and the picture on the left is after the record dump we had over a 2 week period that closed the passes and canceled my classes for 2 weekends in a row. I think that was Mother Nature's way of saying 'welcome back!') But, I've also managed to have some fun at other local hills including Crystal, Stevens Pass, and, yes, Whistler-Blackcomb. I think I may do some heli-skiing later on with a local company that does trips in the Northern Cascade area. They still have seats open (especially mid-week) and it's much more affordable. The company is North Cascades Heli-Skiing and you can stay overnight in Winthrop, WA. Speaking of heli-skiing, a friend of mine just headed down to the Ruby Mountains in northern Nevada to heli-ski with Ruby Mountains Heli-Experience which promises you a minimum of 39,000 of helicopter lift! I know I'm supposed to focus on excursions in the Pacific Northwest, but this company sounds awesome and I will make it down there that's for sure. Who is up for a trip next winter? They suggest booking a year in advance. The lodge that they stay in is owned by a woman who runs a brothel in Nevada....how funny is that? I think I'm in the wrong business (LOL). But, I heard the food is awesome and the helicopter picks you up close to the lodge.

So, other updates....yes, I'm still playing ice hockey. I actually belong to two leagues down here. My Friday night league is very similar to the Blue Division (top division) in the NCWHL in the Bay Area and my other league, the Seattle Women's Hockey League, is a little less competitive so I need to watch my "roughing." But, we have coaches and it's nice to have that feedback and work on various parts of your game as opposed to the pick-up style I've been playing for years.

Work-wise, my main source of income is through my work with Peridot which is a small (about 8 of us?) company that does contract work with Microsoft and McKesson. McKesson is my main client and I'm working on web analytics as well as customer satisfaction studies for their various web sites. It's great b/c I can work as much (or as little...which is more the case ;-)) as I need to and everything is done remotely. But, the other work is what I am more passionate about (and having a lot of fun doing) and that is the work I'm doing with my friend Norm and his company, Tantalus Adventures. I am helping out with the marketing and PR and we are currently booking Sea Kayak trips in the Great Bear Rainforest for this coming summer. We can also put together custom trips for you - just ask!

So, that's my update in a nutshell. Please visit regularly for I have some other fun topics to share about the Pacific Northwest. But, more importantly, if you have an activity trip or adventure you would like to share with everyone, please feel free to contribute!!