Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Deep Mid Winter Blues


 So My Friend Captain Zooms has been sending me pictures on Messenger. He works as a lift-op for Canon Mountain in New Hampshire. The last of the old time hold outs. I admire his tenacity. He recently sent a picture of himself with his 205 Skis. They are probably the longest on the mountain. These days the move has been for shorter shaped skis. Have never skied on them but I'm sure the technology is great and they are excellent. We grew up in the times where you raised your arm in the air as high as you could and that was the length of ski you used. We were daring, we went further, I owned a pair of 215 Rossignol Stratto 105's. They were my steel beams to hell as I referred to them. We rarely skied in mogul fields because they were too long. Your tips would bridge the mogul in front while your tail would still be on the one in back. They were very difficult to turn sharply. It wasn't what they were for. They were for long Giant GS turns. You know, right after a snow cat has rolled a big steep trail and there is about two to three inches of thick vanilla ice cream on the trail. You would carve long Arcing turns and scream down the hill at break neck speeds.
 
   Younger day's my friends. Captain Zooms sent me a message last evening. He took those big babies out for a few turns and had fun. Walking back to the Lift he fell on his long ass skis and bruised three of his ribs. Just walking. Needless to say those boards are in the retirement rack. Yes it does suck getting old. Who ever said that your elder years would be spent trying to recapture your youth was correct. In our minds we are all still kids. I guess some more than others.

   It's hard coming on to spring. March was always the time that, Touloose, Captain Zooms, Creme-King, and Fast Eddy and I made our big trips to the fine powder in Utah. Only in our minds these days boys.

   Life is good, take up meditating or practice Kiya Yoga. It soothes the savage soul!

   I will leave you with a couple of old rock tunes.

"Dear Mr. Fantasy," Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood

"Low Spark of High Heeled Boys," Traffic, On The Road