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I’m in Kauai and Excited for SNOW?!

I’ve been in Kauai for a few days now, and I’ve been having a blast! The water is 75° if not warmer, and I’ve had a wonderful time beach-hopping on the North Shore the last few days. I even decided to go on an adventure and got lost in the jungle last night on the “Hunters Moon!” However, I feel like my excitement for this winter and falling snow cannot be tamed by this island paradise. I’ve been; watching ski movies in the morning before the day starts, checking out ski news online at night, and I even ran into my first ski coach, Jeff Mintz, yesterday while walking down the street! Small-World right? Now I’m sitting here, looking at the snow stake webcam on top of Baldy, and I can’t believe that it snowed 9 inches last night!!! Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I’m stoked for this winter.

Hiking through the forrest on the way to the beach

Beginning of the Napali Coast

Hunter's Moon adventure

It snowed 9in last night (10-23)!!!

October 24, 2010 | Categories: Nothing to do with Skiing | Tags: attachment, Â Now, Baldy, Beginning, coach jeff, Coast, Conor, Davis Forrest Kauai, Excited, excitement, excitementÂ, falling snow, few days, forrest, having a blast, height, hiking, Hunters, hunters moon, island paradise, islandÂ, Jeff Mints, jungle, kauai, mints, Moon, Napali, napali coast, north shore, ski, ski coach, ski news, Small, snow, snowstake, stake, street, walking down the street, water, webcam, width, winter, wonderful time, World | Comments Off

AK Comp Update #3

Yesterday was the last day of the Telepalooza World Comp. After hiking the Headwall four times in order to compete in both Alpine and Telemark I made it into both Super Finals!!! In the Telemark Super Final I pioneered a gnarly line, billy goating down a narrow 65° rocky face named the “Headstone.” From the Headstone i dropped into a chute, and then skied back into exposure as i hit a few features on the spine on the left side of the chute. I continued to down into the skirt making fast tele-turns through the sluff/avalanche debris fields. I stomped the telemark super final run, but a bobble/hipcheck from the day before kept me from reaching the top spot, I ended up in 6th place.

The Alpine super final didn’t go as smoothly, I skied the same line down the Headstone (it had considerably less snow the second time) all was well as I made my way to hit the other, higher scoring, spine on the right hand side. However, after I aired a small feature near the top, my skies loaded up, threw me, and I got high-sided. I rag-dolled over rocks and down the steep face, and I was finally able to use my pole to self-arrest after having it break three times on previous attempts. I saw blood pouring from my face and I immediately waved for help. Thanks to my helmet, spine-guard and mouth-guard I only ended up with a broken pair of goggles, a broken pole, a broken nose, a few cuts on my face, and a black eye… I did however, win the “Tough Guy Award” for both hiking up the head-wall a total of six times, and getting my self together and skiing down after my crash. I’m going to take a day off, but I might be up for night skiing later…