Dave’s blog

Just posting a quick update, since its been a while. Dori and I are in Vermont this weekend, skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Okemo . Its my first time snowboarding in Vermont, and the conditions are pretty good. Not markedly better than my experiences at Greek Peak in college, but they’re still good for my first time out this year, especially considering how warm the winter has been so far this year. Our first day was great, the mountain was basically empty, and we were out from about 1-4:30 (they close at 4). I was connecting turns and generally getting down the mountain without any problem - likewise for Dori, she took a little time to get her legs back, but was feeling great at the end!

Our second day here was harder - we were still sore from Friday, and today the mountain was packed. Traffic on the slopes makes me extremely nervous, since I tend to go slowly and go from one end of the slope to the other and I’m afraid of getting hit by someone coming fast behind me. I know, downhill traffic has the right of way, but tell that to some kid doing 30 and not expecting me to brake for no good reason. Dori also had a harder time today, but she’s really a lot more solid than me. She fell once at the beginning of the day, and felt a little uncomfortable after that.

We’re supposed to hit the slopes in a few weeks at Wachusett with Gil and Josh, so we’ve got another chance to work on our form. Maybe even getting off the green trails for a day.

I’ve vaguely been considering getting my own board, mostly in the name of long-term improvement, but I have a feeling its not really a practical thing. Wachusett and Blue Hills are pretty close, but a starter board, bindings, and boot set goes for about $400. I’m just not sure yet - I keep thinking that I’d like to try an Alpine board, since most of my mountain-time is in the northeast, where there’s lots and lots of ice. Of course, I’d love to try one - maybe I just need to plan ahead and find a place that will rent me one next time - if such places exist. I think the Alpine board fits my interests more anyway - its nice and fast and you can carve beautifully. I’m not really interested in half-pipes or other skateboarder-on-ice stunts, so why invest in a freestyle board?