pow FOR THE people

Theres nothing more enjoyable for a powfiend than a powder day.  Many die hard snow bums ONLY ride powder.  The ideal powder is found right after some heavy snowfall.  It’s light and fluffy, pretty dry and unset.  It typically cascades in layers while blanketing all surfaces with a nice layer of fresh white newness.  MMM, the powfiend dream… fields of untapped terrain waiting for my freshly waxed plank to lay into it at speed.  It’s magical.

ON the first Sunday of November, Timberline at Mt. Hood in Oregon was blessed with 12 inches of fresh snow.  Although it was a little wet, it left a wonderful white blanket of soft pillow like snow that was real playful.

I struggled to get up the mountain in my Dodge Challenger due to the rear wheel drive and some less than desirable road conditions.  Thankfully, after parking at the base of the mountain, I was able to hitch hike a ride from some other early season mountain faithfuls.  Once at the top I strapped in at the top of Pucci and took my first turns…

WOW, the feeling of powder underneath your board is like floating on water with a bit more buoyancy. After a few turns I felt the blood coarsing down through my core, into my legs, and finally my feet.  The first two runs are typically just a warm up for my body, before attempting some harder riding.

Once the blood was flowing, I rode several lines on the tracked runs focusing on my heel side turns which still have me upright as opposed to seated butt down as if I’m sitting in a chair. This season, I’m putting a big focus on getting my technique and form more dialed in.  At the moment, I look like an inexperienced overweight under talented rider trying his best.  It probably doesn’t help that I have a GoPro in my hand on these runs, which is typically the sign of 1 of 2 types of riders: 1. A seasoned veteran who wishes to show the viewing public on the inter webs their mastery of shred in any condition OR 2. A douche who wishes to try and capture his 5 seconds of decent carving while editing out the full day of novice riding.  I’m probably closer to the second type, unfortunately… In all seriousness, I ride with the camera to make vid’s to share with my brothers on the east coast.  A way to document my progress and keep them motivated for the inevitable times we ride together.

I love snowboarding, but if I’m to be honest, many times where I’m on the hill, a lot of my motivation to ride is to just be able to keep up with my brothers.  They ride on the East Coast (Ice Coast) and show serious skill whether its charging down the steeps, or just riding clean lines looking stylish on mellow groomers.  They can ride and I wish to be ranked among them.

So here’s to keeping up with the joneses and shredding boot pack powder on any hill.

#powfiend