At Tahoe City Library on a Wednesday at 4:30 P.M. with all the other 70 year olds.

Sexy.

I got 5th place at Nationals. It wasn't awesome, but it surely wasn't bad. Great race, and I was just a hair off hitting the finals and killing it. Here's what a friend wrote to me anyway:

"5th, that's awesome. Would it have been funny if i started it out with,'5th, 5th just means you lost 4 times worst that the person who came in second'?
No but seriously that is fantastic. I wish i was there in my thong to spray champagne all over the place. Ehhh why do i need to do it there.. maybe i'll go out after work and do it to a stranger coming out of there office. I'll act like they just won something and there will be confetti and me in a thong spraying champagne."

Thanks Spoony. It's nice having freaks of my own. Some people call them friends.

While my computer is getting over its virus and I'm waiting for pictures and video to come in of the races, I will get back to this with a really cool final multi-media showing next week.

It was a good year.

Gliding on the Snow

No one, except Olympic skiers, their wax techs, guys in the back rooms at SOME board shops, the Start Haus in Truckee, and Rob from the snowboard team have a grasp on the complication of race waxing. I'd begin to explain but I'm still working on getting a clue. For those of you that don't know, basically there's hotboxing and base grinds, high fluoro wax, graphite, overlays, rub on wax, hot wax, new snow wax, old snow wax, temperature of the snow (we have a thermometer we stick in the snow), temperature of the air, humidity, iron temperature for hot wax, spray on wax, travel wax, wax that looks like cocaine or powdered sugar you dash on the base and rub in with cork just before jumping in the start gates, and speaking of, I've been told there's wax more expensive per gram than cocaine; there's horse hair brushes, soft brushes, brass brushes, umm other brushes . . .

Don't touch the base of your snowboard with your hands or the oils from your skin may get into the base. Don't put a hot iron on a cold snowboard or you could delaminate the thing. Take off your bindings or the screws could expand in the board when you put a hot iron on it. It's best to wait all night then scrape in the morning for it all to really absorb. If you really want to glide it's recommended to brush a lot, 45 minutes or so.

I had no idea until this year. We've gotten very detailed. I'd say they're testy planks of wood and fiber glass.

It'd be dope to rub soap on the bottom and see how that sends the dang thing down the hill, although I think it's illegal, like a spitball.

Tomorrow is Nationals Finals in Open Class in Boardercross, some of the best kids in the nation will bang into each other down the course. Delightful.

USASA NATIONALS

Sorry for the delay in keeping this up to date. It's still difficult not having internet in Tahoma, because of our tree cover, and living off the grid. I figured out I'm more isolated with my inability to get cell reception and the internet, than my brother, who was in Afghanistan, emailing me all the time. He even had a cell phone sometimes, and said he got lattes at the Bagram Base's coffee shop, Cool Beans, or something like that. I have to trek 11 miles from my house to get a latte. Jeez.


I'm back here in Colorado for USASA Nationals, the amateur snowboarding association's finals, http://www.usasa.org/. We had to race in our local series all year to qualify. There are about 3,000 athletes, competing in all snowboard disciplines for 6 days. Slalom, Giant Slalom, Pipe, Slopestyle, and Boadercross, of course. We've taken over the hill, kids from 8 years old to 60. I'm in Open Class, made up of ex pros, up-and-coming pros, and just a mix of really great athletes. The venues are set up all over the mountain and we rotate to other venues each day, like the Olympics, or the Decathlon.

Monday and Tuesday I raced Slalom and Giant Slalom, shown above. I placed 8th, out of 18 or something, but it's not one I really care too much about. The girls who beat me wore speed suits and hard boots, I raced in soft boots and regular bindings. There might have been wind drag from my baggy pants, I don't know. It matters to me how my form is, and my coach said I looked the best I ever have charging around the gates.

Now some rest, then onto Boardercross Friday! Last competition of the year!

Here's me in Oregon, which looks like I'm out of control going over the spine, but when I pump I throw my arms up in the air, then down, in case you're not familiar with Boardercross at all.