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Snowboard Vail = Mucho Powder, Take a Lesson

dwrack — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:32:48 +0000

Vail, Colorado has seen more than four feet of snow in the last seven days – totaling more than 130 inches for the season to date.Door County Kayak Tours had the pleasure of hooking up with some friends in Vail to snowboard with 13 inches of fresh powder. Since Dave just arrived in the Rockies from a two month kiteboarding stint in Baja, Mexico it was quite a change of pace – about 80 degrees difference.

The day began by me shoveling out the last parking space in the employee lot. Who doesn’t like a little manual labor? In the end, I was just happy not to have to pay 30 buck for parking. I geared up and did some early runs, fresh powder, before Dave made it to the mountain. I guess driving two straight days can take its toll on the body.

We spent the afternoon reminiscing about days on Lake Michigan, kayaking and kiteboarding. I could tell by the smile on his face that he missed the mountains, heck who wouldn’t on an epic powder day. We zipped though the trees in Game Creek Bowl, dropped the cliffs under Chair 4 and ended the day with a sweet hike up above the gondola to West Vail Trees.

I cordially invite all you kayakers out there to join me anytime in Vail. If you want a guide or snowboard lessons in Colorado check out our site at http://www.VailSnowboardLessons.com

See you on water, or frozen water (snow) as it were.

Soldier Field Snowkiting event

dwrack — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:52:35 +0000

After driving throughout the night, we made it to Mountain Home, Idaho. A small trip up to fairview and we were off the beaten path, this town reminded me of a Door County town in the Winter. Pop. 372

Jonah and I made it up to the main snowkiting location, we were a day early, and there was only two other people up and riding around the grounds.

I gave Jonah a short introduction to the trainer kite, and walked him through setting up a 12meter leading edge inflatable kite(lei) The following few days were a blast, I was worked!

Puffy McPillows

dwrack — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:14:43 +0000

What a beautiful day on Mt. Hood, it has been snowing for the past 2 days straight. The overused word “Epic” comes to mind. So a good friend and I have come up with some creative nomenclature of the snow and experience, we ventured around with “Puffy McPillows aka. Down McPillows and Puffy McPuferson to his close friends”. We searched the mountain for this vagabond and his supplies of pillowy powder. At one point I had gotten lost myself in a pillow fight with Down McPillows.

After a hearty bag lunch, our renewed energy pushed us toward the double black McPillows. Jonah and I skated and goofed towards the outside of the mountain and luck would have it that the Private Reserve had just been opened, with Puffy showing his well kept face everywhere. Bombarded with more pillows than a trophy wive’s Vail condo, I got stuck. My excuse…The Private Reserve is vertically challenged between the 2 jaw Dropping faces. Coming up to the final steep face, Puffy would put up the strongest showing of the day. Getting stuck with Puffy McPufferson on a powder day is like running out of tp, it happens to the best of us. So there I was, just 10 feet away of full filing my gravitational requirement of the day. I rolled, I flailed, and I rolled some more. By the time I had reached the drop, I had become covered, feathered, puffed and fluffed, I had become Puffy McPillows.

Last weeks long snow drought may have added to this linguistic hysteria. Pay no heed to the little man laughing, follow your dreams and lay your soul down on a pile of pillows.

See you on the mountain. It is still snowing