The Hazard Chronicles

Sometimes it feels like there are two very different versions of myself- the first being the guy who has completely sold out to the great American Dream. Nice house and car, five kids, a stereotypically dependable job, and a relatively secure future; our kids take music and dance lessons and go to church on Sundays, we are card-holding members of various civic organizations, and we visit the theater on a regular basis. Things are stable. Predictable. It's all that a person could ask for, right?

But then there is the other version. The side of me that craves adventure and risk, loves feeling small, and is constantly seeking out new experiences. The passions often dance around from one thing to the next- unrestricted- constantly looking toward the next "flow state." Physical sensations are intensified, time stands still, and the entirety of one's existence is distilled down to a single moment that makes everything else fade away. That split second in time stands there in front of you, sparkling in its brilliance and filling you with a profound sense of wonder and awe. And then it cracks, just as suddenly, into a million pieces as the world races by and you are left staring at yourself from above, taking part only as a spectator as your body continues to move, to flow, to experience, to feel. Sure, it's a little selfish- but this, you tell yourself, is what living is all about.

And then the next day, it's back to work. Back to stability. Back to the world of planning, taking on responsibilities, paying taxes, buying groceries, shuttling kids, making financial decisions, relaxing comfortably, and having "fun." And there is nothing wrong with this world- Health, financial stability, and relationships all lead to long-term rewards while at the same time enabling a solid foothold into the more unfettered life I sometimes like to dabble in. It can just be jarring sometimes to go back and forth between two very different and seemingly incompatible mentalities.

That is how I feel right now as I write this blog. "Jarred." Yesterday morning I was standing alone on the side of a mountain. Visibility was low, the angle was steep, and the possibility of skiing off a cliff by accident was very real. My body went into motion, the turns came fluidly, and obviously things were fine. But that world of immediate, in your face action and consequences seems so remote to my current setting that it almost makes me question whether or not it actually even happened.

I enjoy that. Just like how pairing two very different flavors sometimes helps to accentuate the qualities of both, I feel like living in both worlds- the one of stability and the one of adventure- gives me a sense of gratitude and appreciation for each one that I wouldn't otherwise have. It's a good life.

*****

The hoops we had to jump through to get the whole family into Canada were almost enough to deter us from taking the trip. Everybody got passports a long time ago, and we thought things were good. But then, Canadian Covid restrictions came.

Everyone needed vaccinations. Check. 

Everyone needed to have a negative test that was taken no more than three days prior to entry. Check. 

Everyone had to be symptom free and ready for possible random covid testing at the border. Check.

Everyone had to have a plan in place to quarantine for fourteen days if any symptoms developed. Um...yeah. Check? We'll just take our chances on that one. 

In the end it wasn't that bad, but doing all this stuff times seven seemed like a lot of work to go through for a ski trip.

Was it worth it? You bet. On Friday night we made an uneventful drive across the border and continued on to our hotel in Golden. The next three days would be spent skiing in Banff National Park at Sunshine and Lake Louise, and it was spectacular in every way. The landscape was staggering in scope. The skiing was some of the best we have had (according to reports, we got some of the best days of the year), and we all made it out safely without injuries. 

I spent the early part of the days alone, exploring the big mountain feel of these places. At Sunshine Village these were the steep routes off Goat's Eye mountain, and at Lake Louise I found my happy place running laps off Eagle Ridge. I would then spend the afternoons skiing with kids- playing at terrain parks, blasting through powder-covered bumps, or cruising down easy groomers. 

There was one moment at Lake Louise when I was skiing with Maren and we both looked up at the same time to see a brief clearing through the clouds. Almost without realizing it, we came to a stop and just sat down mid-mountain to take it all in. How incredible this place is! Moments like these are priceless.

Not my picture, but this is more-or-less what we saw. Unfortunately, my phone was dead. The reason for this is to be found in the next paragraph.

There were also a few little "mishaps" during our trip that will be fun to look back on. For starters, the hotel we were staying at experienced an electrical outage that lasted two out of the three days we were there. I guess that because of the holiday (Family Day in Canada) they couldn't get the part they needed. The hotel was gracious and refunded the room to us, but also allowed us to stay if we wanted. We were perfectly happy with this outcome since we were just using the room to sleep, but getting ready in the morning was interesting without any lights. Also, when eating out we had to make the weird request to be seated next to an electrical outlet so we could charge our phones. Minor inconveniences often lead to funny memories, and this was definitely one of those.

Just hanging out at the hotel. It was pretty cloudy most of the time we were there, which was fine because that meant fresh snow in the hills!

Another little mishap was a more frustrating because it meant lost time on the mountain. On the second day, everyone was so good at getting an early start and we pulled up to the lifts just as they were opening. All the kids got their gear on and we went to take the skis off the rack, only to find a solid layer of ice inside the lock. We tried for a LONG time to clear it with various small objects and lubricant sprays, but nothing would work. We tried taking the entire rack, skis and all, off the top of the car to get better access. That didn't work either. I was on the verge of simply breaking the lock when Rachel decided on a much less destructive, albeit far more humbling tactic. Asking for help. The resort repair shop had a guy come out with a heat gun who opened the lock in about ten seconds. Ok then. I'm pretty sure I loosened it up for him. 

Lindsey had a personal breakthrough on this trip. She told me her goal was to ski three black diamond runs in one day. On the first day we were there she was having a hard time because her goggles kept fogging up. I let her use mine for a while and it was like giving Dumbo a feather- she was suddenly skiing with more confidence than she ever had before and she not only did those runs, but she did them with style. Go Lindsey! Evelyn also had a really good day- especially with all the fresh powder at Sunshine Village. She told me that for the first time she actually really enjoyed the steeper runs and the moguls, and even went out of her way to find them. This is big for her!

Here's me and Lindsey (and crew) eating lunch after her first successful run. Such a good day!

This year we very consciously allow the kids to be responsible for their own gear. This means that if they forget anything, they suffer the consequences. It's their problem, and not ours. For some, like Maren, the answer to this is to just be okay without any gear. She almost never wears a hat, goggles, or gloves. The real crazy thing, however, is that she also almost never gets cold! For other kids this "policy" leads to interesting improvisations. Jackson arrived only to find that he had brought two left ski boots of two different sizes. Not wanting to shell out the money for rentals, he crammed in right foot into the larger of the two and declared it "comfortable enough." We adjusted one of the ski bindings to accommodate, and that was that. Boots are overrated anyway, right? He also went an entire day with two layers of socks on his hands instead of the gloves that he had allowed to freeze solid. He didn't seem to let any of this get him down or affect his performance, but I think he'll check his bags twice next time, and maybe listen to sound advice about getting clothes wet!

This next story is one that our family keeps talking about but that I was going to leave out (you'll see why). When I asked Lindsey what she wanted me to write though, she was adamant about this one, so I guess she has a good sense of humor and is able to laugh at herself. Anyway- long story short is that Lindsey wet her pants. The kids were playing in the snow and she really had to go, and then she waited too long, and then she got stuck in the snow up to her armpits and couldn't get out and while everyone was laughing at her she started laughing too, and then her face changed suddenly, and then...well...yeah. She sat in the car with a blanket over her for a long time while we tried to dry off her snow clothes. This whole time we were also trying to figure out the ski rack fiasco so the car door had to be open and people were coming in and out and we couldn't go back to the hotel at that point so she just sucked it up and decided to have a good day anyway. I must have been away at the moment it was said, but apparently at some point she screamed/whined "BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY PANTS!" in a way that will be remembered and laughed at and impersonated for a long time in our family. Oh, the memories. She ended up skiing in slightly wet ski pants without anything underneath. She was a good sport and pronounced that her legs were never cold, only her feet!

At one point, Jackson and Lindsey went off to ski alone together. Without missing a beat, Addy turned to me and pointed out, "They won't be hard to find if they get lost- we'll just tell ski patrol to look for two kids who are skiing alone- a crying little girl with wet pants who is being taken care of by a little boy with socks on his hands and two left boots!"

Well, that comment just made me feel like the dad of the year. Fortunately, they are both very competent skiers and didn't get lost.

Actually, that sort of segues into a brief description of how these days run for us. I was perfectly comfortable with Jack and Lindsey going off on their own because I feel like we have figured some things out as a ski family. It helps that our kids are all skilled enough to get themselves safely down the mountain. But it also helps that we have developed some routines and systems, and besides our stupid lock freezing up we almost always have good days with very few hiccups.

The day usually starts with me reading a report on weather and snow conditions as people are getting ready. This helps people know how to pack. We then load the car, and if we are going to an unfamiliar location I'll read an overview of the resort to the family from the Powderhounds website. Using this information along with the current conditions, people each decide for themselves what kind of day they want to have. Sometimes there are specific goals. Sometimes people want to push themselves on the steeps. Others might just want to explore a lot of different terrain. Some might be really excited for a park or to cruise groomers, or to go off in search of powder. Traditionally, we take a warm up run all together, then split into groups based on interest. Each group gets a radio so we can stay in touch, and before breaking off we settle on a meeting time and place for lunch. An abbreviated form of this process occurs again at lunchtime, usually resulting in a reshuffling of people and of radios, but in the end it makes it so that everyone is able to get what they wanted out of the day.

To close the post, I want to go back to the last night of our trip. We were at a nice restaurant (sitting next to electrical outlets) and our food had been ordered. Conversation naturally turned to the trip, and people started telling "remember when" stories. "Remember when Addy ducked the rope so she could hit that jump!" "Remember when Lindsey fell in the shape of a cheerio!" "Remember that conversation with the people on the lift!" "Remember the crazy ice statue we saw!" "Remember sitting down in the middle of the hill as people skied around us just so we could look at the mountains!" 

Yes- I remember. Some of the memories will stay with me for longer than others. But what will definitely stick around is these days as a family. Remember when we would all ski together every weekend and how sometimes crazy things would happen, and sometimes we would bicker, and sometimes we would fall and get hurt, but how there was always someone there to help you or to laugh with you or to cry with you or to help you push through personal limits or to just enjoy the moment with you? 

Yeah. Those were good days.

Have a good week!