Sacrifices Were Made
Before the trip I thought my dad, Megan, and I were going to make sacrifices: occasionally giving up slope time to babysit Paige. But Paige sacrificed the most for us: confined during seven hours of flight time each way, contracting a gastrointestinal illness, have no safe area to crawl around in the condo, beginning teething. The worst was that she woke up in a completely strange place in the middle of the every night. We tried to make the transition easier by having her sleep in our bed. It was the first time we did that, but it made her more comfortable.
Gastrointestinal DistressNearly everyone on the trip contracted a virus that caused come combination of fever, chills, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Luckily it only lasted about 30 hours. I ended up getting more snowboarding days than predicted because Megan and my dad would stay behind to babysit Paige on their sick days. Not everyone got the illness on the same day, so for each of my last three days I boarded with different people.
"Grand Tetons" Means "Big Ti... umm...Mammaries"Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee were located in a mountain range called the Grand Tetons. At Targhee, there was an inbound peak called Mary's Ni...you-know-what. It was pointed out to us by a resort guide and hike-to terrain only. But the guide told us it had the best snow in the resort, so of course we had to try. It was a 30 minute uphill climb at roughly 10,000 feet above sea level. Hiking in those conditions made us out of breath every ten steps. I had nearly given up climbing when Hue suggested that we just go a few more feet, and then voila! Suddenly a vast slope of deep powder opened up to us. I leaned back and floated some turns down the best run of my vacation.




It Was Easy to Make a Wrong TurnThese resorts had some serious terrain and we left with numerous stories that started on a slope that looked promising and ended with us in deep trouble. Which one could I tell? How about Bill with snow up to his chest in a ravine having to climb out? Me crawling over a log? Rocks that look like jumps? A one-snowboard-wide canyon, bumped up with no room to stop? Moguls which left our legs feeling like noodles? Thick woods that led nowhere? Add to that the fun of Carl simultaneously loosing his phone and camera on the slopes. He's the luckiest person I know, and he left Wyoming with both items in his possession. (
Caution)
Jason and Megan Picked Up SnowboardingThey did extremely well. By the end of the first day, they were carving S's on the beginner slope. I don't recall being as good as them on my first day. Jackson Hole, by the way, despite it's reputation as a serious expert mountain was a great beginner resort too. It was only $10 to use the beginner lifts. The same ticket also gave us access to a terrain park.

I've now promised Megan to take her to the Poconos a few more times to practice.
I Have A New Desktop Picture
It was a flattering photo of me taken by Hubert Wang. Please don't ask about the landing. I should return the favor by showing a picture of him in the air.