May 12th, 2010
Bend Camp is back. And that means the skiing here is expected to practically last right up to the Fourth of July.
- After the season I loaded up my ride and headed down south on the 101 to visit some old comrades in the hills of the Santa Ynez Valley and coastal city of Santa Barbara.
- Shaun and I go back to my days at the University of Utah. When he wasn't hitting the books back then, he plied his trade at Black Diamond. These days he's working for Channel Island, pretty much the gold standard in surfboard design and manufacturing. In a time when it seems so much manufacturing is done off-shore, it was pretty sweet to see things done the Channel Island way. Everything, from design to marketing to every possible step of making a surfboard is done in one building with a view to the Pacific.
- The Californian dream had to come to an end sometime. I had a first pitch to throw out at the Washington State – Seattle U ballgame. It'd been way too long since throwing the ball around. Luckily I made it from the pitcher's mound to home plate without the catcher having to dig it out of the dirt. The boys in Crimson and Gray scored a go-ahead two run homer in the ninth to take the win.
- During the spring is also a time for me to spend some time in the classroom and track with my 5th grade teacher, Greg Peck. I really liked it when the kids let me tag along on their field trips. I think they didn't mind it when I brought in my collection of jackets from the 2010 Games.
- Eventually I said goodbye to Washington. The reports of skiing down in Bend, Oregon were too good to pass up.
- It's been well worth it. The skiing's pretty epic, especially for mid-May.
- The skiing outside the groomers might be worth mentioning too. After acquiring the proper permits, getting the Piston Bully groomers all lined up, and consulting with experts on the snowpack, I'm stoked that a group of skiers in Bend spearheaded by Dan Simoneau and Lars Flora are offering a ski camp in from the 18th to the 22nd of June. Come join us. The summertime Bend Camp is where its at.
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